Samir Saber

Samir Saber, CISSP, CCSP, M.Sc., is a seasoned technology and education leader whose career spans roles as a tech support specialist, systems engineer, teacher, program chair, continuing education director, and small business founder. He currently serves as Dean of Digital & Information Technology and Executive Director of Workforce Technology at Houston City College (HCC), where he has led the creation of cutting-edge degree and certificate programs in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science, Cloud Computing, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Over more than 17 years in academia and industry, Samir has secured and managed millions of dollars in state and federal funding, including a recent $2 million Google.org investment to expand HCC’s AI programming and faculty capacity. He has played a key role in maintaining HCC’s National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation since 2017 and in expanding hands-on labs and workforce-aligned training across multiple IT disciplines. Samir also co-founded HCC’s Computer Science Association student club and helped launch the College’s annual Artificial Intelligence conference, which has grown into a multi-day national event attracting more than 1,300 participants.

Samir is a co-founder of the National Applied AI Consortium (NAAIC), a national initiative led by Miami Dade College in partnership with Houston City College and Maricopa Community College District that recently received $2 million from Google.org to scale applied AI education and educator training nationwide. In its first year, the consortium trained more than 1,000 faculty, engaged over 300 academic institutions across 46 states and U.S. territories, delivered more than 10,000 hours of AI training, and reached an estimated 31,000 students. He has also spent more than 12 years supporting middle and high school learners through STEAM camps, deepening regional pathways into AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technology careers.

A passionate mentor, Samir has guided student teams that earned national and global recognition at the Intel AI Global Impact Festival, including projects in industrial safety, automated medical triage, and early detection of childhood blood cancers. Under his leadership, HCC became the first institution in Texas and second in the U.S. to launch an Associate of Applied Science in Artificial Intelligence in 2020, and the first in the country to offer a Bachelor of Applied Technology in AI & Robotics in 2023. His work continues to expand inclusive access to high-impact AI learning experiences and global innovation opportunities for diverse learners.

Recognized as the 2025 “Ally for AI of the Year” by Women in AI, Samir is widely regarded as a champion for inclusive innovation and workforce readiness in AI and digital technology education. His leadership philosophy centers on empowering learners, educators, and institutions to thrive in a rapidly evolving skills economy, with a particular focus on community impact and system-level change.