Amy Wares, CPA, MBA

Biography

Amy Wares is an Enterprise Risk Management Specialist with over 20 years of experience in the social sector. Amy assists organizations in developing and strengthening their enterprise risk management (ERM) programs to help them achieve their strategic goals, improve their decision-making, and increase their resiliency.

Amy manages GRF’s partnership with the Enterprise Risk Management Initiative at NC State University. She organizes the annual joint workshop on ERM for nonprofit organizations, which brings together executives and board members to share best practices and discuss emerging trends. She also conducts research and writes articles and blog posts. She is the author of the popular resource, Getting Started with Enterprise Risk Management: A Guide for Nonprofits.

Prior to joining GRF, Amy worked as a researcher and analyst on numerous USAID- and World Bank-funded economic development programs. She served as Research Director at the Social Progress Imperative, where she led the development of the Social Progress Index, a leading measure of countries’ performance on social and environmental factors. Her previous experience also includes serving as Senior Competitiveness Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Amy began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan.

Amy serves on the board of directors of Weaver Street Market, a worker- and consumer-owned cooperative with four grocery stores in central North Carolina selling natural and organic food with a focus on local and fair-trade products. She also serves on Weaver Street Market’s community grant fund committee.