About

In a world of never-ending uncertainty for mission-driven organizations, it is comforting to know that an eternal optimist and determined risk-taker, Melanie Lockwood Herman, is leading the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. NRMC provides consulting services, innovative web applications, and practical educational resources that help nonprofit management and leadership teams overcome risk aversion and embrace the bold risks their missions require.

A prolific author of more than a dozen comprehensive (and comprehensible!) books and resource guides on various risk management topics, Melanie has delivered countless workshops and keynote presentations for organizations simply unwilling to leave success to chance. Melanie earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Affairs from American University (Washington, DC) and a Juris Doctor from George Mason University (Arlington, VA). She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association.

In August 2023, Melanie was named to The NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50, whose editor has described her as “…the most in-demand expert in the nonprofit risk field…” and “the architect of the risk plans of some of the nation’s largest nonprofits.” This is Melanie’s 15th appearance on the list: she was recognized in 2007-2008 and 2011-2022.

In addition to her professional career, Melanie is an active volunteer in both professional organizations and community-serving nonprofits. She currently serves on the boards of two national organizations: the American Foundation for the Blind, and the National Human Services Assembly. Melanie is the former chair of the Legal Section Council of ASAE/The Center for Association Leadership, and during 2010-2013 she served on the Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

As Director of Client Solutions, Kay is our go-to staff member for the array of products and services offered at NRMC. Finding solutions makes her day. With a career in customer support, Kay can help your nonprofit find fit-to-suit tools and resources that will help you recognize, evaluate and manage the risks your nonprofit faces. Kay also serves as a Project Manager supporting consulting engagements for complex NRMC client organizations.

Kay earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a Finance Concentration, from Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, Indiana) and a Master’s of Business Administration, with a Marketing Concentration, from the University of New Mexico. She has directed consumer projects across several industries and understands operational as well as program risks. Volunteering has been a big part of Kay’s life as well. She has chaired nonprofit fund raisers, fêtes, and galas, and has been an enthusiastic volunteer at nonprofits in the U.S. and overseas.

A fan of both fine cuisine and travel, Kay maps her next journey based on local specialties. One of her favorite delights is sampling spicy foods, particularly from Asia and the Southwestern United States. She has bravely tried many unusual dishes over the years, and always has a glass of milk nearby! She recognizes that the reward of tasty, spicy food comes with a bit of risk. Her personal mantra is, “Make sure you have a backup plan!”

Rachel Sams honed her risk assessment skills as a business journalist, where she told complex stories and helped others do the same. Most recently, she served as editor-in-chief of a business journal in the Southwest. Her 20 years in business journalism give her a deep understanding of the economic risks organizations face. She’s an alumna of The Johns Hopkins University and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she bikes, hikes, practices yoga and writes fiction and poetry. Her risk tolerance increased in 2021 on a solo hike, when she spotted her first Western diamondback rattlesnake.

As NRMC’s Lead Consultant & Risk Ethnologist, Whitney is eager to provide her expertise in writing and content development to support the risk management aspirations of NRMC’s consulting clients and Affiliate Members. Whitney looks forward to learning about the myriad risk challenges facing the mission-driven nonprofits that we support and working with her colleagues at NRMC to develop practical, innovative strategies and solutions.

Whitney earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Her perpetual fascination with culture and enculturation has proved to be an invaluable resource in her career. Whitney’s diverse professional experience has included project management duties in local government, legal services, web & content development, human resources, and bicycle mechanics and tour operations.

Whitney is an avid cyclist, always finding pure joy in a risky descent down the other side of an epic climb. She enjoys biking the back roads of Virginia but truly fell in love with cycling on a trip to the Italian countryside. She firmly believes that there’s no better way to experience a country than on two wheels.

Balancing risk and caution, Whitney is also a skilled sewist and garment maker. She knows just how thin the line can be between success and disaster when wielding tailor’s shears against high-priced fabric, operating needles and blades at high speeds, and pressing irons at hot temperatures. The old adage “measure twice, cut once” is all too familiar.