Our Team

Executive Director

Melanie Lockwood Herman

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.

Assistant Executive Director

Elyzabeth Joy Holford

Elyzabeth recently joined the NRMC team as Assistant Executive Director. Her career has been anchored by a deep commitment to social justice and driven by curiosity about ways to support strategy, operations, equity and collaborative growth and success. She has worked as a consultant to nonprofits, for-profits, public entities and academic institutions.

She began her career as a trial attorney focused on racial, social, and economic justice cases. She taught and obtained tenure at Virginia Tech where she later became a campus administrator. After starting and selling a new technology company, she began consulting as an itinerant international strategy and operations professional. Her work has taken her around the globe, and she has never looked back. For example, she served as founding senior executive for the Digital Living Research Commons in Denmark where she created and led a dynamic space for artists, researchers, business leaders, and policymakers to explore research and practice at the intersections of culture, technology, art, human interactions, social media, and infrastructure. She is an alum of Indiana University, the University of Dayton, and the Ohio State University.

When she’s not working, Elyzabeth loves to cook, travel, swim, play music, do tai chi, and enjoy the outdoors. Above all, her favorite pastime is playing frisbee with her dog.

Director of Client Solutions

Kay Nakamura

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!”

Lead Consultant and Editor

Rachel Sams

Rachel Sams brings 20 years of experience as a writer and editor to her work as a consultant and staff writer at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. She advises clients, delivers NRMC’s affiliate member webinars, writes articles about risk, and edits NRMC’s Risk Management Essentials publication. Rachel’s previous experience in business journalism helps her understand and communicate the risks organizations face. She’s based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she serves on the marketing committee of The Grief Center, a provider of support groups, resources, and workshops for children and adults who grieve. Rachel is also a member of the Albuquerque Women in Business for Good giving circle. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing Seminars from The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD). When she’s not helping nonprofits assess risk, she 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.

Lead Consultant & Risk Ethnologist

Whitney Thomey

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.