While I have experience in all aspects of philanthropy, my particular expertise is in strategy development, organization design and hiring, team and talent management, and effective decision-making processes.

REAL EXPERTISE

I know how personal philanthropy is. I can help you craft a strategy and organization that meets your unique needs, leveraging insights from the sector.

BROAD SECTOR KNOWLEDGE & INSIGHT

I offer pragmatic advice grounded in lived experience - having built Valhalla from the ground-up.  I understand what works (and what doesn't) and know how to improve over time.

PRAGMATIC ADVICE

Before joining Valhalla, I was a Partner at The Bridgespan Group, where I advised foundation and nonprofit leaders and ultra high net worth individuals for almost 12 years.  I helped well over a dozen clients significantly improve their impact, and more than half of these clients asked for multiple engagements.  I led recruiting firm-wide, revamping Bridgespan's recruiting strategy to hire 60+ talented people each year. I was also a member of the Partner Promotion and Hiring Committee.

I currently serve on the Successor Board of Valhalla Foundation and on the Program Advisory Committee of The Primary School. I have also worked at NewSchools Venture Fund (one of the first venture philanthropy funds), Education for Change (a charter management organization in Oakland), and Bain & Company.

I have an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a Masters in Education from Stanford University, and a BA from Dartmouth College.  I live in the Bay Area with my husband and three (awesome!) kids.

I led Valhalla to commit over $700M, grow its portfolio to well over 150 grantees, and forge partnerships with dozens of funders and field leaders in service of impact.  Most importantly, I helped Valhalla achieve significant measurable improvement in its desired outcomes.

Before becoming an independent philanthropy advisor, I was the Founding President of Valhalla Foundation for five years.  I led Valhalla to develop clear strategies and drive outcomes improvement in six issue areas.  I also hired and developed a team of nine talented individuals, and I led the team to establish the systems, culture, and governance to enable Valhalla's continuous improvement, durability, and scale.

“What makes Amy such a unicorn is that she brings the best strategy frameworks and tools for philanthropy from Bridgespan, and she has applied them leading a family foundation that she built from the ground up.  Oftentimes consultants will bring you smart frameworks but are unable to coach you through making decisions and navigating implementation challenges. Amy offers so much lived experience and a refined perspective on what actually works and how to zoom out and pivot."