TAA member Dr. Karen Hardy has accepted a new position as President-Elect of the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management (AFERM). Hardy has written four books, including Enterprise Risk Management: A Guide for Government Professionals, which won the 2017 TAA Most Promising New Textbook Award; Mastering the Art of Success, co-authored with Jack Canfield, creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul; Building Self-Leaders: A Model Training Program for Public Sector Employees; and Destiny, Dreams & Decisions: Empowering Women for Success.

“I am one of the Founders of AFERM and was asked to be president 17 years ago, a few years after it was established, but at the time I was busy with work and didn’t have the bandwidth,” she said. “Now, I am able to balance the opportunity.”

Enterprise Risk Management: A Guide for Government Professionals was written for the practitioners of AFERM and the publication will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2025. “I am hoping to have a new edition done before the end of my tenure in the same year,” she said. “That may be an ambitious timeline, but that’s my personal goal.”

Hardy will be the first Woman of Color to serve as President of the Association in its 17-year history. “AFERM is a critical organization at a time in public administration where stakeholders want to see accountability towards public dollar investments,” she said. “Professionals in this association are public administrators and public managers who care dearly about ensuring and protecting the value of programs that benefit the public. I look forward to ushering the association forward during these times of creativity and innovation.” Congratulations Karen!