Evolving the Enterprise Risk Management in Government: Reflections of a Risk Management Professional

In 2010, the IBM Center for The Business of Government published my report, Managing Risk in Government: An Introduction to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM); its first research report exploring the importance of managing risk at the enterprise level. The release of this report and the many other Center reports on risk management that have followed continue to shape and inform the dialogue in what has become a government-wide effort to improve operations and effectiveness within federal agencies.

Dr. Karen Hardy

Dr. Karen Hardy brings more than 30 years of federal experience from the NIH and Department of Commerce.

She is the former Director of Risk Management and first Deputy Chief Risk Officer at the U.S. Department of Commerce where she led the Office of Program Evaluation and Risk Management. She spearheaded the Department's ERM initiative across 12 federal agencies with 47,000 employees and a budget of $7B. The initiative was recognized by the GAO as a federal Best Practice.

Senior Advisor
National Academy of Public Administration

Dr. Karen Hardy brings more than 30 years of federal experience from the NIH and Department of Commerce.

She is the former Director of Risk Management and first Deputy Chief Risk Officer at the U.S. Department of Commerce where she led the Office of Program Evaluation and Risk Management. She spearheaded the Department's ERM initiative across 12 federal agencies with 47,000 employees and a budget of $7B. The initiative was recognized by the GAO as a federal Best Practice.

Dr. Hardy is the former senior advisor working with the U.S. Controller at OMB in establishing government-wide risk policy. Her work and research has been recognized and credited for pioneering risk management literature across government.

Dr. Hardy is an alumnus of the Federal Executive Institute and received 3 bronze medal awards for superior performance. She is a founding member of the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management. An accomplished speaker and award-winning author, Dr. Hardy has served as keynote at several events including at Harvard University and the United Nations Office of the Under-Secretary-General. 

Dr. Hardy holds a BA in Communication/Journalism from Hampton University, an MBA, as well as a Doctor of Education in Human Resource Development and Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.