DC native among few authors of color helping readers understand risk management
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor a D.C. native who is a three-time best-selling author and the CEO of Strategic Leadership Advisors, a consulting business.
As a risk management specialist, Karen Hardy, Ed.D, is only one of a handful of African American women in the field and one of only a few Black, indigenous and people of color to write books on the multi-billion dollar industry. That’s why, she says, it’s essential for her to educate a diverse audience about “how risk management works in a non-threatening way.”
Hardy created a series of award-winning books on risk management called “Flip This Risk.”
She says, “Risk isn’t something we have to be afraid of. It’s something there to help us grow.”
Hardy says she compiled powerful narratives from a diverse group of women experts in the field of security management with the goal of increasing diversity in risk management publications.
During this Women’s History Month, Hardy says she wants the next generation of women leaders to know that the sooner they understand how to take risks responsibly, the sooner they can be successful in life because “life is about risk and reward.”
She says young people have the power and authority to lead themselves within the context of risk and reward. Hardy, a mother and grandmother, says she also wants women to know that what they do is important.
“They may not be in the media. They may not have a best-selling book. But, there are people who depend on them, who look up to them, who are inspired by them,” she says.
The Flip This Risk series includes “Flip This Risk for Conversations: 17 Questions to Ask About Risk Management When You Don’t Know What to Say”, “Flip This Risk for Enterprise Security: Industry Experts Share Their Insights About Enterprise Security Management Risks for Organizations” and “Flip This Risk for Podcasting: Top Risks Every Podcaster Should Avoid To Be Successful.”