Amy Tharpe is a visionary leader whose career has been dedicated to advancing economic justice, equity, and opportunity for under resourced and diverse communities. For over two decades, she has built a powerful legacy at the intersection of business, government, and philanthropy—mobilizing public and private resources to drive social impact and create inclusive pathways to prosperity.

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As the CEO of The Impact Collective, Amy advises corporations, philanthropies, and nonprofits on corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, and equity-centered community engagement. Her work helps institutions align business performance with meaningful social change—ensuring that investments and partnerships uplift communities of color and advance shared prosperity.

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Previously, Amy served as Director of Social Responsibility at the Port of Oakland, where she designed and implemented initiatives that led one of California’s largest economic engines to be a model for equitable growth. She led the Port’s groundbreaking Community Benefits Agreement for the redevelopment of the former Oakland Army Base—one of the first of its kind nationally—securing commitments for local hiring, small business inclusion, and economic justice benefitting West Oakland and other historically impacted neighborhoods. Under her leadership, the Port launched nationally recognized workforce, supplier diversity, philanthropic and environmental justice community programs that created economic opportunities in
the region.

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Amy’s earlier leadership roles include her role as the Director of Policy and Planning at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing, where she helped launch HOPE SF, the nation’s first large-scale public housing revitalization initiative to prevent displacement and promote mixed-income, inclusive neighborhoods in the City of San Francisco. She has also held senior positions with the Fannie Mae Foundation and in the Washington D.C. Mayor’s Office, where she led teams to drive equitable housing and economic development policy at the local and national level.

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A respected local governance and community leader, Amy serves on the Oakland Zoo Board of Trustees, where she co-chairs its Board Advancement Committee, and is a member emerita of the YMCA of the East Bay Board of Directors, where she helped guide it through its merger to become one of the largest Y’s in the country and to guide the YMCA East Bay Foundation. Her past board service also includes leadership roles with Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco and the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation.

 

Amy has been recognized as a Powerful Woman of the Bay and honored with the Community Leadership Award by the Black Elected Officials of the East Bay.

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Amy earned her Master’s in Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and her B.A. in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley. She is also a graduate of the Santa Clara University Black Corporate Board Readiness Program (BCBR) and Emerge California, which prepares women to run for elected office.