Amy Sample Ward (they/them) is the Chief Executive Officer of NTEN. Amy is driven by a belief that technology should be accessible and accountable to everyone, especially communities historically and systemically excluded from the digital world. Their prior experience in direct service, policy, philanthropy, and capacity-building organizations has fueled Amy’s work to create meaningful, inclusive, and compassionate community engagement and educational opportunities for organizations around the world.
Amy has had the privilege to present at conferences around the round, be a guest on podcasts, and author contributions in various books and magazines. Amy’s most recent book is The Tech That Comes Next: How Changemakers, Philanthropists, and Technologists Can Build an Equitable World co-authored with Afua Bruce. Their previous books include Social Change Anytime Everywhere, co-authored with Allyson Kapin, which was a Terry McAdam Book Award finalist, and Social by Social.
In addition to Amy’s work at NTEN, they are also active locally and globally in supporting, learning from, and contributing to the power of other organizers and leaders. Amy is the chair of the Portland Elections Commission, a board member for The Cottonwood School of Civics and Science, a Steering Committee member for Invest in Open Infrastructure, and a formal and informal advisor to a number of nonprofit, technology, and digital inclusion initiatives.