Dr. Amy C. Horner, CPA, is a change ambassador, innovation enthusiast, and international speaker. She is recognized for her thought leadership in embracing change, career growth, and professional development. With a passion for helping leaders navigate complex challenges, she blends executive experience with academic rigor to drive meaningful impact.

 

As a Professor of Practice and the Academic Director of the Executive DBA Program at the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business, Amy leverages her extensive C-suite background to equip DBA scholars with the strategies and insights to successfully navigate their doctoral journey. A sought-after keynote speaker, Amy is known for her engaging storytelling and for having a positive, lasting impact on her audiences. She simplifies complex leadership challenges, making them approachable, and provides attendees with actionable tools for success.

 

Before transitioning to academia, Amy served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for multiple organizations, leading them through transformative periods of innovation and growth. Her strategic leadership resulted in diversified revenue streams, expanded service offerings, stronger brand awareness, increased market share, a more engaged workforce, and improved financial outcomes.

 

Deeply committed to positively contributing to the accounting profession, Amy is a past board member of the Greater Washington Society of CPAs, former chair of the GWSCPA Women's Leadership Committee, and former member of the North Carolina Association of CPAs Women's Leadership Committee.

 

Her leadership and influence have been recognized internationally; she is a recipient of Ignition’s Top 50 Women in Accounting Award and has been recognized as a Top Leadership Voice on LinkedIn. She has served on multiple state CPA society boards and committees, demonstrating her deep commitment to the profession and its community.

 

Amy holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, an MBA from Penn State University, and a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she was a student-athlete on the university’s first PSAC Championship Women’s Varsity Soccer Team. She brings the same team-driven mindset, resilience, and strategic thinking from the soccer field into her leadership philosophy today.