Jennifer Tharp

I'm Jennifer Tharp. I help boards and operators get hard things done — at the intersection of business, technology, and governance.

See what I do

What I do

I bring decades of experience across four core areas of expertise, helping organizations navigate complex challenges and achieve sustainable growth.

Board Member

Experienced board chair, audit committee chair, and compensation committee chair, making the toughest calls: CEO succession, M&A, risk, ESG, AI strategy. I'm an IoD Chartered Director, an NACD Board Leadership Fellow, and an SEC AC financial expert.

Strategic Planning

I work with leadership teams to develop actionable strategies that align organizational goals with market opportunities, creating roadmaps for sustainable growth and competitive advantage, from high growth tech startups to the State of California.

IPO, M&A and Turnaround

When you are preparing for an acquisition or IPO, building investor confidence, or recovering from a crisis, operations and technology have to be ready. I prepare companies for the next step, building the infrastructure required, from high-growth tech startups to a $9B county government.

Execution and program management

When projects are slipping, critical initiatives stall, or growth is outpacing your ability to deliver, execution discipline has to catch up. I build the practices and people that turn ambition into results and improve time to market. Globally recognized project management expert, named PMI Fellow in 2025.

Who I've helped

Trusted by leading organizations across industries to provide strategic guidance, governance excellence, and compliance expertise.

Cisco ClearSlide eBay Fastly Genentech HotelTonight Murex Nikon NS1 OpenDNS Palo Alto Community FCU PG&E PwC RoseRyan Santa Clara County Scribd Second Life Shopping.com Shutterfly SLAC State of California Sunrun Technicolor Torani Vodafone

Boards

Currently serving on multiple boards, providing strategic oversight and governance expertise across diverse industries.

Board of Directors

Project Management Institute

Board of Directors (nine years, ending 2024). Global, member-elected board of a $300M not-for-profit serving 750,000 members across 195 countries.

Two years as Chair. Vice Chair. Audit Committee Chair. Compensation Committee Chair. Strategic Oversight Committee. Board Development.

Led the organization through digital transformation, CEO succession, organizational restructuring, and AI's impact on the profession.

Board Member

Women Corporate Directors

Strengthened and expanded a global community of board leaders, fostering meaningful connections, knowledge sharing, and boardroom excellence.

Operations Chair

Association for Strategic Planning, Northern California

Helped move a young chapter from financial crisis to sustainable operating mode.

Audit Chair, Supervisory Committee

Palo Alto Community Federal Credit Union

Independent oversight of internal controls; the credit-union equivalent of an audit committee.

Past President, Advisory Board, CFO

Project Management Institute, San Francisco Bay Area

Grew chapter membership 25% in two years; tripled volunteer participation.

I'm currently considering new board positions. If you're looking to add a director with deep operating experience, audit and governance fluency, and a working understanding of AI's impact on the business, I'd be glad to talk.

Contact

If you're navigating a hard moment, I'd be glad to hear about it: an acquisition, a regulatory inflection point, an AI transformation, a board you're trying to strengthen, or a leadership change you need to make.

EmailEmail Jennifer Phone415 385 1749
Jennifer Tharp