What you see is what you get
Amy Upham knew from a young age that she had superior vision, she just thought it was the medical reading of her 20/15 eyesight. She used to joke she would become a pilot if she was not so afraid of heights.
From early in her career, mentors and colleagues began remarking on Amy’s ability to see the forest for the trees. At one point she took Clifton’s Strengths Finder assessment with six or seven colleagues, and their answers were anonymized by her supervisor, who then came back and asked the team to identify who had what strength ratings. It was a team-building, getting to know you exercise, as many of them had only spent a few hours together at most. Amy came back with each person’s ratings exactly in the order as they had answered, which spooked some of her teammates. “Don’t worry”, she told them, “I only use my powers for good”. At twenty-seven, she was offered an executive position and declined, believing she had more to learn.
By the second decade in her career, she’d heard the word “visionary” periodically, but as someone rooted in serving others, had a hard time wearing that mantle. Then, as she completed her MPH, she was given an opportunity to not only vision, but create and advise on a suite of programs for her local Health Department to combat overdose, programs that ultimately led to a dramatic reduction in overdose death. On the heels of that success, she was hired to lead a start-up nonprofit, and then moved into an established nonprofit, growing revenue, programs and personnel in both. Twenty-plus years into her nonprofit journey, she began to settle into embracing her leadership ability and owl eye vision.
Amy worked her way up from boots-on-the-ground direct care, advocacy, benefits counseling and service coordination to program and contracts management, running departments, and, finally, leading two small nonprofits.
Amy earned her Bachelors in English with a minor in Creative Writing from SUNY Geneseo, and her Masters in Public Health, with a focus in Community Health and Certification in Narrative Medicine from Lenoir Rhyne University. Her combination of experience, education, compassion and insight have culminated in the offerings under Owl Eye Consulting.
Success Stories
Over the past 7 years, Amy grew two small nonprofits and a government department from seeds to thriving enterprises, in each case more than doubling funding, programming and personnel.
From her very first professional role as a Self-Advocacy Facilitator for people with developmental disabilities, it was never about her own success. The daughter of two Vietnam veterans, and someone who faced her own severe health crisis at 15 from a bout of Lymes Disease, Amy has dedicated her life’s work to alleviating suffering and improving health and wellbeing for individuals and communities. Amy believes the real success of any program or organization can be measured with RBA’s (Results Based Accountability) qualitative measure of “Are people better off?”
Read on for snapshots of her work, as well as what others have to say about working with her towards improving the health and wellbeing of their communities.
2025: Lead Investigator, WNC LGBTQIA+ Health Equity Survey, (See: https://www.blueridgepride.org/health-equity-survey)
2024: Accepted the Dan Mauney Equality Award from HRC on behalf of Blue Ridge Pride as Executive Director.
Launched Blue Ridge Pride’s Mental Health Counseling program and Hurricane Helene Recovery Programs (food, financial assistance, eviction prevention)
2022-2023: Managed implementation of the Medicaid pilot, Healthy Opportunities, as the first behavioral health agency in NC to generate revenue.
2021: Initiated and provided content expertise, including training data collectors, for a research project with MAHEC and UNC Chapel Hill on health drivers of homelessness in Asheville.
2019-2021: Planned and implemented the first integrated Post Overdose Response Team between Public Health and EMS in North Carolina, which has since developed into a full Community Paramedicine program.
2019-2025: Secured over $3 million in federal, state, and foundation support for Western North Carolina.
What Others Are Saying
“She is, quite simply, a force for good.”
“Amy is one of those rare professionals who brings both strategic vision and practical expertise to everything she does. She is a thoughtful leader, a dynamic communicator, and someone who leads with both heart and purpose.
Amy’s skillset is wide-ranging—spanning leadership, public policy, program development, and community engagement—and she applies each of those talents with clarity and compassion. She is as comfortable facilitating high-level conversations with stakeholders as she is rolling up her sleeves to do the hard, necessary work of community change.
Anyone fortunate enough to collaborate with Amy will find themselves challenged to think more deeply, act more intentionally, and lead more ethically. She is, quite simply, a force for good.”
~Greta Byrd, MBA, Vice-President of Advancement at Mars Hill University
“A deep commitment to collaboration.”
“Amy is a visionary leader who built Eleanor Health Foundation from the ground up, leading with a deep commitment to collaboration. She consistently involved our small team in meaningful decision-making and was transparent in how she navigated change within the organization. Amy empowered me to grow professionally, supporting my development, trusting me with a full caseload, and encouraging both autonomy and learning. I was especially grateful for her trust in involving me in the launch of the Healthy Opportunities Pilot Program and for the balance she struck between mentorship and independence. I feel fortunate to have started my career under such thoughtful and strategic leadership.
~Elena Keller, MPH, Qualitative Researcher at Lund University
“We landed an amazing funding opportunity.”
“It was a pleasurable experience working with Amy from Owl Eye Consulting. Amy has supported Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness with exceptional professionalism, strategic insight, and a heartfelt commitment to our mission. We landed an amazing funding opportunity due to her precise grant writing. We look forward to consulting with Owl Eye on future projects.
~Sue Polston, CPSS, Executive Director Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness
“Willingness to take principled stands on issues”
Amy took over as Executive Director of Blue Ridge Pride following my retirement. She led the organization to a whole new level under very challenging circumstances.
What impressed me most about Amy was her willingness to take principled stands on issues, even when it might affect core sources of revenue or long-standing traditions. In spite of that, Amy grew the organization and its funding base by multiples.
Amy also expanded the scope of the organization in ways that greatly enhanced support to some of the most needy in our community. Amy makes good things happen!
~Tina Madison White, former Executive Director of Blue Ridge Pride
“Always the incredible communicator.”
Amy worked tirelessly, with dedication, knowledge and strong leadership skills to keep Blue Ridge Pride moving forward and especially profitable. Their commitment, despite external and internal challenges, was unwavering, which speaks volumes of their character and passion. Always the incredible communicator, Amy will be valuable to any organization they work with as their track record has proven.
~Jackie Lees, National LGBTQ Elders Spokesperson and Storyteller with S.A.G.E. USA
“The bridge between systems and souls”
Their integrity, empathy, and advocacy for those without a voice not only strengthened the teams we were part of but helped shape me into a better leader.
Amy brought clarity and compassion to every interaction whether supporting clients in crisis or navigating complex systems. Their presence was a steadying force, always grounded in purpose and driven by a deep commitment to justice and care. They never lost sight of the people behind the policies whether that was from the trenches of social work to the front lines of leadership. Their Leadership is not rooted in ego, but in purpose. The bridge between systems and souls.
~Glori Keating Gardner, Keller Williams Mountain Partners
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