Career Spotlight: Amy Bennett

Tell us about yourself – your name, company, title, and responsibilities?

I’m Amy Bennett, CBCP, vice president and practice lead for business resilience at DuraBante, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business. In my role, I lead our CORE (continuous optimization for resilient enterprises) consulting practice, where I help organizations strengthen resilience, continuity, crisis management, operational readiness, and their ability to sustain critical operations during disruption.

Before joining DuraBante, I served as vice president of business resilience at T. Rowe Price. Prior to that, I spent more than 21 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. I’m also a FEMA Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellow, and my work is shaped by more than 30 years of leadership experience across military, financial services, and consulting environments. Outside of my professional role, I’m deeply committed to veteran mental health and suicide prevention advocacy, including my work with Stop Soldier Suicide and Shootout for Soldiers.

How did you get into the business continuity industry?

I came into the business continuity industry through my military experience, although I didn’t know the field was called “business continuity” at the time.

In my last several roles in the Army, I worked closely with FEMA and state and local emergency management agencies. I loved civil-military operations and being part of the mission to support communities during disasters and in times of need. But what really stayed with me was the value of the work that happens before a disruption: building relationships, understanding roles, planning with agencies and partners, and preparing communities and organizations to respond more effectively when something does happen.

As I was preparing to retire from the military and thinking about my next career, I kept describing what I wanted to do as “corporate emergency management.” I was searching for roles using that language and not getting very far. Then a friend in the industry course-corrected me and said, “Amy, what you’re describing is business continuity.”

That was a gamechanger. Once I understood the language of the industry, I could better connect my military experience in emergency management, operations, planning, exercises, and crisis leadership to the business world. It was also a great reminder that words matter. Knowing the right terminology can be the bridge between where you have been and where you are trying to go.

Tell us about some of the challenges you have encountered in your career?

One of the recurring challenges in my career has been learning how to translate my experience into the next environment and then continuing to evolve as the mission changed.

One of the most significant transitions was moving from the military into a civilian career in business continuity within the financial services sector. I had spent more than two decades leading soldiers, supporting civil-military operations, planning contingencies, and responding to real-world events. The work was familiar in many ways – preparedness, response, continuity, risk, coordination, and leadership under pressure – but the language and business context were very different.

A specific challenge was learning how to explain my military experience in terms that resonated in a corporate environment. What I knew as mission readiness, contingency planning, and operational response had to be translated into business continuity, incident management, operational resilience, client trust, regulatory expectations, and enterprise risk. That shift required humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn a new language while trusting the foundation of my experience still had value.

Another challenge was growing from a boots-on-the-ground tactical leader into a strategic organizational leader. Early in my career, leadership often meant executing the mission in front of me and making decisions with limited time and imperfect information. Over time, the work became more about anticipating disruption, assessing risk and opportunity, developing courses of action, and building plans that helped others make sound decisions before an event occurred.

That evolution has continued as I moved from military leadership to business resilience in financial services, and now into consulting. Each transition has stretched me to adapt, listen, learn, and expand my view of leadership. Each has reinforced the same lesson: resilience is not static. Whether leading soldiers, supporting enterprise continuity, or advising clients, the work is ultimately about helping people and organizations prepare, adapt, make decisions, and continue the mission when conditions change.

Have you had any mentors? Describe the effect they have had on your career.

Yes, I have been fortunate to have several mentors throughout the different evolutions of my career – in the military, business resilience, consulting, and the nonprofit space. The most meaningful mentors in my life have been inspirational leaders who lead by example. They are people whose behaviors, decisions, integrity, courage, and service I try to draw inspiration from and emulate in some way.

Their impact has not always come from formal advice. Typically, it is from watching how they show up: how they treat people, how they make decisions under pressure, how they take accountability, how they build teams, and how they use their influence to improve the organizations and communities around them. My mentors have pushed me to grow as a leader, step outside my comfort zone, and increase my own capacity to contribute and think about my impact.

I also think it’s important to acknowledge I’ve learned a great deal from poor leadership as well. Some of the most powerful lessons in my career came from observing leaders whose behavior taught me exactly what I didn’t want to become — how I didn’t want to run an organization, make people feel, or use authority. Those experiences shaped my leadership just as much, because they clarified the kind of leader I wanted to be.

I firmly believe no matter where we are in life – what rank, title, position, station, or phase we are in – we never stop needing people to look up to. We never outgrow the value of having someone who inspires, challenges, and reminds us of what good leadership looks like in practice.

The mentor-mentee relationship is special and necessary. It is something I value deeply, seek intentionally, and try to reciprocate with others. My mentors continue to give me energy and perspective, and I hope to offer that same encouragement, honesty, and support to others as they navigate their own paths.

What are some lessons learned you still leverage today?

Three lessons I carry with me today are consistency, relationships, and the importance of preparing before disruption occurs.

First, consistency matters more than intensity. Through military service, business resilience, consulting, volunteer work, and advocating for veteran mental health, I have learned meaningful impact is built through steady commitment over time. We rarely solve the hardest problems all at once, but we can continue showing up with purpose, discipline, and a willingness to do the work. That lesson continues to shape how I lead, serve, and build programs.

Second, relationships matter. Whether in the military, business, emergency management, consulting, or the nonprofit space, I have learned that trust built before a crisis makes response and recovery more effective. You don’t want to meet key partners for the first time during a disruption. That is why it’s so important to intentionally widen and leverage your network through professional conferences, industry events, education, volunteer work, and social engagements. Strong relationships create speed, clarity, and confidence when conditions are uncertain.

Third, preparedness is leadership. Plans, exercises, governance, and continuity strategies aren’t just administrative tasks; they are how organizations protect people, operations, reputation, and mission. I believe the work done before an incident often determines how well an organization performs during one. That lesson has shaped my approach to business resilience and continues to influence how I help organizations build practical, sustainable capabilities.

What gets you excited about your career?

What excites me most about my career right now is that I’m once again in a season of growth.

I’ve always believed resilience and growth are fostered by getting comfortable being uncomfortable. I still believe that’s true. But two things can be true at once: trying something new professionally can be both exciting and challenging. That is exactly where I find myself now as I build and lead the CORE practice at DuraBante.

I am excited to shape this practice, help organizations strengthen their ability to operate through disruption, and see where this new career pathway leads.

I am also excited to have launched my biweekly LinkedIn newsletter, “The Resilience Brief,” where I share practical lessons in readiness, leadership, and operating through disruption. It gives me a platform to reflect on what I’ve learned across my military, corporate, consulting, and nonprofit experiences – and to connect with others who care about building stronger, more resilient people and organizations.

At this stage of my career, what excites me is not just the work itself, but the opportunity to keep growing, keep contributing, and keep helping others prepare for whatever comes next.

What advice would you give to those embarking on a career in this industry?

My advice to anyone embarking on a career in this industry is simple: leverage your network and get involved.

Business continuity, resilience, emergency management, and crisis response are relationship-driven fields. Technical knowledge matters, but so does trust, visibility, and connection. Make LinkedIn come to life and work for you. The platform isn’t very useful if it sits untouched or underutilized. Reach out to people in your network. Request periodic meetings – virtually or in person – to introduce yourself, reconnect, ask questions, socialize your resume, or practice your elevator pitch.

I would also encourage newcomers to say yes to opportunities that help them learn and build credibility. Attend the professional development training. Go to the conference. Join the industry organization. Pursue the certification. Volunteer for the committee. Ask to sit in on the exercise or planning meeting. The more you expose yourself to the language, tools, people, and real-world challenges of the profession, the faster you will grow.

As we used to say in the Army, sometimes you just have to “drink the Kool-Aid.” Jump in, get involved, and be willing to learn. This is a field where curiosity, initiative, and relationships can open doors ... but you have to be willing to step through them.