Hi! I'm the founder of Stokes Collaborative with eight years of experience across various industries, including higher education, technology, healthcare, community organizations, and hospitality. I’ve supported organizations ranging from 50 to 10,000 employees in cultivating authentic workplace cultures, enhancing employee engagement, and driving professional and personal development. My background includes roles such as Employee Engagement Manager and Senior Program Manager, giving me a well-rounded perspective on fostering growth and collaboration.
I hold a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education and Educational Leadership, which provides a strong foundation for creating supportive and empowering educational and work environments. My diverse experience and academic background uniquely position me to help organizations build thriving cultures that inspire and sustain success.
In my free time, I enjoy performing Beyoncé concerts (in my living room), collecting unique Connect Four boards, calling my mom a million times a day, and spending time with my community. I take pride in showing up authentically and proudly as myself. It hasn’t always been easy, but embracing the power I have over my life has made it more beautiful.
Growing up as an only child, teachers always called me a "talker" in class, so it’s only right that I continue to use my voice for a better purpose. Let’s connect and keep driving positive growth in our workplaces and communities!
Pronouns: She/Her
Hey, I’m velshay stokes.
I utilize a people-first approach to maximize the impact of my work, ensuring each individual is supported to the fullest. Understanding that workplace culture and professional growth can be complex topics, I present content in a way that is relatable, clear, accessible, and engaging. Whether working one-on-one or addressing a group, my goal is to empower everyone with the confidence and tools needed to drive meaningful growth. Creating a positive and productive work environment is a shared responsibility—when we collaborate and support each other, we build stronger teams and more successful organizations.
My Approach
Testimonials
“Velshay was great to work with on the set-up side of the presentation and during the presentation, she was able to get participants engaged and eager to share their thoughts. Velshay also did a wonderful job of navigating both the presentation and the chat/text feature used as part of the presentation, ultimately modeling inclusivity and honoring how people choose to communicate. So very appreciated!”
-Workshop Participant
“Velshay is an incredibly naturally gifted speaker. She is engaging, interactive, and relatable. She immediately sets the tone for comfort, safety, and engagement. I have attended two keynotes of hers now and have walked away feeling energized, empowered and motivated to be a better colleague and person, in general. Velshay has a stage presence that can't be taught or emulated. I appreciate the opportunities of check-ins along the way, which you can tell she is intentional about. She wants to ensure that the material is being fully absorbed and understood.”
-Keynote Attendee
“Velshay did a fantastic job of sharing new information with everyone while also asking the audience to engage and reflect on the material. I find those kinds of presentations the most impactful, and I felt like I personally had a number of takeaways from her session.”
-Workshop Participant
“I really valued the notion of addressing the person before addressing the employee and the quote "just because something doesn't benefit you doesn't mean it's not worth doing" because both of these ideas were completely new to me and opened my eyes to hopes of mine that I couldn't name but that should be met or acted on!”
-Workshop Participant
“I most enjoyed Velshay's energy. It is truly unmatched. She energizes you, challenges you to be better and empowers you to believe you can be!”
-Workshop Participant