Melissa Dawn Simkins

Melissa Dawn Simkins is an entrepreneur, author, and keynote speaker recognized for her expertise in personal branding and leadership development. Simkins is the CEO of Velvet Suite, a leadership innovation firm focused on advancing organizational performance through people. Velvet Suite has partnered with Fortune 100 companies, C-suite executives, and global brands, delivering business results by rethinking leadership from the inside out.

Simkins has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies, high-visibility leaders, and major brands to address complexity and change in leadership. As an ed-tech founder and two-time author, her work through Velvet Suite has reached more than 250,000 leaders across 26 countries and has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 for growth and impact. Velvet Suite developed the NFL Player Brand University in partnership with the National Football League, the first personal brand development academy in professional sports. Clients have included Boston Scientific, UBS, Lincoln Financial, Allstate, Home Depot, Southern Company, and the National Basketball Association.

Simkins was the first African American female advisory board member for the World Brand Congress. She has received recognition from the National Association of Market Developers as Entrepreneur of the Year and was named to Atlantan's Women of Power & Influence. Simkins has served on the Board of Trustees at Otterbein University, the Board of Directors for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of Directors for The SHRM Foundation. Her Brand Leadership Institute serves women leaders and their managers in 26 countries.

Simkins is also the creator of The She-Suite, a leadership platform supporting working women globally. Her work has been featured on CNN, CNBC, HLN, Inc.com, Huffington Post, Essence, and Black Enterprise. As an author, she wrote "Brand Me: Make Your Mark: The Ultimate Playbook for Personal Branding" and "Athleadership," which introduces a leadership discipline grounded in neuroscience and performance psychology, designed to help leaders perform under pressure.

Simkins created Athleadership, a leadership discipline built on applied neuroscience, performance psychology, and real-world results. Her keynotes focus on actionable frameworks for talent development, diversity, and brand leadership innovation, providing insights for leaders to navigate high-stakes environments and drive organizational impact.