Melissa Dawn Simkins

CEO of Velvet Suite; Founder of She-Suite & The Brand Leadership Institute

Travels From Travels From:
Washington, DC, USA
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Melissa Dawn Simkins Biography

For nearly two decades, Melissa Dawn Simkins has blended human insight with brand-building innovation, to be coined, “The First Lady of Personal Branding.” She is more than a trusted advisor to Fortune 100’s, C-Suite executives and influencers, but she is the personal brand leadership pioneer, redefining and reinventing the leadership development category to harvest the potential of people to lead the future.

Determined to unleash leadership at all levels, Simkins founded Velvet Suite. Since its inception in 2006, Velvet Suite has delivered breakthrough business results for an array of leading companies, celebrities, industries and brands by rethinking leadership from the inside out. The results are innovative strategies and proven solutions that deeply connect with people and create competitive advantage.

Today, her understanding of human potential and personal branding make her a highly-sought after keynote speaker on leadership innovation, a contributor to Inc.com and a frequent guest on news and business media, including CNN, HLN, MSNBC, Essence, Black Enterprise and more. Simkins is the best-selling author of "Brand Me. Make Your Mark: The Ultimate Playbook for Personal Branding."

As founder of The Brand Leadership Institute (BLI), a successful online platform merging coaching, content and community, she has focused on advancing women in work and well-being. In the process, she has disrupted the leadership development industry without apology. BLI offers clients a proven platform and pipeline to advance and develop the next generation of leading diverse women by proving again how self-confidence and enhanced performance are borne out of self-discovery with extraordinary results.

She also has created The She-Suite Summit, an annual leadership experience designed to spotlight executive women and empower next- generation leaders. The She-Suite community exists to support the advancement of a new prototype of leading women living equally successful and significant lives.

Simkins’ career is replete with notable firsts. The first African American female advisory board member for the World Brand Congress in Mumbai. In partnership with the NFL, Velvet Suite created the NFL Player Brand University, the first personal brand development academy in professional sports. Velvet Suite clients include Boston Scientific, Lincoln Financial, Home Depot, Southern Company, the National Basketball Association, celebrities, pro-athletes and more. She gets it!

The National Association of Market Developers designated Simkins as Entrepreneur of the Year and she was named Atlantan’s Women of Power & Influence. Velvet Suite was a finalist for the Greater Washington Innovation Award. She has served on the Board of Trustees at Otterbein University and the Board of Directors for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the Board of Directors for The SHRM Foundation (Society for Human Resource Management), proving that giving back has always been her DNA.

With a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Business from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio and a MS in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Simkins is the mother of four sons and resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and purpose-partner, Will Simkins.

Melissa Dawn Simkins Speaking Topics

  • The M.V.P Mentality

    Champion-Level Leadership

  • The She-Suite Method

    Advancing Beyond the Gap

  • Brand Me

    Build Your Brand In Demand

  • Resilience

    The Litmus Test of Future Ready Leadership

  • 90-Day Action Plan

    Power of Work & Well-being

Melissa Dawn Simkins Videos

  • Get motivated with She-Suite Summit's founder Melissa Dawn Simkins
    Melissa Dawn Simkins is our special guest for Minute Motivation, she focuses on giving your self a reset.
  • A Conversation with Melissa Dawn Simkins
    Next up on 'Break Through with Lisa Gable', we're joined by the "first lady of personal branding'" and Founder of Velvet Suite, Melissa Dawn Simkins....

Melissa Dawn Simkins Books

  • Brand Me: Make Your Mark
    Brand Me: Make Your Mark

Speaker Lists Featuring Melissa Dawn Simkins

FAQs on booking Melissa Dawn Simkins

  • How do I book Melissa Dawn Simkins to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Melissa Dawn Simkins for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Melissa Dawn Simkins, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Melissa Dawn Simkins or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Melissa Dawn Simkins

    Speaking fees for Melissa Dawn Simkins, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Melissa Dawn Simkins are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Melissa Dawn Simkins, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Melissa Dawn Simkins speak about?

    Melissa Dawn Simkins is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Black Heritage, Business, Business Leadership, DEI, Diversity & Inclusion, Empowerment, Female Leadership, Future of Work, Futurism, Leadership, Marketing, Personal Growth, Technology.
  • Where does Melissa Dawn Simkins travel from?

    Melissa Dawn Simkins generally travels from Washington, DC, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Melissa Dawn Simkins for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Melissa Dawn Simkins for your next private or corporate function.
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Melissa Dawn Simkins is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The M.V.P Mentality, The She-Suite Method, Brand Me, Resilience and 90-Day Action Plan. The estimated speaking fee range to book Melissa Dawn Simkins for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Melissa Dawn Simkins generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Bola Sokunbi, Orlena Nwokah Blanchard, Cassandra Worthy, Tristan Walker and Morgan DeBaun. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Melissa Dawn Simkins for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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