Her Story
About Chelley
Chelley Wilkes serves as a senior leader at LA Care, a federally funded healthcare organization in Los Angeles, California. With more than 25 years of experience in project management, she currently oversees three teams responsible for program support, training, and quality operations, managing a department of approximately 60 people. Her primary expertise lies in program and project management leadership as well as operational leadership, where she has successfully rebuilt and optimized teams by implementing lean processes and strategic oversight. Chelley holds a project management certification from PMI, including PMP and Agile credentials, and is pursuing her bachelor's degree in project management at the University of Arizona along with Lean Six Sigma certification. She is an active member of the Project Management Institute and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, where she maintains four certifications. In addition to her professional role, Chelley volunteers with animal shelters and attributes her success to maintaining a learning attitude and prioritizing people in all endeavors. She received the CEO Award in 2024 and a gold medal in her masters age group at a powerlifting competition in February.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Chelley
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people around me and maintaining a learning attitude. Everybody has something unique that makes them good at what they do. I always walk into a situation like I don't know anything and you can teach me something. Having a coachable or teachable attitude is key, no matter someone's station in life.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is that your loyalty should be to your resume. Build towards what would be good for your career and what you can do well, because that will show in your work. Always remember your why and have a defined intention to everything that you do.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge right now is uncertainty from the federal government since we are a federally funded organization. We don't know where the government is going with healthcare. Managing changes and keeping my people engaged and encouraged is key from a people perspective.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
People first is most important to me. Technology often takes front seat but without taking care of our people and investing in them it makes a huge difference. People don't remember what you can do for them but they remember how you make them feel. This people-first attitude has given me loyalty from my team.
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