Sarah A. Velez, SHRM-SCP
Sarah A. Velez, SHRM-SCP, is a people-centered human resources and learning leader known for pairing strategic vision with real-talk leadership. Currently serving as Director of Learning and Career Pathways at Peckham, Inc., Sarah focuses on building inclusive, high-impact talent development programs that support both organizational growth and individual career mobility. An EMBA candidate for the Class of 2027, she brings a big-picture mindset grounded in practical execution and community impact.
Sarah’s career spans human resources, organizational development, labor relations, and learning and development across higher education, nonprofit, and financial services environments. Prior to Peckham, she spent eight years at Lansing Community College as Human Resources Manager for Organizational Development and Labor Relations, where she supported more than 1,200 employees and led initiatives in performance management, DEI training, collective bargaining, leadership development, and Title IX processes. Earlier in her career, she held progressive learning and development roles at CASE Credit Union, designing award-caliber training programs and leadership pipelines.
A natural leader and connector, Sarah is deeply committed to lifelong learning, employee well-being, and positive organizational change. She is known for building trust, challenging assumptions, and helping leaders communicate with clarity and courage. Beyond her professional roles, she is active in the HR community, serving as President-Elect of the Greater Lansing Society for Human Resource Management, and remains passionate about creating workplaces where people feel supported, empowered, and inspired to grow.
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Lansing Community College- Associate's
• Army Airborne School Graduate
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) member
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say never giving up. There were times I interviewed for things in the military, and I knew there were guys who were bigger and stronger than me, but my one thing to my leadership was always, you know, if you want somebody who's always going to put one foot in front of the other, that's me. I'm never going to give up, I'm never going to stop, and I'm always going to be an advocate for the people that I lead. That really got me into a lot of positions that I never expected to be in.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You don't have to have it figured out. Life is a journey, and we tell young people all the time that they need to know what industry they want to go into, and they need to have their life figured out at 18, or 20, or 22, and it's like, no, you can fail. Don't be afraid to fail. It hurts, it's not fun, but it really is a teaching point for you to be like, okay, I did this, how am I going to respond to it? You don't have to have it all figured out. I also think experience building is really important. My background doesn't necessarily have the education that maps into what I do, but if you gain experience and just put your neck out there, the world is an oyster and you can have any opportunities. Raising your hand to volunteer for things that might feel slightly uncomfortable is really important, because it says that you're willing to try something new.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges in the tech industry right now are significant. The industry has gone through some tough times, and currently it's kind of one of those bad days where money is tight and a lot of people have been laid off. If you look at Amazon, Intel, Microsoft, there's been a lot of layoffs. So I'm making sure that I'm using money in the most constructive way possible so that we don't have to do those things at my employer. Fortunately, my employer is very good about that. It's a challenge overall in the industry right now - money and people being unemployed from it. As for opportunities, I think with change, there's always an opportunity to upskill yourself, up-level yourself. I have a lot of interaction with our C-suite, so my opportunity is letting them know what's happening at the end user level, giving them a perspective that they might not normally see of what's going down in the lower echelons. I view that as a great opportunity, because sometimes people are afraid to say something to C-suite executives. They don't want to get in trouble or look bad. But these people are very understanding, they need to know the facts to do their jobs so they can do it most effectively.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think honesty and integrity are really, really important from the professional standpoint. When people are talking to you, they know they get the truth. I love using humor - it's never life or death, that's what I always want to tell people. Using humor to connect with people is really important. I'm always down to give somebody a laugh. But also respect is crucial. I worked at Intel, and it was not a lot of women in that industry. I had a guy tell a woman she needs to grow thick skin, and I just about lost it. I was like, we're making microchips, we're not bombing places, nobody's in danger. That's absolutely an unacceptable thing to tell somebody. We're here to do business and be respectful to each other. So he got an earful, let me just put it that way. It's about respect, and looking at the light side of things - we're here to work, but we can still have a good laugh when we need to.