Shelli Jones
Shelli Jones is a seasoned marketing professional with over 33 years of experience, now specializing as an AI business consultant in Bellingham, Washington. Her journey into AI began when she took a class on using artificial intelligence for marketing, and she quickly realized its potential extended far beyond content creation. Combining her extensive business and marketing background, Shelli now helps companies leverage AI to make smarter operational decisions, solve complex challenges, and uncover growth opportunities. For example, she helped a manufacturing company at risk of closure due to tariff-related supply issues use AI to identify alternative products and materials, saving the business and preserving jobs.
As the founder of Manifest-Marketing, Shelli delivers job-specific AI training tailored to departments and individual roles, helping businesses streamline workflows, reduce repetitive tasks, and empower employees to focus on high-value projects. Her Signature AI Solutions programs include live and recorded webinars, personalized lesson plans, and ongoing support, providing practical guidance that transforms efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making. Shelli’s work enables leaders to approach AI as a strategic partner rather than a simple tool, helping businesses see possibilities they never imagined.
Beyond her AI work, Shelli is a passionate advocate for women’s professional growth. She co-founded the empowHER Community, a nonprofit that redefines networking by fostering authentic connections, mentorship, and support for women at all stages of their careers. The organization offers flexible networking meetups breakfasts, lunches, hikes, coffee meetings—and a formal mentorship program complete with handbooks, classes, and workshops. Together with her colleagues and student partners, Shelli has created a space where women can genuinely celebrate each other’s successes, grow together, and build lasting relationships.
• Millersville University of Pennsylvania - BS, Communications
• Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
• Speaking of Women
• Women's Professional Network
• Kauai Community Cat Project
• Breakfast Club at the Hub
• Founder of nonprofit organization for women's networking and mentorship
• Creator of Trail Mixers women's hiking and networking group
What do you attribute your success to?
I have always had an inner drive that pushed me beyond what my family knew. My entire family worked at Hershey Chocolate Factory - my mom spent her life picking kisses off of the conveyor belt that weren't wrapped properly - and I knew that I wanted something different. From the age of 10, I was enterprising. I was selling greeting cards door-to-door to earn enough money to buy a telescope. When I find something that I want to do, I throw myself in 100%. I don't do anything halfway. Every job that I've had, I've given 110%. I was built to help - I can't work at a job where I'm making a widget. I have to be making the world a better place in some way, shape, or form. For me, my work doesn't feel like work. It's my passion. These are my people. It feels more like I'm just getting together with friends or future friends, and I feed off of their energy. I would like to think that they feed off of mine as well. I can't imagine getting burned out because it's what really feeds my soul. Not only is change inevitable, but for me, change is a challenge. It's something that I look forward to because I think about what skills can I apply to this, what can I learn from this, how do I make this the best change that's ever happened in my life. That's just how I try to approach things.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to narrow a niche and then just stick to it. AI can accomplish so many things, and you can't do everything. Finding a niche, particularly one that is being underserved, and getting your foot in the door with a company through that niche, or opening up your own business with that niche, really helps to secure your position before other people jump on that bandwagon and start pursuing that niche as well. The other thing I'd say to younger people early in their career is whenever you're given an opportunity to learn something new on the job, take it, because you never know when those skills or when those relationships are going to pay off.
Locations
Manifest-Marketing, Bellingham
Bellingham, WA 98229