Wilkes Consulting, LLC was launched in January, 2006, by Susan Brock Wilkes, Ph.D. to provide customized leadership and team development services to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education. While Susan is the primary consultant for the firm, she maintains a wide network of colleagues with specialized expertise. If project scope indicates it would be useful, additional consultants or coaches may collaborate on the work.

Susan is an organizational psychologist who brings an in-depth understanding of human potential and group dynamics to her work. An academic with keen interest in practical applications, Susan is committed to helping her clients gain lasting knowledge which they use to benefit themselves and their organizations. She is known for her insightful and warm approach, participatory learning methods, ability to forge common goals among independent thinkers, and focused attention on outcomes.

Biographical Information

Susan’s experience in leadership and team development is extensive. Prior to establishing Wilkes Consulting, she was employed at the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she directed leadership development programs for VCU faculty as well as community groups. Earlier, she served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and as the founding Director of the Workplace Initiatives Program at VCU. In that role, she created a profit center and led her team in the successful delivery of executive coaching, leadership assessment, and training programs.

A frequent consultant, facilitator and coach in the nonprofit community, Susan has taught leadership classes in Richmond, Virginia’s popular "Nonprofit Learning Point" since its inception in 1995 and is currently the Program Director for its "Emerging Nonprofit Leaders" program. Susan has also been instrumental in the creation of the "Consulting Solutions" program for the Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence.

Susan continues to serve as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Psychology at VCU, as an adjunct professor at Mary Baldwin College, and as a Consultant for the Leadership Development Center at University of Virginia. Wilkes is a highly rated classroom teacher who has taught courses including introduction to psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and stress management as well as graduate level courses in career counseling, group dynamics, and consultation. A skilled designer of assessment tools and experiential training activities, Wilkes has had four works selected for publication in the Pfeiffer Annual series. She is the author of a 360-degree feedback leadership assessment tool which is used in a variety of leadership training programs, including the Virginia Executive Institute.

Susan is the recipient of the inaugural "Te Apreciamos" award given by "Colaborando Juntos" for contributions to the Latino community and of the “Good Neighbor Award” from the American Red Cross. Wilkes served as President of The Chrysalis Group, an organization that fosters spiritual and psychological growth, from 1999-2003, on the Board of Directors from 1995-2004, and as Chair of the Nancy Millner Endowment Fund in 2008. Other nonprofit leadership roles include service as a founding board member of “Hold the Door for Others,” an organization founded to support people experiencing loss in the wake of September 11th. She is co-editor of the anthology Doorways: Families, Friends, and Survivors of September 11 Reflect on Living with Loss.

A Phi Kappa Phi graduate of the doctoral program at Virginia Commonwealth University, Susan also holds an undergraduate degree in psychology, with distinction, and masters’ degree in counseling from the University of Virginia. Susan is currently a candidate for the certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Haden Institute. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor whose practice includes 25 years of experience with working adults.