About Velez Strategies
A practical approach shaped by leading the work.
Velez Strategies is a bilingual, woman-led impact and capacity-building advisory firm. We work with public agencies, funders, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations that are building programs, strengthening organizations, and creating systems that connect people to opportunity.
Our work brings strategy, program design, engagement, and implementation together. We help institutions build work that responds to their responsibilities while staying connected to the people and communities they serve.
Where the work began
The Experience Behind Our Approach
I began working directly with small businesses and the community at 21 through a local nonprofit.
I saw business owners doing the hard work of building their companies, often without the tools, guidance, relationships, or access needed to reach the next opportunity. I saw the difference practical support could make when it was consistent, relevant, and connected to the day-to-day reality of running a business.
I also learned that a program can have funding, resources, and good intentions, yet still fall short when it is not built around what people actually need to use it. Businesses need more than a workshop or a referral. Organizations need more than a plan. They need strong systems, trusted relationships, and support that can hold up as the work grows.
That experience shaped the way I lead Velez Strategies today. We care about the strategy, but we also care about whether it can be carried by the people responsible for it and whether it reaches the businesses and communities it is meant to serve.
Prior Executive Leadership Experience
Building the institution while doing the ground work.
During my executive leadership, the Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas grew into one of the Carolinas’ most recognized minority business organizations. I led growth from the inside out: developing funding proposals, managing programs and reporting, building partnerships with public agencies and corporations, and growing the team while continuing to work directly with business owners.
I understood what it meant to be accountable for the full picture. I was responsible for the funding, people, partnerships, program delivery, and results, while also staying close to the businesses the organization existed to support.
The work helped business owners strengthen their operations, pursue larger opportunities, create jobs, and grow companies that could support their families and communities. At the same time, it built an organization with the capacity to serve businesses at a larger scale.
- 3x
- Budget growth
- 5,000+
- Businesses reached and supported
- 1 to 5
- Team growth
- 108+
- Businesses reached the $1 million mark
A record of leadership
Awards & Recognition
The work of Velez Strategies has been recognized for leadership, advocacy, and community engagement,
and commitment to small-business growth.
- 2025City of Charlotte Small Business of the Year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crown of Enterprise Awards
- 2025Advocate of the Year, North Carolina Department of Administration
- 2025Women in Business, Charlotte Business Journal
- 202240 Under 40, Charlotte Business Journal
- 2022Diversity Advocate of the Year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crown of Enterprise Awards
- 2021Diversity Advocate of the Year, Charlotte MED Week
- 2020Build with the Best Award, Carolinas Associated General Contractors
Start a conversation
Bring your next initiative to the table.
If your organization is building an initiative, strengthening a program, or preparing for its next stage of growth, let’s talk.
Discuss an Initiative