Breakfast Meeting – May 12, 2026

Wellbeing & The Safety Professional – Who’s Looking Out for You?

Valerie Stakes

As safety professionals, our primary role is taking care of others. However, just who is looking after you? In this session, we will address the toll our jobs can take on our personal and professional lives and share how prioritizing our own mental and physical health can lead to becoming a more resilient, effective safety leader.

Valerie Stakes is an accomplished safety professional, with experience working in construction, aviation, manufacturing environments, as well as in risk management and loss control. As a bilingual trainer, facilitator, and presenter, she has taught in construction, industrial, corporate, and academic environments for the past two decades, including for UC San Diego’s OSHA Training Institute. Currently, she is a Safety Engineer at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, where she oversees the safety operations for the organization’s Engineering group and the EH&S department’s training program.