Valerie Stokes joined Northwestern College’s social work department after serving as executive director of The Bridge, a transitional housing agency in Orange City. She previously spent seven years as a therapist at Northwestern, including four as co-director of student counseling services. She also has worked as a program supervisor at the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence and as a social worker at the Crittenton Center in Sioux City. A licensed independent social worker and licensed master social worker, Stokes holds a doctorate in human development and educational psychology.