Meet the Team
Hope Advising Rockstars!

CEO and Chief Consultant
Valerie McKain
Valerie McKain, CEO & Principal Consultant, partners with small businesses and nonprofits to provide practical, people-centered HR support. With experience across the software and nonprofit sectors, she helps leaders and mid-level managers navigate people challenges with clarity and confidence.
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Valerie is a SHRM-CP–certified professional, a Livstyle™ Certified Trainer, and a proud member of the Northeast Indiana Human Resources Association (NIHRA) Board. She is known for building HR systems that actually work in real life, not just on paper.
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Outside of work, she enjoys time with her family, her two dogs, and attending as many concerts as possible. She has a deep love for 90's alt rock, pop rock, and grunge.
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Human Resources Consultant
Kelsey Rutledge
Kelsey Rutledge is a seasoned human resources professional with a passion for helping organizations build people-first workplaces that are both compliant and compassionate. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and brings experience across nonprofit, public media, and small-to-mid-sized organizations.
Kelsey specializes in providing our “HR on Tap” support—offering flexible, on-demand guidance for everything from employee relations and compliance to performance management and recruitment. She is known for her ability to meet clients where they are, translate HR requirements into plain language, and create systems that actually work in day-to-day operations.
Outside of work, Kelsey is a wife, mother of two, and human to a bernedoodle named Tuno. When she steps away from spreadsheets and policies, she loves to spend her time with her family, gardening, reading, and writing fiction as a published author.
