Meet The Staff

Val Gokenbach, DM RN RWJF

Val is the Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak Michigan. She possesses a doctoral degree in management and organizational leadership, a master’s degree in business administration a bachelor of science in nursing and is a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Fellow.

Val has an alter ego and loves movement and dance. As a professional dancer and fitness instructor for over 40 years, she has led a dual life as a performer, dance and exercise instructor fitness consultant and health and wellness spokesperson. As a professional dancer, she has performed in many dance companies, including her own. Her favorite performance was as a cast member in 42nd Street. For 15 years she also operated her own dance studio called The Healthy Outlook, a dance and exercise emporium. Currently she is a member of the cast of Tap Detroit, a well renowned tap repertory company, and enjoys teaching dance and exercise at the Turning Pointe.

She is also on staff at Aerobics Fitness Association in California as a fitness consultant, writer and certification specialist and has traveled extensively presenting health and wellness programs for fitness instructors and the general public. This exposure led her to the opportunity to work with companies such as Omron and Oregon Scientific as a spokesperson for health and wellness products and to serve as guest host for 7 years on the popular QVC sales network and the Shopping Channel in Toronto, Canada. She also developed a line of exercise videos and products called “You Can Do This” which were also sold on QVC.

Her passion for movement and wellness has inspired her to the writing of her first book, Tap Dancing through Life: Seven steps to finding your personal rhythms and the life of you dreams. Val is now a well sought after speaker with several speakers’ bureaus sharing her concepts of personal leadership as a way to improve your life. She is currently in the process of writing two more books on leadership.