valery pharham

If money were no object, Valery would spend most of her time on two things: her family and traveling. Valery believes that one of the best things about the world in which we live is the diversity and uniqueness of people, so she loves connecting with and learning from and about different people. From a wise, strong, and loving family, Valery was given the gift of travel at a young age, and she learned that travel is a great way to explore new places, meet new people, and learn about different cultures. She also learned that travel is a FANTASTIC way to challenge yourself and touch the lives of people around the world! Valery’s international travel journey started in 2001 when her mother took her to Morocco. That experience in a new place with a beautiful culture forged her love for travel!

In 2018, Valery made one of her big dreams become a reality when she took a 6-month, solo, round the world trip. By following through with her plan and charting a path for herself even though the way was not always clear, she proved to herself that she can do ANYTHING she can dream and put into action. Now she continues to share her experience to empower and encourage others to dare to claim their dreams and take the necessary actions to live out those dreams.

Valery was introduced to the Pearson family via cheerleading in the early 2000s. Over the course of many years, Valery saw Haley Sue mature from a cute, happy little girl into a beautiful, tiny but mighty, bubbling with charisma young woman who was always a joy to be around. Haley Sue was a well-balanced young lady. Haley was a true girly-girl on one end of the spectrum, and a very athletic, competitive person on the other. Valery had the pleasure of spending time with Haley throughout her teens and adult life (casual days at the Pearson home, cheerleading practices, watching Haley’s theater shows and productions, and everyday life events from new boyfriends to graduation), but some of Valery’s fondest memories of her time with Haley involved being Haley’s personal hair stylist. For those big, special occasions where the pictures would be seen for decades, Haley entrusted Valery with her crown of tresses. Valery created several hairstyles for Haley Sue over the years from prom updos to special occasion hair styles, and she felt especially honored to get called on to create the perfect hair style for Haley’s wedding day.

In addition to the many admirable, personal qualities Haley Sue possessed, Haley had a big heart and a love for people no matter who they were, what their background was, or their circumstances. Haley also had a passion and enthusiasm for life and embracing the journey with excitement and a positive outlook. She was raised to and embodied the spirit of loving and excepting others just as they are, and Valery genuinely believes the world would be a better place if others lived and loved with that type of heart and spirit. Haley’s warm, kind nature towards all people and drive to embrace each day with excitement always resonated with Valery because a genuine love for people and a desire to live life to the fullest are core values that they shared. Valery hopes through her participation with The Haley Sue Foundation she can help continue to spread Haley Sue’s bright light and values throughout Tennessee and the world.

In addition to her world travels, Valery brings over a decade of work experience to The Haley Sue Foundation. Valery began her career in Engineering and transitioned into Project Management. Valery is an experienced Project Manager with PMP certification and a demonstrated history of working across various industries, including in logistics for a Big 5 Tech Company and other Fortune 500 businesses. Her project work spans multi-million dollar, new customer start-up implementations, corporate application implementations, company-wide strategic projects, and IT projects.

Valery graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering and Belmont University - Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business with a Master of Business Administration. Valery currently resides in Nashville, TN, and in her spare time, Valery enjoys spending time with her family, lifelong learning, new experiences, and making meaningful connections with people. Traveling is an outlet that bridges many of her interests, and to date Valery has traveled to over 25 states and nearly 50 countries across six continents. When Valery is not traveling, she enjoys reading as well as participating in social and community events with family and friends and volunteering locally and abroad with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Mentor Leaders.