Before stepping into the position of executive director at VPPPA, Sikes served 21 years at OSHA, as a regional training and grants officer, compliance safety and health enforcement officer, safety and health programs management expert and regional VPP manager. After leaving OSHA in 2006, joined Plexus Scientific Corporation, where she assisted the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army in establishing the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Center of Excellence to support the Secretary of Defense's goal of reducing injury and illness rates.