Vanessa McCleary
CEO & Founder
Gen-Wealth Empowerment Center
After 25+ years helping to revitalize and build wealth in low-income communities working for non-profit agencies and local government, Vanessa McCleary decided to start my own company. Her experience working with non-profit agencies, local, state, federal govt and advocacy groups are no longer constrained by the internal politics that impede and slowdown transformational change. With successes every year for the past 25+ years in four different states she is ready to become the largest African American Female Affordable Housing Developer in the America.
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Vanessa is a disconcertingly candid, passionate, knowledgeable housing specialists who dreams of a world where everyone is securely housed. A relentless worker with strong intuitive powers, she succeeds in all her endeavors. Vanessa is a community development professional with extensive housing expertise and personnel management experience • Skilled in real estate projects including affordable housing rehab, new housing development (single family, multi-family and mixed use), historic restoration of commercial and residential properties, neighborhood revitalization, housing the homeless, disaster recovery and redevelopment• Managed the Douglas Block Revitalization project and secured financing to restore the historic African American economic hub, and marketed and secured tenants for the project, achieving 90% occupancy in less than one year • Revitalized neighborhoods through strategic investments to deconcentrate poverty, increasing the tax base and building wealth for legacy residents, • Assisted non-profit agencies in 4 different states (New York, Delaware, North Carolina, and Delaware) to secure both public and private grant funds to support housing projects.
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Vanessa received her B.S. in Human Services from Springfield College, MA. She is a Diamond Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc and has been active in every community that she has lived giving of her time, talent and treasure to help individuals and families in need. Currently she is pursuing a General Contractors license.