A native New Yorker and a Penn State University graduate, Vanessa started her career in real estate in 2003 in the state of California as a sales agent, moving into management a year later.  For three years she ran a large franchise, growing it to the #2 in profitability in the Northern CA region.  In the 2007 downturn she left to manage a small, independent brokerage, one year later becoming General Manager of the entire company, and ultimately acquiring the 35 year old brokerage with her partner in 2010.  Since then, she has rebranded and reshaped the entire organization, moving it from 12th in market share to 3rd in just 4 years.  Presently, she oversees the 90 sales agents in two offices located in Berkeley and Oakland, California.  She has spoken about branding, culture and agent retention at several organizations and conferences including ICSF, ICNY, NAR, C.A.R and Who's Who in Luxury.  She is part of C.A.R's Strategic Planning and Finance committee and is an active participant in organized real estate's state and local level. In 2013 she was named as one of Inman's 100 Most Influential Leaders in Real Estate. She currently resides in Oakland,CA with her husband and two children.