Vanessa joined MidPen in June of 2019 as a Project Associate, was promoted to Associate Project Manager, and Project Manager before her promotion to Associate Director of Housing Development.
She manages development projects in the Coastal Region (Monterey and Santa Cruz County), including rehabs and new construction, and support business development by bringing new projects into the MidPen pipeline
Before joining MidPen she was a best-selling novelist and advocate for child welfare reform. Vanessa served on the board of Youth Villages for 9 years and lectured on Child Welfare at Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Vanessa is most proud of two rehabs of rural farmworker properties near Watsonville, and a family project in Historic Downtown Monterey. She believes the most rewarding aspect of her job is in working with amazing people in the Watsonville Development office and partnering with her colleagues in Property Management and Services.
When she’s not at work, Vanessa enjoys paddling with Hi’ilani ‘O Ke Kai in Monterey. She is on the novice women’s team and competes in races all around the Bay Area.