Vanessa Baird-Streeter grew up in one of the most segregated areas of the country where her family could afford a better neighborhood but was never shown those houses. That experience became the lens she has carried into every room she has entered since.She started her career as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs, spent a decade in finance and then made history as the first woman of color to serve as Suffolk County Deputy County Executive. In that role she managed a $3.7 billion municipal budget, chaired New York State’s most comprehensive police reform plan and led the COVID-19 response for Long Island’s most underserved communities. Today she is the President and CEO of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island and she is still doing the same thing she has always done, which is changing systems from the inside out.In this episode Vanessa and Sean get into what it actually costs to be the first in rooms that were not built for you, why success means nothing if you are not opening doors behind you and what it looks like to build a decades long career rooted in purpose over recognition.If you are interested in leadership, public service, generational wealth, breaking barriers or what it takes to create real change in your community this episode is required watching.This Episode Explores:✅ Growing up in a deliberately segregated Long Island community and what that shaped in her from the start✅ Building her career on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs and what finance taught her about access and power✅ Making history as the first woman of color to serve as Suffolk County Deputy County Executive✅ Chairing New York State’s most comprehensive police reform and reinvention plan✅ Leading COVID-19 response efforts for Long Island’s most underserved and vulnerable communities✅ Why she turned down grad school at University of Chicago and what that decision actually gave her✅ How always leaving on good terms and building bridges became one of her greatest career strategies✅ Managing a $3.7 billion municipal budget and what that level of responsibility requires✅ Why AI is eliminating entry level jobs and what education needs to look like going forward✅ What it means to lift others up without losing yourself and why she believes that is the secret to a fulfilled life🔗 Connect with Vanessa Baird-StreeterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessa.b.streeter/Health and Welfare Council of Long Island: https://hwcli.com/Follow REAL Mentors PodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/realmentorspodcastHost Sean Martin: https://instagram.com/theseanmartin