Our Team
Brenda Mishel Belk
Brenda has also written grants and received funding from various organizations for start-up and maintenance of a soup kitchen in an urban area also in SC. Brenda who is also affectionately known as Mishel has always wanted to build communities as far as she can remember and now have an opportunity to use the knowledge and background that she has to start with the neighborhood her family grew up in. Her desire is to see this community develop and thrive and her vision is to extend this support to other communities that need assistance with maintaining and advancing as society does.
Brenda Mishel Belk is a native New Yorker born in Brooklyn. She currently lives in SC and is a traveling RN. She has been nursing for 10 years, and, have 2 degrees one was used to pursue a career in drug addiction and the other is a Bachelor’s in nursing. She was introduced to nonprofit organizations and grant fund writing in 1995 and once worked as a counselor for the Fatherhood Project and during this time she wrote several grants to support one of their locations in a rural SC city.
Brenda started Revitalizing Ur Neighborhood (RUN) in 2018, and since that time her focus has been in developing and growing this non- profit into a support cycle for the communities that need attention and resources dedicated to sustaining and building the people who can benefit from the success of the progression, she hopes that once the citizens in these communities become investors and owners as well as partners with the leaders of their areas then they will not just survive but thrive and that benefits everyone. Brenda wants RUN to be one of the conduits used to achieve this goal.
Brenda is currently continuing her education pursuing a degree as a Nurse Practitioner and when she does have some time to relax that is exactly what she loves to do. Sit in her recliner and look out of her window especially during the fall when the trees are changing colors. One of the reasons she loves the south. Nature is right outside her back yard. She also loves spending time with family and friends using any opportunity to offer her home for a gathering.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” - Benjamin Franklin
Cheryl Parks
Cheryl’s first property development took place in 1995 as a side project, while she was the Vice President and Executive Ladies Apparel Buyer for Debbi Brendel, Inc. As a leader in the fashion industry Cheryl developed a deep understanding of translating larger industry trends into a marketable product for consumers. This has been a skill that’s transcended her work from fashion to the competitive real estate forum.
In 1997 Cheryl first entered the real estate community and had just completed her Bachelor’s of Science in International Trade and Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology, wanting to expand her scope of education. Cheryl has always attributed her skills and experiences gained in the fashion industry to her success in the real estate world. This development combined with her commitment to pursuing continuing education throughout her career, earning her Masters of Science in Environmental Systems Management at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 2002. This has enabled her to remain at the forefront of new systems that connect consumers to product in our rapidly developing technological community and economy.
Cheryl Parks has been in the New York City Real Estate Development community for over 20 years. Most recently, her self-owned corporation, A. Logan, LLC. has acquired property in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn where she gut renovated a 4688 square foot property, that included a dilapidated auto parts store with residences above. Along with a decades old neglected 1931 Carriage House, that was restored to it’s original glory. In 2018, Aysgarth Brooklyn was awarded the British Plum Guide Selection Status, an award granted to the top one percent of homes in the world.
After seeing her early projects growing into larger successes, Cheryl shifted into Real Estate full time in 2013. Her first major project was the gut renovation of a nearby 4688 square foot multifamily and commercial mixed-use project in Prospect Heights. Her deep understanding of consumer trends from her years in the retail world, along with her passion and background in Environmental system managements, helped create a unique and sustainable residence.The project became a highly anticipated addition to the neighborhood. Attracting interests from brokerages with both commercial and residential tenants from all over the New York City metropolitan area. Completed in 2017, this project became a Brooklyn destination for events along with short and extended stays. Cheryl looks forward to moving these Community based sensibilities around the country, as everyone deserves a Patch of Land for their families and the generations to come.
Cheryl began her transition into Real Estate by developing multi-unit rental properties in Prospect Heights and Clinton Hill. As a lifetime Brooklyn resident, she saw the surge of interest in the area and knew she would bring a valuable perspective and understanding of Brooklyn. Neighborhoods were rapidly being gentrified, pushing the life long residents out. As a lifelong resident of Brooklyn herself, her aim was to revitalize the neighborhoods, rather than remove the existing residents.
“I don’t measure America by achievements, but by its potential.”
- Shirley Chisholm
James Billy
He received his Master’s Degree in Education, from Hofstra University, Hempstead New York, specializing in Rehabilitation Counseling; and his undergraduate degree in Special Education from New York University, New York, NY. Formerly a Special Education Teacher at the Elementary School Level, he concentrated on the early detection of learning disabilities in elementary school age children. A Clinician at the New York Institute of Child Development working with children with learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and traumatic brain injury.
James Billy joined the Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), December 18, 2000. He has program management responsibilities for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program under Title VII, Chapter 2 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by WIOA, he is the program liaison for State grantees, providing technical assistance to enable State agencies to improve performance.
James was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, and now resides in Silver Spring, MD. He enjoys traveling and exploring different counties and experiencing the different cultures of the world; from the Northern Marianas, Spain, the Republic of Austria, and back to the Caribbean islands, most recently his interest have lead him to visit Latin America countries like Panama, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic.
When not working, James is an avid cyclist, and enjoys riding long distances logging several 100-mile day trips. Life lesson learned is that there will always be hills to climb, goals to meet, and challenges and disappointments to raise above, it is not how many times you fall, but how many times you get up.
“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.”
- Virginia Satir
Prior to coming on board at RSA, he served as the Executive Director at the Harlem Independent Living Center, New York NY for ten years; served on the board of the National Council on Independent Living; board member on the New York State Independent Living Council, and the State Rehabilitation Council, as well as having assumed leadership roles on numerous local community and civic advisory boards.