Vanna Rapeti

Vanna Rapeti

Board Member

I would like to take the opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to work with the CALIF, Board of Directors. I feel confident that we will accomplish great things to improve the lives of the disabled community. With the Board’s talent and my expertise and enthusiasm, I know we can be instrumental in advocating for dignified housing either as renters or owners in communities they live in.

My passion for changing the housing of disabled communities which now leads to this role on the Board of Directors comes from first hand experience of becoming legally blind during the height of my career about 8+ years ago. After receiving an Executive Masters in Business Management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies from National University, I worked in marketing, communications, real estate development, and product design and development for McDonald’s Corporation. I oversaw the marketing budgets for 20+ restaurants in Southern California and increased sales and market share for the Southern California region.

I then went on to pursue a career in real estate development and portfolio management. During my vision change transition, I have developed a keen sense and eagerness to build safe, accessible, inclusive and sustainable communities. I am fortunate to be able to continue professionally as a housing specialist including bringing a voice to disabled communities. As an activist and philanthropist, I have personally witnessed the disparities in how people, organizations, and housing entities treat people with a variety of disabilities.

I spend a significant amount of my time consulting and advocating for inclusive change. Now that I have personally experienced biases in everyday living, I want to be a part of this change. I would like to take this time to focus on working with CALIF and their independent living objectives.

In gratitude,

Vanna Rapeti

A time for Change in Hollywood for Blind and Low Vision roles