Leanne is guided by the philosophy that by merging artistic, commercial, and community interests, communities can thrive. This thread carries through in her real estate career where the Stella Team at Brown Harris Stevens, commits a percent of commissions back to art & community. Leanne’s passion for art and architecture combined with her extensive entrepreneurial background further inspire her real estate career and interest in historic properties and communities.
Leanne started her entrepreneurial ventures in high school catering dinner parties. She went on to attend Johnson & Wales University and opened her first restaurant at the age of 19. She continued buying, renovating and flipping a series of restaurants in the Providence, RI area.
Upon returning to the New York region, in the mid-1990s, she took over operations of Stella Show Mgmt. Co., a business her mom started in the late 1960s. Under her leadership, Stella Shows produced some of the largest antiques fairs on the East Coast during the peak of the antiques industry, rivaling the size and popularity of the art fairs of today.
Leanne moved to Harlem in 2011 and through her organization, Art In FLUX, Leanne was instrumental in increasing access to uptown arts by reclaiming underutilized and vacant spaces for public arts installations, exhibitions, and programs. In 2016, Art In FLUX presented 50 public art projects throughout Marcus Garvey Park.
