Valerie A. Sanderlin is the founder and CEO of FocusWorks Construction & Development, LLC. She is a real estate developer, investor, licensed general contractor, consultant, speaker, and educator with 19 years of experience in construction and real estate development. Valerie is an alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Johns Hopkins University and a graduate of the Turner School of Construction Management. She completed Freddie Mac's Develop the Developer program and Capital Impact Partners' Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), and was selected as one of 15 developers for the inaugural Housing Accelerator Fellowship, created by Amazon and Capital Impact Partners to expand affordable housing across the Washington region. Affordable housing remains one of her deepest passions. She is also a participant in Emerald Cities Collaborative's contractor program. Valerie began her formal investing education in 2009 through the Real Estate Investor Apprentice Program, and in 2012 she was named Investor of the Year by Capital City REIA. She was also named Contractor of the Month by Emerald Cities Collaborative in August 2024. Her work has included wholesaling, single-family and townhome renovations, multifamily properties, condominium conversions, shortterm rentals, and development projects. She holds GPRO, LEED, EPA Lead-Safe, and OSHA 30 certifications, bringing a commitment to sustainable, safe, high-quality construction to every project. Valerie earned her bachelor's degree in Sociology from Hampton University and her master's degree in Information Technology from Southeastern University. Before pursuing real estate full time, she served as a DC police officer and later worked as a Program Analyst for the District of Columbia government. She was a developer first and later became a general contractor, which gives her a rare view from both the ownership and construction sides of a deal.