About Us
Our Roots
Founded in Vallejo, California, Miles McNeal & Powell LLC is rooted in a clear mission: to transform overlooked neighborhoods into opportunity-rich environments through community-centered strategy, creative capital solutions, and public-private collaboration.
We specialize in revitalizing underutilized spaces — repositioning them as productive, vibrant areas that reinforce economic mobility, cultural vibrancy, and long-term neighborhood stability. Our work is grounded in place and powered by systems thinking, equity-aligned innovation, and locally attuned design.
Our Approach
We take a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach that integrates real estate strategy, impact-aligned investment, and governance-informed design. Our firm operates at the nexus of land reuse, urban policy, and enterprise development — helping cities and partners realize the full potential of assets too often left underleveraged.
Through deep collaboration with local leaders, agencies, and aligned stakeholders, we help shape environments that are economically dynamic, socially rooted, and built for long-term resilience.
Our methodology draws from proven models in:
- Land reuse and infill redevelopment
- Policy innovation and governance reform
- Site activation and capital stack strategy
- Community-based planning and implementation
With an approach that is strategic, adaptive, and built to respond to real-world dynamics of the places we serve, we:
- Activate underutilized land and legacy properties
- Build durable partnerships across public, private, and community sectors
- Design pathways for inclusive asset building and local ownership
- Translate complex frameworks into actionable results
We define success not through short-term wins — but through long-term transformation.
(*) Supercommunity™: A historically marginalized or economically disadvantaged community that, through collective action, mindset shift, and emotional resilience, undergoes transformation into a self-sustaining, equitable, and economically empowered locality.
R. Shay Miles
Chairwoman + Chief Visionary Officer
- Bay Area Native/Vallejoan: Vallejo, California
- Social Innovator: Creating, curating, and cultivating businesses with purpose
- Supercommunity™ Developer:
Advancing community regeneration, social purpose real estate, and Vallejo's transformation
- 20+ years championing community advancement with nonprofits.
- 10+ years as a strategic marketing leader for a Fortune 300 enterprise's corporate social responsibility and digital innovation
- Workforce Development Board of Solano County: Microbusiness of the Year Honoree
- Brand Innovators: 40 Under 40 Award
- Founder/Chairwoman/Chief Executive Officer of Miles McNeal & Powell LLC
- City of Vallejo: Economic Vitality Commissioner
- OZ Pros: COZA™ Certification (certified opportunity zone advisor)
- Harvard Business School: Certificate of Completion for Entrepreneurship Essentials
- Stanford Graduate School of Business: Professional Certificate for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Urban Habitat's Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI): Class of 2024
- California State University East Bay: Global Innovators Program
- University of Phoenix: Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing
- NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center: Cornerstone Mentor and Milestone Circle 35 Graduate
- Leadership Vallejo Academy: Class of 2023
- The Center for Global Enterprise: USA Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative Fellowship
- National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Institute: Launch Right Start-Up Fellowship
- Walker’s Legacy: Women Who Enterprise Business Accelerator
- House of Acts: Board Treasurer (Founding Board Member)
- Vallejo Main Street: Board of Directors
- Mira Theatre Guild: Board of Directors
- Cultivate Community Food Co-op: Board of Directors
- 4th Second: Board of Directors
- Vallejo Housing Justice Coalition (VHJC): Delegate
- Invest for Better: Circle Leader
- DiscoverE: Future City® California Volunteer
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC): Community Advisory Working Group (CAWG) for the Community Action Resource and Empowerment (CARE) Program