Jeanette Nigro is an economic development professional with more than 20 years of experience across the private and nonprofit sectors. A trusted advisor to organizations and leaders throughout New York City, she has dedicated her career to ensuring communities and organizations have the expertise, relationships, and resources needed to turn ideas into action.

As Founder and Principal of Perch Advisors, Jeanette leads the firm’s strategy and advises nonprofits, government agencies, developers, neighborhood-based organizations, and small businesses across its workforce and economic development portfolios. Her work focuses on program strategy, organizational management, community engagement, fundraising, and resource development. She brings a particular focus to building effective processes, using data to demonstrate impact, and leveraging networks and personal connections to build support and move complex projects forward.

Prior to founding Perch Advisors in 2015, Jeanette spent nearly a decade helping shape Brooklyn’s economic and neighborhood revitalization through her work at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. She was part of the early development of New York City’s current workforce development system and oversaw the NYC Business Solutions Brooklyn Center under the Bloomberg Administration, connecting small businesses to financing, training, workforce services, and incentives. Following Hurricane Sandy, Jeanette coordinated on-the-ground business recovery efforts in Coney Island and the Rockaways, helping small businesses access grants and loans that resulted in millions of dollars of investment back into shorefront communities.

Jeanette is most passionate about the power of community involvement to create more equitable economic development. Proudly born and raised in Brooklyn and a product of New York City public schools, she holds a B.S. in Business, Management, and Finance from CUNY Brooklyn College. She now lives in the Rockaways, Queens with her partner Jesse, her three children, and two rescue dogs.