Vanessa Bergmark

CEO & Owner, Red Oak Realty

Vanessa Bergmark is an East Coast native, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, who has called California’s East Bay home for more than two decades. After earning her degree in Crime, Law and Justice from The Pennsylvania State University, she headed west, living first in San Francisco and Marin Counties before settling permanently in Oakland. She discovered her passion for real estate when she purchased her first home, launching her career as an agent at a large national franchise and quickly moving into management.

In 2007, Vanessa was offered the chance to lead Red Oak Realty, a fiercely local and independent brokerage known for its authenticity and deep community roots. She took ownership of the company in 2010 and has since grown Red Oak into the largest independent brokerage serving the East Bay. As CEO, she is known for her vision, candor, and ability to lead through both strength and humanity, building a company that reflects the diversity and energy of the region it serves.

In 2023, Vanessa earned her Master of Law in Conflict Resolution and Mediation from Pepperdine University, underscoring her belief that communication and empathy are central to leadership. She remains deeply committed to elevating the real estate profession while improving the customer experience at every level. Vanessa lives in Upper Rockridge with her husband, an Oakland native, and their two children.

At Worthshop, we love leaders who bring both grit and grace to their work, people who build something lasting by standing for something. Vanessa is exactly that kind of leader. She proves that independence and integrity can scale, that local still matters, and that leadership rooted in ideals changes everything.

Under her leadership, Red Oak Realty has been ranked among the largest women-owned companies in the East Bay and among the top residential brokerages in the Bay Area. Independent and locally focused, Red Oak’s success is built not just on growth and scale but on something rarer: a human connection in everything they do.

On Day One of Worthshop, Vanessa joins the Journeywomen: Careers in Leadership panel, a candid conversation about the winding paths, hard lessons, and defining moments that shape leadership in real estate today.

L I N K S:

https://www.redoakrealty.com/employees/3673-vanessa-bergmark