Founder, President & CEO
Ana Piumbini
Founder, President & CEO, Freedom to Belong · Founder · Author
Sarasota, Florida · Naturalized U.S. citizen (2018) · Email
Hands-on founder and operator — real P&L, daily decisions, and execution, not a figurehead title. Founder, president and CEO of Freedom to Belong (501(c)(3)); founder of Forever Realty Investments and I Need to Call My Mother; founder, partner (sócia) and board director of US Legal Now; author. Former CEO of American Photonics, sold to BlueRock Global Private Equity in April 2026. Thirty-plus years across real estate, immigration services, manufacturing, retail, technology, and optics.
Files ready for board packages, search firms, and print. Prefer PDF for email attachments.
Current roles (as of 2026)
- Freedom to Belong — Founder Sole founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit (education, citizenship pathways, immigrant community). Steve Walters is Co-Founder & Vice President; the leadership team also includes Daniel A. Hoffman (Florida licensed attorney) and Filipe Piumbini (Team Leader · Volunteer).
- Forever Realty Investments LLC — Founder Hands-on real estate and investment portfolio strategy, day-to-day P&L and execution (not a figurehead title).
- US Legal Now — Founder · Partner (Sócia) · Board Director Immigration professional-services company (sister ecosystem to Freedom to Belong).
- I Need to Call My Mother — Founder ineedtocallmymother.com
- Author U.S. citizenship study guides, Bluff Like a Woman, Revealing the Corporate Comedy and My Head Is Exploding — see all books.
Career timeline (approximate dates)
~2014 until its sale to BlueRock Global Private Equity in April 2026
Former CEO & shareholder. Restructured distribution from concentrated national model to diversified worldwide channels; rebrand and marketing modernization. Global market share expanded from about 3% to 15% within four years of leadership focus. P&L, strategy, sales, international trade, and operations oversight alongside founder Steve Walters’ manufacturing core.
Ongoing (Florida)
Founder — hands-on real estate and financial investment strategy, portfolio growth, risk oversight; daily decisions and execution.
Building through 2020s · FTB 501(c)(3) active era
Founder of Freedom to Belong; founder, partner (sócia) and board director of US Legal Now — multilingual immigration services connecting U.S. and Brazil clients.
Approx. mid-2000s–2010s (SW Florida)
CEO & shareholder — importer/manufacturer of granite countertops with installation throughout Southwest Florida; customers included Home Depot, Lowe’s, and 150+ cabinet/remodel firms. Annual revenue scale cited in executive materials around multi-million (e.g. ~$3.8M in historical materials).
Approx. 1990s–2000s
Senior commercial leadership: Microsoft Brazil, GPA (Grupo Pão de Açúcar), IBM Brazil, Fast Shop, Carrefour Hypermarket Brazil, Visual Presence Brazil. First female National Director of Retail Sales at IBM Brazil — pioneered PC sales through supermarket and retail channels for major technology brands.
2006
Legal immigration to the U.S.; later naturalized citizen (2018). Built manufacturing, real estate, and community leadership platforms from Florida.
Novatec, Brazil · 2005 · English edition 2026
Revealing the Corporate Comedy / earlier Brazilian title on corporate comedy — published by Novatec; English edition live on Amazon (2026). Also author of Bluff Like a Woman.
Education & board preparation
- Harvard University Executive education in Artificial Intelligence · Competing in the Age of AI (approx. 2023–2024)
- Kellogg School of Management — Northwestern Board director development · post-MBA executive education
- MBA Business Management
- Postgraduate Advertising & Marketing
- Bachelor’s Business Management · Systems Analysis
Languages
- English Fluent
- Portuguese Fluent
- Spanish Conversational
- Italian Conversational
- Sign language Communicates with deaf cousin — inclusion in practice
Counsel value (summary)
- Operator + governor Active director who also runs P&L
- Growth & channels Proven international market expansion in manufacturing
- Cross-border fluency U.S.–Brazil operating depth
- Commercial excellence Retail, technology, and enterprise routes to market
- Risk & investments Real estate portfolio and contract discipline
- Future-ready Kellogg board formation · Harvard AI executive education
Contact for board work
- Email Email
- LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/ana-piumbini-20b0b84a
- Location Sarasota, Florida, USA
