Two women. Two lifetimes of expertise. One mission to build the next generation of elite tradespeople and reshape how America develops its workforce.
Co-Founder · Policy Architect & Global Reentry Strategist
Paulette "Tinkerbell" Pfeiffer brings over 35 years of remarkable career achievements spanning federal law enforcement, international business development, criminal justice reform, and legislative policy. Her distinguished service as a DEA Special Agent gave her deep operational expertise in investigations, cross-border operations, and the systemic drivers of recidivism — but it was only the first chapter. She went on to build and lead international business development initiatives across Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, forging partnerships with government agencies, correctional institutions, and multinational organizations — giving her a global Rolodex and a fluency in navigating complex bureaucratic ecosystems that few reentry advocates possess. Fluent in five languages — English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese — Tinkerbell operates effortlessly across cultures, governments, and markets, making her an irreplaceable asset in South Florida's diverse landscape and in TradeWorks' national expansion strategy.
Her approach fuses lived experience with systems-level strategy. She has consulted on transitional housing program design, reentry workforce pipelines, and peer-mentorship models for justice-involved populations across multiple countries. Separate from her work at TradeWorks, Tinkerbell is the driving force behind Tinkerbell's Kids, her 30-year nonprofit dedicated to protecting children — currently advancing landmark legislation with sponsors, committee momentum, and a clear pathway to law. Her philosophy — "excellence is not a destination but a continuous pursuit" — isn't aspirational. It's operational. This philosophy extends to her personal life: Tinkerbell has raised three highly successful children — a testament to the resilience, discipline, and values that define everything she touches.
At TradeWorks, Tinkerbell serves as the strategic heavyweight — leading legislative advocacy, government relations, participant experience design, and the wraparound support architecture that transforms 30 students at a time into career-ready craftsmen. She architects the intake protocols, residential culture, behavioral readiness standards, and the full student journey — from the moment a candidate is identified through graduation and job placement. Her 35 years of combined experience in federal law enforcement, international business development, reentry reform, and policy-making ensure that every element of the TradeWorks model is built on dignity, accountability, and proven reentry science.
Looking forward, Tinkerbell's global network of government and institutional relationships gives TradeWorks a policy-driven competitive moat that no competitor can replicate. Her fluency across five languages and decades of cross-border operational experience ensure TradeWorks can navigate the complex bureaucratic ecosystems that determine reentry funding, correctional partnerships, and workforce development contracts at every level of government. She didn't just build a career in public service — she built the infrastructure that is about to reshape how America handles reentry, workforce development, and second chances at a national scale. When investors ask what makes TradeWorks defensible, the answer starts with Tinkerbell Pfeiffer.
Co-Founder · Luxury Construction & Revenue Architect
Megan Lisak brings 18 years of hands-on construction industry experience to TradeWorks Academy — spanning luxury residential design, commercial project management, crew leadership, estimating, and field operations across high-end markets. She has built, managed, and delivered complex construction projects where precision, aesthetics, and craftsmanship are non-negotiable, giving her an exacting eye for quality that few workforce development leaders possess. Her background in luxury design and construction shapes TradeWorks' core conviction: that students, trained to an elite standard, become the most sought-after craftsmen in the industry — commanding higher wages, earning long-term contracts, and taking visible pride in work that carries their name.
Having spent nearly two decades on active job sites, Megan understands the industry's labor crisis from the inside: the retiring workforce, the shrinking pipeline of qualified entrants, the 50%+ turnover rate, and the chronic mismatch between what traditional trade schools teach and what employers actually need on day one. But she sees something else most don't: an untapped revenue engine. By architecting direct partnerships with construction firms, developers, and trade contractors — who pay for priority access to TradeWorks' elite, job-ready graduates — Megan has built a placement pipeline that generates revenue while solving the industry's most painful problem. Her philosophy — "skill is the unified force of experience, intellect, and passion in their highest form" — defines TradeWorks' training methodology and its market positioning.
At TradeWorks, Megan leads employer partnerships, branding, marketing, and housing design. She personally works with each cohort of men to ensure they are interview-ready, polished, and prepared to walk onto any job site with confidence — because her standard isn't "employable," it's "elite." She translates two decades of field knowledge into workforce readiness that employers consistently say is missing from the labor market, teaching not just how to do the work, but how to command respect, negotiate pay, and build a career that out-earns what most college graduates make.
Beyond the day-to-day, Megan's long-term vision is scaling TradeWorks into the private equity space — building a portfolio of workforce-integrated real estate assets where each campus generates uncorrelated returns through guaranteed university leases, employer-paid placement fees, and government per-diem reimbursement. But her drive goes deeper than business: as a mother to her son, Megan is building TradeWorks to be the legacy he can one day lead — an enterprise that proves you can restore lives, strengthen communities, and create generational wealth all at once. Her background includes deep nonprofit involvement and a personal heart for helping students rise, but her superpower is translating mission into margin. She didn't come to this work by accident — she came to prove that doing good and building wealth are the same trade, executed at the highest level.
Esq., MBA · Strategic Partnerships
Board President · Center for Social Change — 501(c)(3) Fiscal Sponsor · Miami, Florida
Bill Burdette is a Miami-based attorney, investment banker, and nonprofit leader whose career bridges corporate finance, community development, and institutional philanthropy. He trained at Columbia Law School (J.D.), the University of Miami School of Business (MBA), and Northwestern University (B.A.) — a rare combination of Wall Street-grade financial structuring expertise and deep local nonprofit governance experience. He serves as the steward of TradeWorks Academy's nonprofit infrastructure through the Center for Social Change — a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor that provides the governance, compliance, and tax-deductible giving framework that transforms TradeWorks' mission into a fundable, scalable social enterprise.
As the bridge between TradeWorks' operational engine and the philanthropic, foundation, and government funding ecosystems, Bill ensures that every dollar flowing into the mission is received, administered, and reported with the transparency and accountability that institutional funders demand. His ventures — including Charity Services Centers, where he created the "charity affinity program" connecting community banks with nonprofits, and Impact Deposits Corp, which he founded as President & CEO to build financial products bridging for-profit and nonprofit capital markets — reflect an entrepreneurial fluency that few fiscal sponsors bring to the table.
Through the Center for Social Change, Bill empowers TradeWorks to access foundation grants, HUD Continuum of Care funding, and individual tax-deductible contributions — the fuel that de-risks the model and accelerates the pathway from 30-man pilot cohorts to national scale. His work ensures that mission and margin are not in tension, but in alignment: compliant 501(c)(3) sponsorship paired with TradeWorks' revenue-generating workforce and real estate model, creating a financial architecture built to endure.
Bill's role at TradeWorks is equal parts fiduciary and visionary. He administers the fiscal sponsorship relationship with rigor, guiding TradeWorks through grant compliance, financial reporting, and board-level governance — while championing the partnership strategy that connects TradeWorks to institutional partners like FIU's Lennar Foundation and the Agape Network. His stewardship gives donors, investors, and government agencies alike the confidence that TradeWorks operates with nonprofit-grade integrity at every level.
As the 501(c)(3) partner of record, Bill Burdette and the Center for Social Change are the quiet backbone of the TradeWorks mission — the governance layer that turns powerful ideas into bankable, accountable, and enduring social impact. When funders ask who ensures the mission is protected, the answer is Bill Burdette. When communities ask who guarantees the dollars are spent on lives, the answer is the same.
Why This Team Works
Tinkerbell Pfeiffer knows the pipeline from the inside — the barriers, the behavioral patterns, the points of failure. Megan Lisak knows the construction industry from the inside — not just the skills gap, but the revenue opportunity hiding in it: construction firms, developers, and contractors will pay a premium for elite, job-ready craftsmen who show up on time, take pride in their work, and need zero remediation. Together, they've built TradeWorks Academy as the bridge that neither the corrections system nor the construction industry could build alone. One co-founder solves recidivism. The other turns the trade crisis into a scalable, private-equity-ready asset class. The result: a model where graduating students become the most sought-after, highest-earning craftsmen America's construction industry has ever seen — and investors get uncorrelated, multi-moat returns while funding it.
TradeWorks Academy operates at the intersection of real estate, education, behavioral health, and social impact — powered by four world-class institutional partners.
Property Operator — Campus operations, housing management, wraparound services, and the employer pipeline that connects elite graduates to industry partners nationwide.
Education & Funding Partner — Top 50 public research university delivering NCCER-certified curriculum through credentialed instructors. Providing significant program funding that de-risks the model.
Behavioral Health Partner — MRT therapy, counseling, and 35+ years of experience delivering evidence-based wellness and personal development outcomes.
501(c)(3) Fiscal Sponsor — Nonprofit governance, grant administration, and tax-deductible fundraising infrastructure that powers the mission at scale.
Words from the institutions standing beside TradeWorks Academy in the mission to build the next generation of elite tradespeople.
"As CEO of Agape Network, I am committed to supporting the successful implementation of this initiative."
Claudio Perez
CEO · Agape Network
"TradeWorks Academy is exactly the kind of mission the Center for Social Change exists to power — bold, accountable, and built to change lives at scale."
Bill Burdette
Strategic Partnerships · Center for Social Change
"The FIU Lennar Foundation Career Training Academy is proud to stand with TradeWorks Academy in building a credentialed, career-ready workforce for South Florida."
FIU Lennar Foundation
Academic Partner
"Our partners don't just fund the mission — they are the mission. Together, we're proving that restoration and return can grow from the same root."
Paulette "Tinkerbell" Pfeiffer & Megan Lisak
Co-Founders · TradeWorks Academy
Want to meet the team behind the mission?
Get In Touch
