Shirlene Nordé- Co-Founder & External Relations Advisor

Shirlene Norde’ is Mother to Elena Norde’ and Co-Founder and External Relations Advisor at GenStem. Shirlene knew at a very young age that she was purposed to break barriers and make a difference in the lives of others.

Born and raised from humble beginnings with a solid foundation, her parents instilled a very strong work ethic, excellence, tenacity and responsible behavior in doing her best and treating others with respect and dignity.

In 1971 and beyond, in her early career days working in Corporate America as the Only Black person in her roles in these organizations, she was met with systemic and overt racism and actually told that she was an excellent candidate worth 2 points being both female and Black. It became very clear that there was no other intent for her to grow and learn within the organizations but to satisfy the count. Shirlene believed in John Lewis’s “Good Trouble” and as such was always challenging the establishment to do the right thing. There were many challenges and learning experiences as she was thrust into how to adapt, excel and persevere. Her strong willed determination was not only to survive but to thrive.

Shirlene, being the first and a pioneer for others like her, was without mentors who could share and provide leadership to her so she learned by doing, by experiencing and by holding onto the values taught to her by her parents. She felt an enormous responsibility to pave the way for others like her.

Shirlene decided to focus on her health after experiencing tremendous stress during her pregnancy and the premature birth of her 2 lbs. 11 oz. daughter, Elena. She realized that your health is your wealth and opened up The Real McCoy Herb Shop and Nutrition and Information Center that encompassed not only herbs, vitamins and minerals but also, reflexology, teas, education and ministry. She was diagnosed with a larger uterine fibroid, the size of a grapefruit and decided to take a natural approach to shrink the fibroid. Shirlene put a plan in place with herbal supplements, nutrition, exercise and prayer and meditation. In 6 months,she checked in with her physician, had a repeat of the lab work and the fibroid was gone. During the first two years of business, over 3,000 walk in clients were served by her establishment. Her passion for this work left her knowing that this was part of her purpose and would always be a part of her work. Shirlene spent the last 20 corporate years focused on Mortgages and Financial Services. Key leadership and community roles led her to head a team of Diversity Loan Officers to fill a void in the footprint of underserved communities. Since that time, Shirlene’s focus has been on Wealth and Health, especially to those not privy to the information and resources critical to well being.

Shirlene is passionate and committed to keeping the momentum going by educating, mentoring and sharing critical information, products and resources gained from personal experience for the well being of women of color.