Cleo B. Aquino is the co-founder and co-CEO of SPIRE Real Estate Education Inc. headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with affiliate programs across the US. The mission statement is in the company’s name SPIRE, “creating Successful Paths In Real Estate” by providing licensing and continuing education programs for real estate professionals. Cleo is a principal for the Mindanao Pueblo Filipino Development, en Mexico. Lastly, she is the sales director for LuxMods, a company that builds creative work and personal spaces in modular construction, and oversees the authorized dealer network channels, sales affiliate programs, and direct consumer sales initiatives.
Prior to real estate, she worked for Chicago Public Schools managing teacher recruitment and various government grant programs specializing in math, science, and special education with university partners. This work was made possible through an internship at The Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations.
Her career started at Pricewaterhouse Coopers specializing in expatriate taxes for global companies. Upon graduating from Loyola University with a Bachelors of Business Administration – Finance, she pursued a Graduate Certificate Program in nonprofit organization and philanthropy.
Currently, Cleo serves as the president for the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) – Chicago Chapter, board member for the Southside Builders Association of Chicago, and cultural affairs board member for the Federation of Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to support Filipino businesses globally by providing a network of resources and trade opportunities for member chapters. For Cleo, being part of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Chicago is important because of the connection to her Filipino family heritage, culture, and traditions.