Submitted by OnyxGroup
Shabnam Mashmasarmi and Chanda Smart, co-founders of OnyxGroup
OnyxGroup is a Massachusetts-based, Black woman-owned, people-focused, forward-thinking, culturally competent and inclusive development company. The firm’s mission is to preserve culture and community, promote diversity and inclusion, and create developments that address the socioeconomic needs of their residents through conscious based programs and services. Its focus is on building quality affordable housing while providing intentional specialized focus on equity and inclusion of local residents.
After living in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Chanda Smart, CEO, studied pre-law at University of Massachusetts and most recently served as an administrator to Lani Guinier and Yochai Benkler at Harvard Law School. She gained experience executing operational strategy and delivering results working for employers such as Deloitte & Touche LLP, The Gillette Company, American Express, Andersen Consulting and the Ritz Carlton.
Chanda formally entered into the Boston real estate market in June 2009, with a focus on the residential market, assisting local residents in realizing homeownership and creating local partnerships with businesses such as The Law Offices of Donald E. Green to create estate planning series for local Roxbury residents.
Shabnam Mashmasarmi, COO is the owner and founder of Mashmasarmi Law, P.C., a Massachusetts-based law firm with offices in New York and Florida. In 2015, Regional Counsel Minard Culpepper designated Shabnam to serve as a foreclosure commissioner for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Shabnam additionally serves on the board of the National Bar Association Region 1 as treasurer, is co-vice chair of the Real Estate and Probate section and the vice chair of the Programming Committee for the Bankruptcy section.
Shabnam was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts to the Black Advisory Commission for her work and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Shabnam went on to receive a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. In 2014, she partnered with Suffolk University Center for Real Estate as program consultant and developed five certificate courses. Shortly after, Shabnam entered the commercial space, representing local developers acquiring off market properties and partnering with local developers to provide quality and affordable homes. Shabnam received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and received her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, New York Bar, Florida Bar and the United States District Court of Massachusetts. Shabnam has been a Massachusetts real estate broker for over 10 years.
