Christiana Foglio is all about impact investing – finding creative ways to merge public funding and private capital to invest in making communities better. Her motto is to not only do well, but do good.
An industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the private and public sectors, Christiana specializes in building senior and multi-family housing that reflects each community’s vision, needs, and character. She founded Community Investment Strategies in 1994, and as a successful entrepreneur, she’s grown her company’s diverse portfolio to include more than 3,400 apartment rental units valued at over $600 million. More than her success, though, is her determination to be a thoughtful developer, backing the development of communities purposefully and with people in mind.
Christiana’s business model focuses on building assets – high quality properties that retain their value and provide a benefit to the community in which they are built. In addition to the high-quality housing her company builds, she stresses the importance of building relationships – with her residents, local municipal officials, and like-minded investors who see the value in supporting the fiscal revitalization of neighborhoods in need of their support.
Prior to forming CIS, Christiana served in the administrations of Governor Florio and Governor Whitman as Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency (1992- 1995), where she was responsible for over $1 billion of multi-family bond financing. During this time, Christiana is credited with creating the Housing Policy for the State of New Jersey as well as national awards for innovative state housing initiatives. She also was appointed by Governors Florio and Whitman to serve as Chair of the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing. Prior to joining NJHMFA, Christiana served as President of the New Brunswick Development Corporation, a not-for-profit real estate development company located in New Brunswick, NJ, implementing over $300 million of urban redevelopment projects, reporting to the Board of Directors of J&J Companies. Christiana is credited with creating the foundation of New Brunswick’s economic rebirth. She is also an active member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Director’s Leadership Council.
Christiana is a graduate of Rutgers University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning, with a concentration in Housing Finance and Economic Development. A licensed planner in the State of New Jersey, Christiana is a highly sought-after guest speaker who has garnered numerous business and industry awards, including the PlanSmart NJ Van Zandt Community Involvement Award; Urban Land Institute’s Edward J. Bloustein Award for Exemplary Achievement in Civic Leadership; Affordable Housing Finance Magazine Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers in the Nation; NJBIZ Business of the Year; NJBIZ Top 50 Most Influential People in the Real Estate Industry; and is among the NJBIZ Top Women in Business.