Butler Snow LLP is pleased to announce that attorney Charity W. Karanja was recently selected for the Mississippi Business Journal’s 2026 Top 40 Under 40 list, an annual recognition honoring the state’s rising leaders who have distinguished themselves through professional achievement, leadership and service to their communities.
Charity W. Karanja
Karanja is a member of Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group and is a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) through the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). Charity has the distinction of being one of six women in the nation named to the 2024 Class of the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship, a merit-based program by the CDFA Foundation, recognizing outstanding women in development finance for their leadership and dedication to the advancement of the industry.
Karanja focuses her practice on public finance, economic development incentives, and government relations and has served in multiple roles on public, private, and public-private finance transactions and economic development matters, including Special Tax Counsel, Bond Counsel, Underwriter’s Counsel, Issuer’s Counsel, Lender’s Counsel, Disclosure Counsel, Trustee’s Counsel, and Developer’s Counsel. She has represented both governmental and private organizations in a variety of financing structures, including New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) transactions.
In addition to her legal practice, Karanja has established herself as a recognized thought leader in public finance and economic development. She regularly speaks at national conferences and seminars, including programs hosted by the Council of Development Finance Agencies and the National Association of Securities Professionals, and has authored articles and peer-reviewed publications on innovative financing tools and economic development strategies.
Karanja has earned numerous professional honors recognizing her leadership and contributions to the legal profession. In addition to the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40, she has been named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation Guide, recognized as an “On the Rise in Mississippi” honoree by ALM’s The Daily Report and Law.com Southeastern Legal Awards, selected as a Rising Star by The Bond Buyer, named to Thomson Reuters’ Mid-South Rising Stars, and recognized by The National Black Lawyers as one of its Top 40 Under 40. She also serves in several distinguished leadership programs, including the Women in Public Finance Emerging Leaders Council, the Mississippi Bar Leadership Program and the National Association of Women Lawyers Leadership Program.
Charity Karanja earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University’s Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
