Butler Snow attorney Charity Karanja recently served as a judge for Capstone Presentations by the inaugural cohort of the Real Estate Developer Academy, a program that is hosted by the City of Jackson, Mississippi in conjunction with Bloomberg, Grow America (formerly, the National Development Council), and the Jackson Redevelopment Authority (JRA). The presentations took place on June 26, 2025 at The Jackson State University in front of an esteemed audience that included city leadership, including the Mayor, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Jackson. Charity is a member of the Steering Committee for the Academy and has previously served as a panelist during this year’s training week for the Academy.
The Academy is an 18-month high-impact, intensive training, and technical assistance program, and is designed to equip emerging real estate developers with the knowledge, tools, and networks needed to succeed in the real estate industry. The mission for the Academy is to transform communities within the City of Jackson by empowering diverse developers to create affordable housing, revitalize neighborhoods, and build wealth. Participants in other SEED AcademyTM programs have already met success in Detroit, Omaha, Tulsa and Seattle, and the program is set to expand to more communities across the United States.
Charity is a member of Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group and 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 Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) Foundation, recognizing outstanding women in development finance for their leadership and dedication to the advancement of the industry. Charity has been recognized by The National Black Lawyers as one of its Top 40 Under 40 and featured in a Spotlight by the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL), highlighting her career and accomplishments in public finance.
Charity is a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) through the Council of Development Finance Agencies, a certification that sets her apart as one of the most qualified leaders within the development finance industry. In her practice, Charity has served in multiple roles on public, private, and public-private finance transactions, including economic development matters, and has represented both governmental and private organizations in a variety of financing structures, including new market tax credit (NMTC) transactions.
Charity earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and is a member of various civic and legal organizations, including the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL), Women in Public Finance (WPF), and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). As part of her continued dedication to the industry, Charity has presented at various conferences and seminars on matters relating to public finance, and authored various articles, including a financing toolkit for medium-density housing developments titled: “Financing Tools and Incentives for Developers in Missing Middle Housing.”
