UDC’s Board of Trustees

Christopher D. Bell

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Christopher D. Bell is the Deputy General Counsel for The Conservation Fund.  The Conservation Fund is a nationwide nonprofit organization that promotes economic development and conservation efforts across the United States.

Prior to this position, Mr. Bell was a partner in the Finance Group practice area of the law firm of Ballard Spahr LLP where he focused on multifamily housing finance.  He advised and represented real estate lenders, borrowers, and developers on transactional and regulatory issues, with a concentration on financing transactions involving government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs).

Prior to joining Ballard Spahr, Mr. Bell practiced for more than 10 years at Fannie Mae, a GSE chartered by Congress to support the secondary mortgage market. As the agency’s Associate General Counsel of Housing and Community Development, he served as Fannie Mae’s lead attorney for affordable housing transactions and secondary market construction loan participations and syndications. Additionally, Mr. Bell served as lead counsel for Fannie Mae’s corporate charitable arm, the Office of Community Investment and Engagement, where he provided legal counsel regarding grant documentation, intellectual property rights, procurement, audit and compliance matters.

Mr. Bell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. He received a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government.  He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

Mr. Bell serves as a member of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board and is a member of the American Bar Association.