Christopher Bell, J.D.

Chris joined The Conservation Fund in March 2020 as Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary. Prior to this position, he was a partner for nearly five years in the Finance Group practice area at Ballard Spahr LLP, where he focused on multifamily housing finance and advised real estate lenders, borrowers, and developers on transactional and regulatory issues, with a concentration on financing transactions involving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Before joining Ballard Spahr, Chris practiced for more than 10 years at Fannie Mae. As Associate General Counsel in the Multifamily Division of Housing and Community Development, he served as Fannie Mae’s lead attorney for affordable housing transactions. He also served as lead counsel for Fannie Mae’s corporate charitable arm, the Office of Community Investment and Engagement, where he provided legal counsel on grant documentation, intellectual property rights, procurement, audit, and compliance matters.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government, and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He is currently Chair of the University of the District of Columbia Board of Trustees, where he has served as a trustee since May 2011, and he is also a member of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board.