With the final guest of the Distinguished Speaker Series, the Cornell Baker Program welcomes Vicki Davis from Urban Atlantic. As the co-founder of the firm in 1998, Davis has been responsible for the acquisition, planning, design, and implementation of all Urban Atlantic real estate projects. Through her keen oversight, the organization has been responsible for over $2.4 billion in real estate development and $1.3 billion in real estate investment. Her real estate development and finance experience within the industry represents the robustness necessary to generate such formidable success.
Former to starting Urban Atlantic, Davis has served as the Deputy Director of the Maryland Housing Fund and Division of Credit Assurance; overseeing a loan portfolio that included $2 billion in single family residential loans and $800 million in multifamily loans. Her experience also includes portfolio management for MNC Financial-South Charles Realty and multifamily development for Trammell Crow Residential.
Further, Davis’ experience did not start in either the hallways of the University of Maryland, where she earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering, nor University of Texas, where she achieved an MS in Engineering & Construction Management, or at American University, gaining an MBA- but through her father’s trade of building, maintaining, and renting residential apartments and commercial space. Gaining hands-on knowledge has propelled her forward, where Urban Atlantic has been involved in projects to elevate the Washington, D.C. area.
One of the firm’s most interesting projects is Arthur Capper in DC, a public-private, urban, mixed-use and mixed-income development. The project has created over $41.5M in contracts for DC firms, 250 jobs for DC residents, and rebuilt over 15 blocks of urban infrastructure. In 2014, when Vicki was named one of Bisnow.com’s Power Women, the project had started its next phase of 195 mixed-income rental apartments, including 39 affordable apartments.
Through her leadership of Urban Atlantic, the company has focused on being a visionary firm with expert execution, while also a market leader. Through a strong entrepreneurial spirit tempered by a commitment to disciplined implementation, the core to Urban Atlantic is to turn visionary development ideas into performing assets. When the former is combined with being a leader in urban real estate finance, investment and development, Urban Atlantic continues to succeed in this complex and fast-changing industry by combining development expertise with financial sophistication.
