Ja’Net Defell

Director, Community Desk Chicago

Ja’Net Defell is the Director of Community Desk Chicago. In her current role, Defell leverages private market expertise and funder relationships to secure capital for real estate development projects in communities of color. Defell has more than 20 years of management consulting, urban planning and real estate development experience. Defell holds a Master of Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Michigan. She is a Fulcrum Fellow with the Center for Community Investment, a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and LEED Green Associate.