Beyond Profit: How I Found Purpose in Banking for Affordable Housing, WAHNcast EmpowHER—Episode 4
Listen to this episode on Spotify.
Celia Smoot, Sr. VP with KeyBank
A career trajectory spanning from law to nonprofit to banking has provided her with a unique vantage point, having experienced both sides of the closing table. This diverse background has enriched her perspective, enabling her to grasp the complete picture. Her multifaceted view empowers her to adeptly leverage funds, resources, and community elements to not only enhance affordable housing but also foster supportive communities.
“Affordable housing is more than a spreadsheet. There are people, families, futures, and hopes on the other end of that spreadsheet.” – Celia Smoot
This was just one of many golden nuggets in this amazing interview with Celia, an affordable housing powerhouse, on this week’s episode of EmpowHER, hosted by CSG Advisors Co-CEOs Tanya Dempsey and Nicole Graham.
From Attorney at HUD, to Director of LISC Housing at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), to SVP and Head of Fund Investments at KeyBank, Celia has sat in nearly every seat at the affordable housing table.
Throughout it all, for 20+ years, she remains mission-driven, never forgets her “why”, and stays curious — which is how her early mentor said she would find success.
Good news for us, she doesn’t see herself ever leaving the industry, because “you can sit in so many different seats and have a different impact and learn different things. It never gets stale.”
We agree.
CSG Advisors Incorporated is a national, full service, independent financial advisor that assists public finance clients in the design, financing and implementation of affordable housing, urban redevelopment and economic development initiatives. Over the past 20 years, CSG has advised on more housing bonds than any other municipal advisor, as reported by Thompson Reuters. CSG Advisors is entirely employee-owned and independent. Employee owners include minorities and women.