Topic to Cover
“The Positive Impact of Immigrants in the Economy”
Biography
Christina Fuentes is Managing Director – Community Development within the Community Development Division at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). In this role, Christina is responsible for developing, coordinating, and managing initiatives that support community development, such as incentives and loans along with brownfield redevelopment, historic preservation, and small business services including traditional financing, technical assistance, partnering with Community Development Financial Institutions Fund’s (CDFI) and COVID-19 recovery programs. Her team identifies and focuses on targeted communities throughout the state to advance impactful place-based community development initiatives.
Christina most recently served as the Director of Small Business Services for the NJEDA’s Business Development department and continues much of this work in her new role. Under her leadership, the Small Business Services unit was created to coordinate and manage the provision of technical assistance and other business support service including regularly engaging in outreach to chambers of commerce and other trade organizations and community groups focused on small businesses. She continues to lead the NJEDA’s efforts to foster a dynamic, supportive environment for the State’s entrepreneurs and small businesses, with a focus on more comprehensively assisting historically underrepresented firms and underserved communities.
Before joining the NJEDA in 2015, Christina was employed by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority as a Project Development Officer in the Real Estate and Economic Development Department, where she assisted developers with economic development projects within Atlantic City. She also administered grant programs and was responsible for contract management related to economic development services. Christina is the Assistant Secretary of the Capital City Redevelopment Corporation. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Kentucky.