Butler Snow attorney Charity W. Karanja was recently named to the 2024 Class of the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship. She was one of six women recognized in the class of 2024. The CDFA Foundation is a national non-profit organization focused on building equitable and inclusive opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and communities working in and engaging with the development finance industry.
The Caren S. Franzini Fellowship was established in 2017 by the CDFA Board of Directors to recognize the exemplary leadership of Caren Franzini, a past President of CDFA and former CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). During her career, Caren was dedicated to advancing development finance best practices, education, and advocacy.
Franzini Fellows are given the opportunity to work directly with CDFA through a six-month program aimed at developing engaged women leaders in the field of development finance. Each class of Franzini Fellows collaborates on a project of significance to the development finance industry and presents it to a national audience. Collectively, their work showcases expertise in development finance and the power of women-led initiatives.
Charity is a member of Butler Snow's Public Finance, Tax Incentives & Credit Markets group. She focuses her practice on public finance, economic development incentives, and government relations. She has served in multiple roles for public finance, new markets tax credit, and economic development matters.
She is a member of the National Bond Lawyers Association, the Government Finance Officers Association, the Mississippi Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Magnolia Bar Association, the Capital Area Bar Association, and the Jackson Young Lawyers.
Charity earned her bachelor's degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law. She is admitted to the state bar of Mississippi.