Full Name
Karen Purcell
Job Title
Head of Community Development Banking for Commercial Real Estate
Company
J.P. Morgan
Speaker Bio
Karen Purcell is the Head of Community Development Banking (CDB) for J.P. Morgan’s Commercial Real Estate business. Karen brings over 25 years of experience in Commercial Real Estate Banking spanning sales, credit, tax credit investment, asset management, strategic planning and community development.
Prior to joining the firm, Karen led the CDB Originations and Asset Management teams within Bank of America’s Commercial Real Estate Banking (CREB) division, where she delivered $7 billion annually in new debt and equity investments and managed a $14 billion tax credit investment portfolio of more than 200,000 affordable apartments nationally. Before that, she led salesforce and leadership development as CREB Sales Performance Manager, working on strategic client initiatives and managing the CREB Commercial Associate program, an initiative to recruit and develop client-facing talent. In addition to her roles with Credit and Sales, Karen led a team within Special Assets/Risk focused on the workout and REO sales of commercial property following the global financial crisis. Earlier in her career she served as the East Region Manager for Bank of America’s Corporate Real Estate portfolio comprised of 400 properties and over 5 million square feet across 36 states, EMEA, Latin America and Canada, and she participated on bank merger and acquisition due diligence teams.
Throughout her career, Karen has been recognized for delivering results by creating and leading strong teams and investing in people. She has been actively engaged in mentoring and in women’s leadership and advocacy programs, has served as executive sponsor for emerging leaders programs, and has mentored through Bank of America’s partnership with the Cherie Blair Women’s Foundation.
Karen holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Colleagues and clients describe her as a high-energy leader who drives engagement and results through authenticity, strategic thinking, and an unwavering focus on both people and performance. Karen lives in the Chicago area and enjoys open water swimming.
Prior to joining the firm, Karen led the CDB Originations and Asset Management teams within Bank of America’s Commercial Real Estate Banking (CREB) division, where she delivered $7 billion annually in new debt and equity investments and managed a $14 billion tax credit investment portfolio of more than 200,000 affordable apartments nationally. Before that, she led salesforce and leadership development as CREB Sales Performance Manager, working on strategic client initiatives and managing the CREB Commercial Associate program, an initiative to recruit and develop client-facing talent. In addition to her roles with Credit and Sales, Karen led a team within Special Assets/Risk focused on the workout and REO sales of commercial property following the global financial crisis. Earlier in her career she served as the East Region Manager for Bank of America’s Corporate Real Estate portfolio comprised of 400 properties and over 5 million square feet across 36 states, EMEA, Latin America and Canada, and she participated on bank merger and acquisition due diligence teams.
Throughout her career, Karen has been recognized for delivering results by creating and leading strong teams and investing in people. She has been actively engaged in mentoring and in women’s leadership and advocacy programs, has served as executive sponsor for emerging leaders programs, and has mentored through Bank of America’s partnership with the Cherie Blair Women’s Foundation.
Karen holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Colleagues and clients describe her as a high-energy leader who drives engagement and results through authenticity, strategic thinking, and an unwavering focus on both people and performance. Karen lives in the Chicago area and enjoys open water swimming.
