UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Smeal College of Business recently named Christopher Raimondi, vice president of real estate finance at Monarch Alternative Capital, to the executive committee of the Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board.
The board includes business, government and education professionals who have an interest in promoting real estate education and scholarship at Penn State. Board members make a financial commitment to the college in support of Smeal’s Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies.
Raimondi graduated from Penn State Smeal in 2012 with a degree in finance and began his professional career in the deal advisory practice at KPMG. Five years later, he joined The Blackstone Group where he advanced to the position of assistant vice president.
“I developed expertise in financial due diligence for mergers and acquisitions at KPMG. At Blackstone, I worked in both the New York and London offices, where I developed a deep understanding of real estate valuation. Additionally, I assisted Blackstone portfolio companies in successfully closing acquisitions of real estate and retail companies,” Raimondi said.
He went on to become head of financial planning and analysis at Capstone Investment Advisors, and, since 2022, Raimondi has been vice president of real estate finance at Monarch Alternative Capital LP. In his current role, he is responsible for managing deal executions, asset management and financial reporting for the real estate and capital solutions platforms.
Raimondi earned the chartered financial analyst designation in 2020.
Brent Ambrose, the Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate, and professor and director of the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies, said he was looking forward to welcoming Raimondi during the board’s spring meeting, which will take place in New York.
“Chris’ insights into global real estate markets and his experience managing complex transactions will undoubtedly help shape the direction of our program and inspire our students. We look forward to the impact his leadership will have on advancing our mission to develop future leaders in the real estate industry," Ambrose said.
Raimondi said that he was looking forward to getting more engaged at Smeal — from discussing topics that are impacting the industry with other Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board members to sharing his insights and experiences with Smeal students and helping to shape the future of Smeal’s real estate major.
“The Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board has made substantial strides in advancing the real estate major at Smeal,” he stated. “Looking ahead, I believe it is vital for students to continue gaining professional experience through opportunities such as mentorships, internships, guest speakers, case studies and technical training workshops before graduating. The more professional experience our students can obtain while at Smeal, the better prepared they’ll be to differentiate themselves from other graduates and start their path to a successful career in the real estate industry. I’m excited to be a part of it.”