Kristen Hunter

Kristen Hunter

Professor

Kristen Hunter is a doctoral candidate in Real Estate Finance and Urban Development at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Her dissertation research concerns innovative public-private financing mechanisms to stimulate urban regeneration and economic development.

An experienced real estate development project manager and LEED AP, Kristen currently provides strategic consulting for complex urban development projects in domestic and overseas markets. She authored a series of case studies on best practices in the delivery of federal construction projects for the U.S. General Services Administration Public Buildings Service, where she served as an Assistant Instructor at the agency’s semi-annual academy.

Since 2010 she has taught Real Estate Development and Finance, as well as Public and Private Development, at the GSD. As an extension of her teaching, Kristen advises student teams participating in a variety of regional and national urban development competitions. She was the recipient of the 2012-2013 GSD Student Forum Teaching Fellow Award, and in 2016 students in the real estate and urban planning programs nominated her for the GSD Alumni Council’s Unsung Hero Award.

Kristen received a master’s degree with distinction in Real Estate and Project Management from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, earning the Gerald M. McCue Medal for highest overall academic record and the Ferdinand Colleredo-Mansfeld Prize for superior achievement in real estate studies. She also holds an M.A. in Medieval Chinese History from Cornell University and an A.B. cum laude in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University.