$50M+
Raised across my career
Federal, philanthropic, and public dollars secured for community-centered investments in urban and underserved communities.
Reclaiming the mapWhere plans stall,
Where plans stall,
we design the system that moves them.
I help community investment leaders turn competing priorities into implementation-ready decisions that are stakeholder-aligned, funder-ready, and accountable.
$150M+
in land assets stewarded
$100M
in property value regenerated
100+
parcels advanced for affordable housing
Mission
Strategy
Equity
Action
Christa Stoneham, Systems Designer for Community Change
Built for the people deciding what gets built, where, and for whom.
If you're responsible for moving public, philanthropic, or federal dollars into communities, urban or rural, this is for you.
Community, economic development & housing leaders
Land bank, land trust & redevelopment executives
Foundation & philanthropy program officers
CDFI & community lender executives
Nonprofit, coalition & faith-based leaders
City, county, state & federal agency leaders
Track record
Real outcomes, not just frameworks.
Outcomes from more than two decades leading community investment across municipal government, philanthropy, and land banking.
$10M+
Government funding secured
Including a $3.2M congressional appropriation and a $5M EPA brownfields award.
$300M
Invested with local dollars
Representing housing, infrastructure, parks and green space, and additional community investments during my tenure in local government.
20,000+
Residents served
Across 10 Houston neighborhoods.
City Hall to Congress
Testimony & advocacy
I have testified and advocated for community investment at the local, state, and federal level, most recently invited before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on brownfield redevelopment, 2025.
600+
Community-Driven projects
As part of city leadership, I directed project management for 600+ community development projects delivered with more than 30 departments and 40 corporate donors.
2026 HBJ Most Admired CEO Award2026 Top 50 Most Influential Women in Houston2025 MLK Jr. Legacy Builder2025 HNOMA Champion of Change2025 Texas Top 50 Professionals and Entreprenuers2024 Black Book Houston Community Award2022 HBJ Top 40 Under 40
The Navigating Change™ Ecosystem
A framework, a platform, and a method, working as one.
Seven domains that decide whether a community investment moves from idea to impact.
Mission
Clarify what success means before the first dollar moves.
Research
Ground decisions in parcel data, market context, and lived experience.
Stakeholders
Align community, government, funders, and partners on the same plan.
Advocacy
Translate strategy into policy, testimony, and the rooms that decide.
Real Estate
Move parcels through acquisition, remediation, and disposition with intent.
Funding
Stack grants, debt, and equity into a capital plan that actually closes.
+ Legacy
See all seven domains and the full product ecosystem.
Why this matters
The same map that once drew red lines around Black and brown neighborhoods is now the canvas we use to draw something better, together.
We don't pretend the harm isn't there. We bring intention, evidence, and accountability to every decision that follows it.
Not ready for a call? Stay on the map.
Field notes on community investment, funding, and the decisions in between. Occasional, useful, no noise.
Let's make your next investment decision a defensible one.
Book a discovery conversation. We'll listen first, then map a path from your hardest priority to an implementation-ready strategy.