When JBG partner Leslie Ludwig was working for American Security Bank in the '80s, she was heavily exposed to real estate in DC, she tells us. She spent time in the commercial training program and doing credit underwriting, which meant she spent a great deal of time with developers. Leslie, here in the early '90s with her co-worker, stayed in real estate banking until ’02, when she joined JBG. Now as a partner, she’s responsible for the company operations, with HR, IT, and marketing under her authority. She also manages the finance, accounting, and investor relations groups. 

Leslie tells us her proudest accomplishment at JBG is seeing the firm go from one $28M equity fund when she joined to now closing its ninth fund, which could get to over $700M. During her time, the fundraising has totaled $5B in equity. She's also had a hand in growing JBG from 40 employees to over 200. Leslie grew up in Baltimore, went to college in Maryland at Frostburg State, and came over to Virginia for her first banking job. Her best lesson: Be open, honest, and don’t act like you know something when you don’t.