Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Executive Vice President
Merchants Capital
Julie Sharp leads the tax credit equity division at Merchants Capital, the real estate financing division of Merchants Bank. Her team—which she launched when she joined the company in 2020—is responsible for raising institutional capital to support multifamily housing developments across the United States. Since 2021, it has deployed more than $2.1 billion in equity investments in affordable housing developments across the United States on behalf of more than 40 institutional investors, including more than $1.08 billion in 2024 alone. Its capital provides for the construction and preservation of safe, quality affordable housing for more than 19,000 families in 26 states.
Getting here: Before joining Merchants, Sharp spent eight years at a boutique equity syndication firm that provided financing options for equity only. Merchants was a full-service lender, both originating loans from the bank balance sheet and offering loan products through HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Sharp saw an opportunity for Merchants to provide all aspects of financing with the addition of equity, her specialty. Shortly after her first meeting with Merchants in early 2020, she left her firm to launch the platform at Merchants.
First job: lifeguard for local country clubs and neighborhood pools
Givebacks: She’s board secretary for the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association that advocates for strengthening and improving the public/private partnership that is the low-income housing tax credit. She’s also a mentor with The Goldie Initiative, a Chicago-based scholarship fund that awards high-achieving women interested in pursuing careers in commercial real estate finance, construction or development with graduate school scholarships.•
Check out more Forty Under 40 honorees.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.