C. Kat Grimsley

C. Kat Grimsley is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Gies College of Business. She holds a Ph.D. in Land Economics from the University of Cambridge (2015), an M.S. in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University (2010), and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois (2001). Her research focuses on real estate development, housing economics, land governance, and urban policy, with particular emphasis on regulatory processes and international development frameworks. She has served as Director of the MS Real Estate Development program at George Mason University (2015-2023) and currently serves as Vice Chair of the UN's Real Estate Markets Advisory Group.

Her work emphasizes practical solutions to global challenges such as housing affordability, tenure security, and cross-border real estate investments. Notable contributions include the Development Approvals Index and advocacy for systemic approaches to land policy reform. Awards include the NAIOP Distinguished Fellowship (2018-2023) and George Mason's Platinum Impact Award (2022). She maintains active roles in professional organizations, including panelist duties for the U.S. Department of State and consulting for firms like Abeja Analytics.

• Key Research Themes: Urban Development Policy, Real Estate Market Dynamics, International Land Management Standards
• Recent Contributions: Authored UN technical reports on housing affordability, co-edited books on real estate systems engineering, and presented at World Bank land governance conferences

Grants include the NAIOP Development Approvals Index project (2020) and pedagogical innovation funding from George Mason University (2017). Her interdisciplinary approach bridges academia, policy, and practice through collaborative frameworks like the Global Title and Rights Registry initiative.