Kristi Smith
President, Maryland Region
Howard Hughes Communities
Kristi Smith is President of the Maryland Region for Howard Hughes Communities, spearheading the growth and success of the 14 million-square-foot, mixed-use development plan for Merriweather District in downtown Columbia, which is transforming the city’s urban core.
Before joining Howard Hughes Communities in 2023, Kristi served as Executive Vice President of Development at JBG SMITH where she oversaw a 10 million-square-foot development pipeline and delivered over five million square feet of mixed-use multifamily and commercial projects in the region’s top submarkets, including the development of Amazon’s HQ2. Kristi serves on the Board of Directors for NAIOP MD, Howard County Chamber of Commerce and Greater Baltimore Committee. Kristi is also a member of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C.
Kristi holds a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia, and an MBA with distinction from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.