Nina-Lee Jewell Alhambra Joins Croatan
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (January 28, 2026) – Croatan Investments (“Croatan”), a rental housing investment manager serving private wealth and institutional capital, is pleased to announce the launch of its Affordable Housing Platform, led by Nina-Lee Jewell Alhambra as Managing Partner.
Croatan Outlook
“Nina-Lee brings exceptional, field-tested expertise in the affordable housing sector and a deep understanding of what it takes to scale and operate institutional-grade platforms,” said Paul Van, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer at Croatan Investments. “Her leadership, experience, and long-standing commitment to strengthening communities align perfectly with our strategy to accelerate growth in the affordable and workforce housing space.”
Her leadership, experience, and long-standing commitment to strengthening communities align perfectly with our strategy to accelerate growth in the affordable and workforce housing space
Prior Experience
Ms. Jewell Alhambra brings more than two decades of experience building and scaling housing platforms across affordable, workforce, mixed-income, and market-rate portfolios. She has led large, complex operating environments and multi-partner portfolios and has held senior leadership roles across institutional platforms. Her work has consistently focused on aligning capital strategy, asset management rigor, and operating execution to drive long-term value and community impact.
“We’re building this platform on long-term stewardship and best-in-class execution, grounded in the belief that housing performs best when people, capital, operations, and community are aligned,” said Ms. Jewell Alhambra. “Our focus is disciplined preservation and responsible growth—bringing operating rigor and capital to protect affordability, support residents and communities, and deliver durable returns over time.”
In her role as Managing Partner, Ms. Jewell Alhambra will guide the strategic design and build-out of the platform, with a focus on preservation, recapitalization, and long-term operating excellence across income-restricted and mission-aligned housing.
The launch of the Affordable Housing Platform represents an important expansion of Croatan’s investment strategy and positions the firm to pursue mission-aligned opportunities while maintaining disciplined underwriting and long-term value creation.