Tammy K. Jones is the founder and CEO of Basis Investment Group, one of the few woman- and Black-owned real-estate investment firms in the country.
Under her leadership, Basis has closed more than $8 billion in commercial real estate transactions across the United States.
Over a 25-year career in real estate, capital markets, and structured finance, she has combined institutional expertise with a mission to expand access to capital for underrepresented owners and developers.
From Foundation to Firm
In 2009, she founded Basis Investment Group in partnership with JEMB Realty Corporation to create a multi-strategy platform capable of originating and acquiring across debt, equity, and structured capital.
She built the firm by combining institutional discipline with intentional inclusion—leveraging her deal-making experience, long-standing industry relationships, and strategic partners to access capital when few others could. From the start, she designed Basis to operate across multiple capital structures, giving it the flexibility to grow through market cycles and create long-term value.
Under her leadership, the firm has developed a reputation for aligning strong financial performance with measurable social impact, including more than $1.3 billion invested or loaned with diverse owners and operators, according to company disclosures.
Strategy Meets Purpose
Jones believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not side initiatives, but core to long-term success in business. Her philosophy is that inclusion expands opportunity and strengthens performance.
An example of this approach is the AVE Navy Yard project in Philadelphia, a $285 million mixed-use development where Basis led a $100 million investment.
About $90 million of construction spending went to minority- and women-owned firms, with diverse developers, architects, and retail tenants represented throughout the project.
Jones said that Basis’s track record made the firm a natural fit for the deal:
“The combination of Basis’s proven track record of investing $1.3 billion of capital with diverse sponsors and its expansion to providing diverse capital to large-scale development projects positioned the firm to be the capital provider of choice for the Ensemble/Mosaic and Korman Communities team on the development of the Navy Yard.”
That project reflects her belief that scale and inclusion can coexist. Basis’s results back it up: 77% of employees identify as diverse, half of its vendors are diverse-owned, and roughly a quarter of its capital commitments go to women or diverse sponsors.
Leadership Beyond the Firm
Jones’s influence extends well beyond her company. She serves as Chair of Veris Residential (formerly Mack-Cali), is an independent director at Crown Castle, and plays roles in organizations like the Real Estate Executive Council and the Executive Leadership Council.
Through the Basis Impact Group (“BIG”) Foundation, she’s helping build a pipeline of women and minority professionals in commercial real estate. Programs such as REEX have already exposed hundreds of students of color to career paths in the industry.
Her leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including Cornell University’s Baker Industry Leader Award, the Council of Urban Professionals Finance Catalyst Award, and a New York State proclamation for her work in advancing equity and opportunity in real estate.
Challenges and Vision Forward
Launching a firm in 2009, in the wake of the financial crisis, was an uphill battle. Jones faced the dual challenge of raising capital during a volatile market while also pushing for a more inclusive industry.
Her perspective on resilience is shaped by her upbringing and her father’s lessons as a jazz musician: success requires structure, but also the courage to improvise.
Today, Jones remains focused on growing Basis’s platform and continuing to prove that purpose-driven investing and institutional performance are not mutually exclusive.
Her next chapter includes scaling assets under management, deepening partnerships, and advancing measurable ESG goals tied to diversity and inclusion.
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