Blanding’s experience spans finance, philanthropy, endowment management, federal and state policy, and community development. Her work focuses on aligning capital with systems change to expand economic opportunity and strengthen outcomes for children, families and communities.

At ConnCORP, Blanding co-leads First Haven in Dixwell, a $225 million catalytic development designed to deliver housing, workforce training, childcare, a community health clinic, fresh food access and entrepreneurial support—generating an estimated $1 billion in economic impact and more than 700 jobs. She also oversees the Economic Justice Fund and ConnCORP Capital.

Previously, Blanding served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Choate Rosemary Hall, managing a diversified endowment across public and alternative asset classes. Prior to Choate, she was an Investment Officer for Private Capital and Impact Investments at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where she helped manage a $4 billion endowment and a $125 million impact investment portfolio. Earlier in her career, she worked at Connecticut Voices for Children as a policy fellow and project manager for the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, focused on improving outcomes for youth transitioning from foster care.

Blanding is a Trustee of The Kresge Foundation and the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund. She also serves as a Trustee of Yale University’s Dwight Hall and as an Advisor to New Majority Capital. A former board member of the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, Blanding is a national advocate for children with rare neurological diseases and their families.

Blanding holds an MBA from Yale School of Management and a B.A. in History from Yale University. In 2026, she was named to BluePrint Capital’s Power 100 and honored by The Unlocked Foundation and Tiffany & Co. with the Catalyst for Inclusive Capital Award.