Title: 1) Co-Founder; 2) Adjunct Professor
Company: 1) Fairbridge Asset Management; 2) Pace University
Location: Darien, Connecticut, United States
John C. Lettera, Co-Founder at Fairbridge Asset Management and Adjunct Professor at Pace University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in financial services, real estate and investments.
Mr. Lettera’s professional background spans real estate finance, law, and asset management, anchored by his role as co-founder of Fairbridge Asset Management since 2018. Fairbridge operates as a nationally chartered real estate investment trust (REIT) structured as a credit fund, deploying capital through commercial mortgage originations, with a primary focus on bridge loans secured by commercial real estate assets. The fund maintains an institutional investor base and an active origination footprint spanning all 50 states.
Deeply involved in all aspects of company operations, Mr. Lettera focuses on asset management across approximately 100 concurrent transactions. He applies more than 35 years of combined real estate and legal experience to oversee complex deals, manage nonperforming loans, defaults, foreclosures and bankruptcies, and resolve transaction issues to stabilize assets and protect portfolio performance. Mr. Lettera’s role in co-founding Fairbridge Asset Management has established the firm as a significant participant in the national commercial real estate credit markets.
Mr. Lettera has also dedicated more than 15 years as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in White Plains, New York, since 2008. He teaches courses in corporate finance and real estate finance, imparting practical knowledge to future legal professionals.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Lettera practiced as an associate at Milbank LLP from 1999 to 2005, where he developed technical expertise in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and debt restructurings. That transactional foundation, built at one of the preeminent global law firms in structured finance and capital markets, directly informed his subsequent transition into private credit and asset management.
Mr. Lettera’s professional foundation was shaped by six years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps between 1989 and 1995, including combat deployments to Iraq during the Gulf War. That service instilled the discipline and risk temperament he credits as central to his approach to capital management. Mr. Lettera’s military service not only instilled resilience but also provided him with financial resources through tax-exempt direct deposit pay while deployed in combat zones. Upon returning home to the Bronx, New York, in his early 20s, he invested his savings into real estate. This decision launched his enduring career in private lending and real estate finance.
Mr. Lettera holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) with a concentration in finance from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in White Plains, New York, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1999. His legal training provided a technical foundation in transactional law and regulatory frameworks directly applicable to structured credit, commercial real estate finance, and fund formation.
Beyond his work at Fairbridge Asset Management, Mr. Lettera has been a contributing member of Forbes Real Estate Council since 2020, through which he publishes commentary on commercial real estate credit markets and institutional lending trends. He also serves on the Professor’s Corner panel of the American Bar Association, a selective appointment through which he delivers continuing legal education (CLE) lectures to practicing attorneys nationwide, typically twice annually to audiences of 200 or more.
Mr. Lettera’s commitment to legal education has extended beyond the classroom. He supports students through philanthropic initiatives, such as a $250,000 sponsorship of the the Fairbridge Investor Rights Clinic at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, which assists students working with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) on matters involving trading and investment fraud. Meanwhile, Mr. Lettera’s civic involvement has been extensive. He has served for over five years on the board of visitors at his alma mater’s law school and continues to sponsor the Fairbridge Investors Rights Clinic. He also actively supports organizations dedicated to veterans’ welfare, including Semper Fi & America’s Fund, Wounded Warrior Project and the Black Rifle Coffee Company.
In recognition of his contributions, Mr. Lettera was recognized with a Law Impact Award and a Leadership Award from Pace University. He attributes much of his success to unwavering consistency, treating every transaction with equal dedication regardless of scale, and to the work ethic instilled by his father, a Vietnam War veteran. Looking ahead, Mr. Lettera remains committed to advancing Fairbridge Asset Management’s growth while continuing his engagement with legal education and veteran support initiatives.
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