David Foster

Dave Foster is a notable figure associated with the Hoover Institution, where he served as a Veteran Fellow from 2022 to 2023. He is the founder and CEO of BDP Impact Real Estate, a company based in Philadelphia that focuses on social-impact real estate investment and development. Under his leadership, BDP has been involved in over $250 million in community investment and affordable housing initiatives, including a significant project aimed at addressing veteran homelessness through a social-impact equity fund valued at $400 million.14

Foster has a diverse professional background. Before founding BDP, he was the president of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, a nonprofit economic development organization in Camden, New Jersey, from 2008 to 2014. He also practiced law in the real estate department at Ballard Spahr in Philadelphia and worked in property acquisitions for Hutchinson Whampoa Properties in China as a Luce Scholar.1

His military service includes seven years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, during which he served as an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division, including a tour in Afghanistan and a posting at the Pentagon. Foster holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Lee University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he also earned a certificate in business and public policy from the Wharton School.145

Foster's involvement at the Hoover Institution has included participation in discussions about the roles of post-9/11 veterans in their communities, emphasizing their contributions and the challenges they face in reintegrating into civilian life.23