Meet 'Project Runway' Judge Nina Garcia's Husband, David Conrod
They've been married for over a decade.
Getty Project Runway is back for season 18 on Bravo, the network it origianlly debuted on all the way back in 2004. Remember when Tim Gunn introduced us to the "phrase 'make it work"? That was a good time.
This season — the second of Project Runway's revival — model Karlie Kloss and season four winner Christian Siriano are back to guide the eighteen aspiring designers through their assignments. Brandon Maxwell, Elaine Welteroth and Nina Garcia have returned as judges for this season's competition.
Garcia, who's the editor-in-chief of Elle, has been with the show since the start. What do we know about her besides her impeccable fashion sense?
Nina Garcia, who's originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, is married to finance exec David Conrod. They have two kids, live in New York City and have been married for over a decade. They both have high-powered jobs.
Not much is known about their personal life, but we're here to uncover what we can. Who is Nina Garcia's husband, David Conrod?
1. Who is Nina Garcia's husband?
David Conrod, 57, is the CEO of FocusPoint Private Capital Group. He founded the firm in 2010. FocusPoint helps businesses raise capital. In 2017, he co-founded Rise Line Business Credit. This company initiates small business loans. Before founding his own company, Conrod was a senior managing director at Guggenheim Partners, LLC. He raised over $13 billion for the company as the head of the Private Fund Group from 1999 to 2010. Both companies are held under parent company LANDC Investment, a financial services platform that carries limited stakes in private funds and direct transactions.
2. He played soccer in college.
Conrod played soccer during his undergraduate years at Kenyon College in Ohio. He played on the men's soccer team during the 1979-1981 seasons. He graduated from Kenyon College in 1982 and in 1990, enrolled in the MBA program at Columbia Business School. Conrod graduated with his MBA in 1992.
3. Garcia and Conrod have two sons.
Garcia and Conrod have two sons. Lucas Alexander Conrod was born in March 2007. Alexander David Conrod was born in November 2010.
When Alexander was born, Garcia took to Twitter to announce the happy news writing, "Delighted to announce that over the wknd we welcomed 8lb13oz Alexander David Conrod into our home! Baby is doing great & Lucas is thrilled!"
4. Garcia is the breadwinner in the marriage.
Thanks to her years at the top of Elle and Marie Claire as well as her 18 seasons on Project Runway, Garcia has a net worth of $3 million. Her husband doesn't do too badly as the CEO of a financial services firm, but his net worth of $1 million is a far cry from Garcia's.
Their combined wealth, however, allows them to live a pretty comfortable life in New York City.
5. He supported her through her double mastectomy.
A few years ago, Garcia was diagnosed as carrying the BRCA gene that comes with an increased risk of getting breast cancer. After testing every six months for three years — and more recently seeing abnormalities in those tests — Garcia made the decision to have a preventative double mastectomy.
In an interview, she spoke about how encouraging Conrod was of the difficult decision and radical surgery, saying, "He was the first one that said, 'You've gotta share this. This is important.'” Because of that, Nina publicly opened up about what she went through and how she came to the decision of having a preventative double mastectomy.
6. What's going on with Project Runway this season?
We're two episodes into the new season and it's not disappointing! The drama is there — as it always is — and there promises to be more, including a trip to the hospital for one of the contestants, hometown visits to see where each judge grew up (with a competition thrown in, of course), and the oldest contestant in Runway history.
No spoilers here, but the game has changed this year, folks. In the first episode, host Karlie Kloss even introduced a whole new twist to the competition. The "Siriano Save" will allow mentor Christian Siriano (by the way, how much do we love him? A ton!) to bring back a contestant who has been eliminated if he thinks they're worthy of a second chance.
Amy Lamare is a writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.