Mr. Witte is the Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Related California.
In 1989, he co-founded Related California with Related Companies Chairman Stephen Ross and after serving as Chief Executive Officer for 37 years, he now holds the position of Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Witte transformed Related California into one of the largest real estate companies on the West Coast and a prolific affordable housing developer. The company’s portfolio includes more than 22,500 residential units completed or under construction, representing more than $13 billion in assets.
Prior to founding Related California, Mr. Witte served as Deputy Mayor for Housing and Neighborhoods under Mayor Art Agnos where he oversaw all housing, development and redevelopment activities for the City of San Francisco. He also served as Director of Housing and Economic Development under Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
Mr. Witte previously served as Executive Assistant to Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner Lawrence B. Simons at HUD in Washington, as Legislative Director for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and worked at the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development.
Mr. Witte graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master in City Planning and a bachelor's degree in Urban Studies. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Lusk Center for Real Estate Advisory Board at the University of Southern California, and until recently was a member of the Board of Overseers of the Graduate School of Design at University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Witte serves on the Advisory Boards of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics Policy at the Haas School of Business at University of California at Berkeley and Groundswell (formerly Orange County Human Relations). In addition, Mr. Witte sits on the board of Shelter Partnership in Los Angeles.
