Mr. Witte is Chairman and CEO of Related California, one of the largest developers of urban and multifamily housing in the state, overseeing both the affordable and market rate divisions. For the past 32 years, and since the founding of Related California, he has been responsible for the strategic direction of the company, overall management of the firm, pursuit of new development opportunities and oversight of planning, financing and construction of a development portfolio of over 17,000 residential units completed or under construction totaling more than $7.5 billion in assets, and over 2,700 affordable and 3,800 market rate units in pre-development.
Prior to founding Related California in 1989, 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 was Director of Housing and Economic Development under Mayor Dianne Feinstein and served as an appointed Commissioner of the San Francisco Housing Authority.
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 with the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development.
Mr. Witte graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and a Master in City Planning. He is Chairman of the Lusk Center for Real Estate Advisory Board at University of Southern California and 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 the Orange County Human Relations Community Partners. In addition, Mr. Witte sits on the board of the Shelter Partnership in Los Angeles.