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Chris Johnston

Partner | Assurance

Chris is a partner with the Assurance Services practice of Ernst & Young LLP and is the West Region Assurance Market Segment Leader for the Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction industry group and is EY’s Americas REIT Sector Leader. Chris has more than 25 years of experience serving a broad range of real estate clients, including REITs, homebuilders and land developers, hotels, commercial property developers and owners, restaurants, mortgage companies, pension fund advisors, brokers, and general contractors. Chris has extensive SEC experience with initial public offerings, secondary offerings, and various privatization transactions. In addition, Chris has assisted clients with international capital raising efforts and is IFRS-accredited.

Chris started his career in 1996 in the Newport Beach office of EY/Kenneth Leventhal, and worked with the audit, tax and real estate consulting practices. In 2003, Chris transferred to EY’s San Diego office and led the real estate audit practice until his transfer back to Orange County in 2005.

Chris is an active member of NAREIT, ULI and NAIOP and has been a speaker on technical accounting issues for Financial Executives International (FEI) and other real estate conferences. Chris is a licensed CPA in the state of California and a member of the AICPA and California Society of CPAs. He graduated from the University of Southern California with both a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Real Estate and a Master of Accounting degree.

Chris is a member of the board of directors of USC Marshall Volunteer Leadership Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the Construction Industries Alliance for the City of Hope Orange County and Board of Advisors for the USC Lusk Real Estate Center. Chris and his wife Lauren have two boys and live in Newport Beach, and are active in USC Associates, Chapman University, CHOC Children’s Hospital, and Discovery Cube Orange County.