In an effort to expand the firm’s West Coast presence, Jonathan Rose Companies, LLC, one of the country’s leading developers and investors in sustainable, affordable and mixed-income multifamily real estate, has hired affordable housing veteran Yusef Freeman as Managing Director of California. Freeman will lead development and acquisitions out of the Companies’ satellite office in Oakland, CA.
“Yusef Freeman is a leading developer of transformative affordable and mixed income housing developments. His skills are deeply aligned with Jonathan Rose Companies’ mission to develop Communities of Opportunity for all,” said Jonathan F.P. Rose, president of Jonathan Rose Companies. “He also has extensive experience with affordable housing preservation acquisitions. We are so pleased that he has joined us to grow our presence in California and throughout the West Coast.”
Freeman has a long track record as a results-oriented leader in his field. Prior to joining Jonathan Rose Companies, Yusef was a Vice President of Investments in the transactions group at PGIM Real Estate, sourcing investment opportunities for the real estate equity platform of the company, with a focus on affordable housing preservation acquisitions. Before his tenure at PGIM, Yusef was the Managing Director for McCormack Baron Salazar, leading West Coast operations and new business development nationally for the company. His development work has included leading the firm’s post Katrina New Orleans developments, the Alice Griffith Choice Neighborhoods Initiative redevelopment in San Francisco and the Twin Rivers Choice Neighborhoods Initiative redevelopment in Sacramento. He was also a Graduate Program lecturer in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley.
Yusef holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and spent a year studying abroad at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He earned a Master of Public Administration from New York University, where he majored in public finance as a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow; and is an alum of the Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence Fellowship Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been a featured speaker at the White House, has testified in front of Congress, and participates regularly in speaking engagements nationally.
“I have dedicated my career to revitalizing communities and neighborhoods and preserving affordable housing with a focus on green, transit-oriented and mixed-income housing. I look forward to leading development and acquisitions for Jonathan Rose Companies as the firm continues to acquire and develop new properties throughout the West Coast,” said Freeman. “I look forward to the challenges ahead as Jonathan Rose Companies continues to scale up their investment and development activities nationwide.”
