JLL, which has been aggressively growing its practice dedicated to servicing clients in the government and education sectors, has tapped a former Cushman & Wakefield executive to help further expand its business with public entities.
The Chicago-based brokerage said it hired De’Von Williams as an executive director in its public institutions group. In his new role, Williams will create and enhance existing programs for new and existing clients in different levels of the government and education sectors.
Williams, who has spent his career in the Washington, D.C., area managing 6.5 million square feet of buildings and properties across the nation, most recently served as co-chair of career development for Cushman & Wakefield's Blacks United In Leadership & Development, or BUILD, program. Before that, he worked for more than five years as a vice president at C&W Services, a Cushman & Wakefield company that provides facilities management.
Kevin Wayer, president of JLL's public institutions group, said Williams' industry experience would help the brokerage expand its presence in the government and education sectors.
For his part, Williams said for a brokerage to have successful public institutions practices, it needs a team with "industry knowledge and solid relationships to understand how broader trends uniquely affect this space."
Williams is the latest addition to JLL's public institutions group. In April, JLL appointed Ryan Fetz as vice president of public institutions in the firm’s Atlanta office. Fetz previously served as a vice president in JLL Atlanta’s tenant representation group.
In November, the brokerage hired Kameshia Freeman as a senior vice president to help it grow existing and establish new services with government agencies.