Bill Witte is the Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Related California. In 1989, he co-founded Related California with Related Companies Chairman Stephen Ross. After serving as Chief Executive Officer for 37 years, he now holds the position of Chairman Emeritus. Bill 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, Bill 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.

Bill previously served as Executive Assistant to Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner Lawrence B. Simons at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and as Legislative Director for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. He also worked at the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development.

Bill graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master in City Planning and a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.