James Johnson-Piett
Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Urbane
Philadelphia, PA
As founding Principal and CEO of Urbane, James Johnson-Piett is an evangelist for a new kind of community development that emphasizes community anchor businesses and institutions as agents of change – solving local problems and elevating the quality of life for underserved communities.
With over two decades of experience in various facets of economic and community development, James is responsible for the overall management of operations and strategic vision for Urbane. James has worked in 100+ communities across North America and the Caribbean, with over 1,500 small businesses, representing over 1.5 million SF of commercial and community facility space. James has helped raise over $225 million for small business and community development initiatives with the goal of promoting community wealth generation. During his tenure, Urbane has co-developed over $800M in mixed-use, impact real estate, including over 2000 units of affordable housing.