Tom Johnston brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in commercial real estate, brokerage management, and strategic business development to his role as Executive Director of the W. P. Carey Center for Real Estate and Finance. Throughout his career, Tom has led high-performing teams, managed multi-million-dollar operations, and cultivated deep relationships across the real estate industry.
Before joining ASU, Tom served as Managing Director and Designated Broker at SVN | SFRhub Advisors, where he institutionalized the firm’s platform and drove over $300 million in single-family rental transactions nationwide. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Savills, Voit Real Estate Services, and Cushman & Wakefield, where he oversaw market expansion, talent development, and operational strategy for offices with up to 100 professionals. His tenure at Cushman & Wakefield included growing the property management portfolio from 4.5 million to 15 million square feet and earning multiple NAIOP and AZRE awards for excellence in brokerage and leadership.
Tom is widely recognized for his ability to integrate strategic vision with operational execution. He has chaired industry boards, including NAIOP and ULI, and has been instrumental in launching innovative programs such as GPEC’s Community Building Consortium (CBC), C&W’s junior broker training and CWFL, an interdisciplinary platform for future leaders. His expertise spans real estate finance, investment, development, and management—aligning perfectly with the Center’s mission to advance education, research, and industry engagement.
A graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in Economics, Tom is committed to fostering experiential learning, expanding professional networks, and driving impactful partnerships that prepare students for leadership in real estate and finance.