MVT: Kenyattah Robinson Named President & CEO of Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District

Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District announces the appointment of Kenyattah Robinson as President and Chief Executive Officer, responsible for the enhancement and economic development of the vibrant Mount Vernon Triangle community in downtown Washington, DC. Robinson will begin his work at the CID on April 11th.

Mount Vernon Triangle CID Board Chairman, Dr. Joseph Evans, welcomed Robinson, saying, “Kenyattah impressed us all with his passion for our community, his commitment to working in partnership with our public and private stakeholders and his unique qualifications to lead the MVT CID forward in its next chapter.”

“As a longtime resident of Mount Vernon Triangle, the opportunity to lead this organization, to connect with the neighborhood and make an impact, was incredibly compelling,” said Robinson. “Mount Vernon Triangle is one of the fastest growing and most vibrant communities in Washington, DC, yet has a uniquely welcoming, neighborhood culture. I look forward to working with the CID Board and staff to further cultivate the qualities that make our community special while focusing on ways to make Mount Vernon Triangle a primary destination for anyone who wants to live, work and play in DC.”

With more than 17 combined years of real estate finance, policy and public affairs experience, Robinson most recently served as a Senior Vice President and National Director on the DC-based Public Institutions team at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate services and investment management. His responsibilities included helping public-sector organizations achieve their mission objectives through public-private partnerships and other venture strategies, and he has led or supported numerous capital budgeting, asset acquisition strategy and execution, asset and portfolio strategy and management, asset utilization and due diligence, and asset disposal strategy and execution projects on behalf of federal, state, local and non-profit clients. Prior to joining JLL as an Associate in 2006, Robinson held positions in commercial asset acquisitions at AEW Capital Management, the Law & Policy group at Fannie Mae, the staff office of retired U.S. Sen. John Breaux (LA), and as a student aide to the Program Director at the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency.

Robinson has demonstrated active thought leadership while speaking at regional and national forums on topics related to the increased use of public-private partnerships and other alternate financing strategies to acquire or reposition Federal real property, and to leverage private capital to procure renewable energy assets and enhance building energy efficiency. He earned an MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University, where he studied as a Roy H. Park Leadership Fellow and a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow. He was awarded the Robert J. Swieringa Young Alumni Service Award in January 2014 and currently serves as a member of the Cornell University Council. A New Orleans native of the Upper Ninth Ward and graduate of the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Senior High School, Robinson earned his BA in liberal arts with a minor in business administration from Louisiana State University (LSU), where he was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, was 1 of 25 members of the senior class chosen as a member of Leadership LSU, and supplemented his education with White House and Capitol Hill internships.

Robinson has served on the executive board of the African American Real Estate Professionals (AAREP) of DC; the Planning Committee for GovEnergy, a tradeshow and workshop designed to help Federal agencies meet energy management goals and mandates; and on the executive board for the Children of Kibera Foundation—an international charitable and educational non-profit working to create opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children living in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

Robinson was recognized as a “40 Under 40” finance professional by the Robert Toigo Foundation in 2014, a “40 Under 40” real estate professional by Real Estate Forum in 2011 and received JLL’s prestigious “Catalyst Award” in 2013. He proudly maintains his status as an Eagle Scout and lives in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood of Washington, DC with his wife, Marnique Heath Robinson.