Real estate investment industry veteran Robert E. Hart founded TruAmerica in 2013 and serves as its President and CEO. Under Mr. Hart’s leadership, TruAmerica has become one of the most active multifamily investors in the United States. Mr. Hart is responsible for the national expansion of the firm’s value-add investment platform. Thanks to his leadership, TruAmerica has grown to become a Top 25 apartment owner in the United States according to the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC). As CEO, Mr. Hart also chairs TruAmerica’s Investment Committee.
With a career that spans nearly four decades, Mr. Hart is a recognized leader in the multifamily industry where he contributes his time and energy as a board member to a variety of industry organizations including the NMHC and the Urban Land Institute. Named one of the most influential business leaders in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal and Los Angeles Times, he was also recently recognized by Real Estate Forum as the “Best of the Best Bosses” in the real estate industry.
Prior to founding TruAmerica, Mr. Hart earned industry accolades as the chief executive of Kennedy Wilson’s multifamily platform, which Mr. Hart envisioned and launched in 2000. During Mr. Hart’s 13-year tenure, Kennedy Wilson acquired more than 20,000 apartment units with a total transaction value of more than $4.5 billion.
Previously, Mr. Hart was senior vice president of portfolio management for Heitman Capital Management where he engineered the turnaround and disposition of a $500 million property portfolio. Previously, he served as Director of Real Estate Marketing for Executive Life Insurance Company, where he was responsible for the orderly liquidation of more than $1 billion in real estate assets and securities.
Understanding the value of giving back, Hart donates generously to a wide variety of charitable and academic organizations, raising tens of millions of dollars to better the lives of others in his community. For nearly 16 years, Mr. Hart has been a member of the board of directors of Chrysalis, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating employment opportunities for homeless and low-income individuals. Recognized for his professional and philanthropic contributions, Mr. Hart received the Spirit of Life Award from the City of Hope in 2017. He also received the Humanitarian Leadership Award from the Alumni Association of his alma mater Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Hart is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Marlborough School in Los Angeles and a member of the Board of Governors of the City of Hope. Mr. Hart has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Bloomberg TV, The Los Angeles Times and other industry and trade media outlets for his insights into the real estate markets.
Mr. Hart holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts and serves on the Board of Trustees. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles and where he serves on the leadership board for UCLA’s Ziman Center for Real Estate.