LAWA Names New Deputy Director of Commercial Development

After a national search that brought forward a slate of strong candidates, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) announced that Jeffrey Utterback will be joining its team as the new deputy director of commercial development.

Utterback currently serves as the director of real estate and economic development for the Port of Seattle. In that role he has led all major real estate planning, acquisitions, and development projects across the Port of Seattle's aviation, maritime, and cruise facilities. 

"At Los Angeles World Airports we are in the midst of a major transformation, and Jeffrey Utterback has the background and talent necessary to ensure that we continue to elevate our concession, retail and real estate programs at LAX," said Deborah Flint, CEO, LAWA. "As we bring new facilities and technologies online, our commercial development program is a critical component in strengthening our revenue generation and creating an exceptional guest experience. We are excited to bring Utterback's expertise and creativity to LAWA and to our guests."

Prior to joining the Port of Seattle, Utterback served as the senior managing director at Kennedy Wilson, a global real estate investment and services company. There he ran Pacific Northwest operations. His responsibilities included oversight of construction management, property management and accounting, in addition to supervising the generation of new business, acquisitions and development opportunities.      

Utterback has also served as an investment officer with the Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) and was responsible for the oversight of seven real estate operating companies having a total invested equity capital of more than $4 billion. He also served as the Head of WSIB’s Global Co-Investment vehicle, a $500 million fund for asset- and entity-level transactions around the globe.

Prior to joining WSIB, Utterback ran his own fee development business and directly developed nearly $1 billion worth of institutional properties, primarily in Central Europe and East Africa.

Utterback earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He continues to maintain his registered architect license in California and Texas.