John Gates

John Gates

John Gates Jr. was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) in August 2010. Chairman Gates is responsible for overseeing the nation's second-largest public transportation system. Mr. Gates is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Portae Co, a private investment company. In addition, he serves on the Boards of several public companies, for profit and not-for-profit institutions. Prior to forming Portae Co, Chairman Gates co-founded Center Point Properties Trust and served as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for 22 years. During that period, Center Point became the Nation's first publicly traded Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE: CNT) as well as the largest private property owner/developer in the Metropolitan Chicago Region. In 2006, the Company was acquired by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CALPERS) and Jones Lang LaSalle for approximately $3.5 billion. Chairman Gates graduated from Groton School in 1972 and from Trinity College in 1976 with a BS in Economics and Philosophy. He began his career as an Assistant to Governor James R. Thompson of Illinois. In 1979, he joined CB/Richard Ellis, and in 1981, co-founded the Chicago office of Jones Lang Wootton (now Jones Lang Salle), a global commercial property investment firm. Chairman Gates has also received numerous awards including the 2005 Liftetime Award for Excellence from the NAIOP and in 2010 for the Urban Land Institute.