Real estate executive Wil Smith named to USC Board of Trustees

USC alumnus and real estate executive Wil Smith has been elected to the USC Board of Trustees as one of its newest members.

A 1999 graduate of the Dollinger Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program at the USC Price School of Public Policy, Smith is the founder, president and CEO of Greenlaw Partners, a Southern California-based commercial real estate development and operating company.

Smith steps into the trustee role after more than a decade of supporting the university through leadership, service and philanthropy. His leadership roles include serving as vice chair of the USC Price Board of Councilors and as a member of the executive committee of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.

In 2020, his $10 million gift to USC Price established the USC Price Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, funding student scholarships and faculty research. In April, Smith was honored with an Alumni Merit Award from the USC Alumni Association for his contributions to the Trojan Family.

“The Board of Trustees is delighted to welcome Wil Smith,” USC Board of Trustees Chair Suzanne Nora Johnson said. “Wil brings broad life experience and another set of diverse perspectives to our board table, both as an accomplished real estate developer in Orange County and as someone raised in rural Northern California. He has been a major supporter of USC Athletics and USC Price over many years, generously offering his time, expertise and resources.”

“I’m super excited to get involved and be an asset to the university,” Smith said, adding that he is eager to lend his time, network and knowledge as a steward of the school. “I will help wherever my background and skill set fit the most.”

USC as steppingstone to success

Smith grew up in Stockton and earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His interest in major-market commercial real estate drew him to USC Price. The MRED program prepares professionals to navigate complex systems of finance, design and market analysis to create housing, workplaces and centers of commerce and recreation.

During his final year in the program, Smith — who was putting himself through school — found himself short on funds. He applied for and received a student loan to help pay for living expenses. But before he exhausted the funds, he was hired for his first job in real estate at a home-building company.

“To transition into corporate real estate in a large market, the USC master’s made all the difference in the world,” Smith said. “It was a good job, and I could have lived a really nice life with that job. I just had a little more ambition outside of what I was doing at the time.”

Taking a risk, Smith used the remainder of his student loan money to purchase a home in the Orange County community of Aliso Viejo. When he sold it a couple of years later, the profit became seed money to start his own business. “The USC degree gave me a lot of confidence as an entrepreneur,” Smith said.

Smith founded Greenlaw Partners in 2003, naming the company in honor of his grandfather, Greenlaw Grupe Sr., who was known for real estate development projects and large planned communities in Stockton. Smith oversees the company’s acquisition, operations and investment development/redevelopment programs.

Under Smith’s leadership, Greenlaw Partners has completed more than $10 billion in acquisitions and dispositions across nearly 350 commercial properties. The company also has multiple subsidiary and affiliate companies in the property management, construction and agricultural sectors.

Paying it forward, from academics to athletics

Smith has been motivated to pay his success forward by helping USC students flourish academically and professionally. “I do whatever I can to help enrich student opportunities, student growth and student connectivity to the USC Alumni Association,” he said.

He frequently delivers guest lectures in USC Price classes and mentors graduate students in the real estate development program. The scholarships funded by his major gift to USC Price are awarded to students based on a consideration of both merit and financial need. Smith noted this helps make the school more accessible for talented students of all backgrounds.

“If you can help subsidize them a little bit, you end up with terrific alumni who place themselves in wonderful professional positions,” Smith said.

Smith’s philanthropy has also supported USC faculty research, as well as USC Athletics programs, coaches and student-athletes. In July, the enthusiastic Trojan sports fan will lead a seminar in business leadership that he helped design for student-athletes.

New USC trustee: Family ties and Trojan dedication

Smith and his wife of 22 years have three sons — a 15-year-old and twin 11-year-olds — who love watching Trojan football and basketball games. The family lives in Newport Beach.

A licensed real estate broker, Smith is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, where he currently serves on the board of the Orange County Gold Chapter. He is also a founding member of the Orange County chapter of Tiger 21. He serves as an independent director on boards in the real estate, agriculture and construction industries.

As a member of the USC Board of Trustees, Smith looks forward to lending the leadership skills he cultivated in his business to shaping USC’s future. “I always want to help and support the school and do whatever I can to be a good alum and do my part,” he said.