John Cooke

Assistant CEO, Asset Management Division, Los Angeles County

John T. Cooke​ was named Assistant CEO, leading the Asset Management Division for Los Angeles County in August 2021. Managing Los Angeles County’s asset portfolio of approximately 4,400 owned buildings encompassing 65 million square feet, 7 million square feet of leased space, and a Capital Program of roughly $6 Billion. Before this, Mr. Cooke served as Regional Commissioner of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Public Buildings Service, Great Lakes Region. In that post, he headed the U.S. real estate operations in the region’s six states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) and was responsible for a property portfolio comprising 35 million square feet of offices and workplaces in nearly 1,009 buildings owned or leased by GSA.

Before this appointment, Mr. Cooke was the Cook County Asset Management Bureau Chief, responsible for directing the county’s real estate, facilities, and asset management programs. He also helped execute the county’s 10-year, $1.9 billion capital program, including capital repairs and new construction of office, medical, correctional, and warehouse facilities. Finally, he directed a 2013 Chicago Innovator Awards finalist team, which negotiated $60 million of guaranteed energy performance contracting for Cook County.

While in the private sector, Mr. Cooke simultaneously led nine project teams involved in new mixed-use developments with an aggregate budget of more than $350 million. He also provided asset management services for the daily operations of Chicago Public School Facilities.

Mr. Cooke, formerly an Illinois licensed real estate broker with a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation, holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. Recognized in 2014 by the ​Chicago Defender ​as one of the city’s 50 African American Men of Excellence, Cooke has developed and managed complex commercial initiatives and strategic programs for private real estate firms and local government.