James M. DeFrancia
Mr. James M. DeFrancia is a Principal and co-owner of Lowe Enterprises, Inc., a national real estate development company engaged in residential, commercial and resort development activities. He is Chairman of Lowe's Mid-Atlantic subsidiary and President of the company's national Community Development division. Earlier, he held several positions with ITT Corp., including President of its Levitt home building subsidiary in Puerto Rico and responsibility for the restructuring and sale of ITT/Levitt's international land assets. Before joining ITT, he held executive positions with an international investment group in Venezuela. Prior to his private sector experience, Mr. DeFrancia served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy. Posts included Naval Headquarters, Saigon; Aide to Rear Admiral L.P. Kimball; Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; and the U.S. Embassy, Caracas, Venezuela.
Mr. DeFrancia is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and a Director of Atlantic Gulf Communities Corporation and Wynne/Jackson, Inc. He is a member of the Maryland Homebuilder's Association (and past National Director of NAHB), former Virginia representative to the Southern Growth Policies Board and former member of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board. He served as a member of the U.S. Government's Marsh Commission, and was appointed by the Secretary of Defense specifically to contribute residential development expertise in restructuring the housing systems of the Department of Defense. He also served as a member of the Housing Advisory Group to the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs (U.S. House of Representatives), and has been a guest lecturer/panelist for the Urban Land Institute; the Bank Lending Institute; the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University; George Mason University; and the George Washington University.
Mr. DeFrancia is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. Degree in Engineering and post graduate studies in Business and Finance at the University of Michigan. He also is active in a variety of civic affairs, including service on the Virginia Commission on Poverty, and the Board of Denver SCORES. He is a member of the Foundation for Adequate Housing, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Aspen Historical Society, and the Aspen Arts Council. He and his wife, Cynthia, reside in Alexandria, Virginia and Aspen, Colorado.
