Lincoln Property Co. Exec Brad Williams Passes Away

The real estate leader and former chairman of the National Apartment Association was a passionate advocate for the multifamily industry.

Brad Williams. Image courtesy of Lincoln Property Co.

Brad Williams, regional vice president with Lincoln Property Co., has passed away unexpectedly at the age of 71 after a nearly 49-year tenure at the national multifamily firm. The Dallas-based executive and former chairman of the National Apartment Association (NAA) held nearly every position at Lincoln Property during a distinguished career that included passionate industry advocacy.

Williams, who served as NAA chairman in 2014, was inducted as the 20th member of the organization’s Hall of Fame last November, receiving the highest honor granted to a rental housing professional. The industry veteran also served as president of the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas from 1998 to 1999 and president of the Texas Apartment Association from 2005 to 2006. He was serving on the boards of the Dallas, Texas and National Apartment Associations at the time of his death.

In his role at the second-largest apartment manager in the U.S., Williams was responsible for 15,000 units in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, building on a track record of supervising as many as 65,000 units across the Southwest, Midwest and Central regions. Williams joined Lincoln while attending college in 1972 and rose the ranks from porter through assistant manager, business manager and area manager for The Village, a sprawling apartment community in Dallas.

Leader and mentor

The Dallas native graduated from the University of Texas and attended postgraduate studies at Southern Methodist University, earning a Certificate in Real Estate. Williams also held the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management and was a Certified Area Property Supervisor (CAPS) by the NAA.

Over the decades, Williams amassed a wide range of experience in acquisitions and new development, shopping center management, food and beverage, landscaping and management of conventional, affordable and senior housing portfolios.

A statement by the NAA describes Williams as a leader, mentor and tireless volunteer, noting he was instrumental in founding the NAA Political Action Committee (NAAPA) in 1995. The executive continued to serve as chairman or vice chairman of the NAAPAC until 2006. Last year, Lincoln awarded Williams the company’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

Helmed by CEO Tim Byrne, Lincoln has more than 204,000 units under management, making it the second-largest apartment manager in the U.S., behind Greystar Real Estate Partners. In 2019, Lincoln partnered with Cadillac Fairview and IMCO to close on $800 million fund focused on building and buying high-quality multifamily assets in top U.S. markets.