Higher education expert returns to JLL

DENVER, July 24, 2024 – JLL announced today that Krista Trofka has re-joined JLL as Vice President for its Higher Education Advisory business, which is part of its Government and Education division. Trofka will lead strategy and client development efforts for higher education nationally, providing key leadership for growth planning and engaging with the market to continue building on JLL’s brand in advisory services.

Based in Denver, Trofka has amassed more than 15 years of experience working across planning and development to lead high-impact public-private projects and empower public institutions with the tools needed to attract real estate investment. Excelling in client engagement and partnership development, she can identify institutional needs and connect them with the right solutions to deliver results.

“I am thrilled to be returning to JLL and be part of a team that has real solutions to address the financial sustainability of colleges and universities today,” Trofka said. “In the context of declining enrollment, increased costs and living expenses to students and the challenge of deferred maintenance backlogs, higher education institutions are hungry for ways to innovate, adapt and thrive.”

In her new JLL role, she will help to further develop a multi-million-dollar portfolio of higher education advisory business and collaborate with other JLL business lines to bring a unified approach to client solutions. Trofka will work with clients to better understand their goals and challenges and build customized solutions around the financial sustainability of a campus’s real estate, from portfolio strategy to creating public-private partnerships to deliver on the strategic initiatives of the institution. She will work closely with Bob Hunt, Group Managing Director for JLL’s Government and Education division, and Lindsay Stowell, Executive Vice President and National Education Advisory leader.  

“We are excited to welcome Krista back to JLL,” said Stowell. “She possesses a deep understanding of the key issues currently facing higher education institutions and will help steer real estate, facilities and finance leaders toward actionable solutions. Her knowledge of campus planning, student housing, academic and research facilities, public-private partnerships and sustainability initiatives will enable JLL to continue growing to meet the evolving needs of college and universities.” 

Trofka comes back to JLL from DLR Group, an integrated design firm, where she led business development and strategy for the higher education sector. She also founded and led her own firm that provided consulting services tailored to the real estate, architecture and construction industries. While previously at JLL, she worked with the Project and Development Services (PDS) business and focused on real estate strategy solutions for government and education clients in Colorado.

A former public school teacher through Teach for America, Trofka has continued her passion for educating others as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Colorado, where she has taught courses in urban planning and development for the past 11 years. She helped launch the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Colorado UrbanPlan program, which utilizes experiential learning to drive students to engage in the complex nature of land-use decisions and inspire them to take an active role to create better communities. Trofka also serves as a frequent keynote speaker on market strategy and growth for a variety of organizations.

JLL is the premier provider of strategic real estate advisory for local, state, national and federal governments as well as public and education institutions. Its national team covers the entire real estate lifecycle from strategy, public-private partnerships, facilities management and sustainability services to transaction and project management. JLL brings both the experience and expertise to convert real estate portfolios into working assets that meet operational and occupancy requirements while generating revenues and reducing costs. Visit us.jll.com/education.

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