Steven L. Black
CHAIRMAN
Mr. Black, founder and Chairman of Cisterra Partners, formed Cisterra in 1999 and brings over 30 years of financial and real estate development experience to his role. Mr. Black is responsible for setting the strategic vision for the company and supporting its’ execution with the collaboration of its’ talented team of professionals. During the course of Mr. Black’s career he has been involved in the development of over 20 million square feet of commercial and residential space.
Black initially formed Cisterra to develop large-scale technology campuses in partnership with Cisco Systems in Europe, the east coast and Canada. Cisterra is known locally for developing Sempra Energy’s new corporate headquarters and DiamondView Tower, both in the ballpark district of San Diego, Biogen-Idec’s Corporate Headquarters and Research Center(now home to Illumina), and Gateway at Torrey Hills among others.
Prior to forming Cisterra, Mr. Black served as Chief Development Officer of Kilroy Realty Corporation (KRC:NYSE), a publicly traded real estate investment trust. Mr. Black joined Kilroy Realty Corporation through merger with The Allen Group where he was president and partner. Mr. Black has also served in a number of other prominent senior management positions within the real estate development industry.
Mr. Black also served as Vice Chairman of Hearthstone Realty Advisors, one of the largest institutional investors in the homebuilding sector in the United States. Mr. Black was a certified public accountant with Deloitte. Mr. Black also founded The Four Graces winery located in Oregon.
Ernst & Young has named Cisterra Partners, LLC “Entrepreneur of the Year.” The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) has named Cisterra “Developer of the Year.” A number of Cisterra’s projects have been recognized as “Project of the Year” for their excellence.
A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in accounting, Mr. Black has been a supporter of educational, arts, and environmental organizations and serves as a Fellow with The Aspen Institute, and Advisor to the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at the University of San Diego, a member of the Real Estate Advisory Council at University of California-San Diego and a Life Member of the Sierra Club, among others.