John F. Barros
Managing Principal • United States
John F. Barros
Managing Principal • United States
John F. Barros is the Managing Principal of Cushman & Wakefield’s Boston market. In this role, John leads all market activities and drives growth and business performance across a team of more than 180 professionals in Boston, MA and Manchester, NH.
Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, John was appointed by the Mayor of Boston to serve as Chief of Economic Development from 2014 to 2021. In this role, John brought with him a passion for sustainable community development while fostering economic inclusion and equity for all Bostonians. Prior to his appointment, John served 13 years as Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), where he successfully led a neighborhood revitalization focused on community wealth creation, producing permanent affordable housing and establishing the largest urban community land trust in the country. John has also held positions at the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, providing insurance for initial public offerings for dot-com startups.
John earned a Master of Public Policy from Tufts University and a B.A in African/African-American Studies from Dartmouth College. He is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from Suffolk University.
John is a leader in Boston’s community development and has served as a member of the Boston School Committee, the Aspen Institute’s Roundtable on Community Change and Co-Chairperson of the Center for Community Builders. He is a member of the 2005 Fellows class in the South African-United States Center for Leadership and Public Values, and in 2007 was named a Barr Foundation Fellow. John was a candidate for Mayor of Boston in 2013 and 2021.