Compass, Inc. announced the appointment of Dawanna Williams to its board of directors effective July 1, 2022. Williams currently serves as Founder and Managing Principal of Dabar Development Partners. Dawanna Williams is the Founder and Managing Principal of Dabar Development Partners – a real estate development firm that offers modern living solutions with intelligent planning, architectural ingenuity, and environmental integrity.

Williams has decades of experience in the real estate industry. In her current role she guides projects that take advantage of her expertise as a legal and business pragmatist, community-driven values and a passion for refined materials and design. Williams has led a variety of innovative projects, a number of which have earned recognition from New York City'sDepartment of Housing Preservation and Development and New York City'sEconomic Development Corporation.

Under her leadership, Dabar has completed construction projects in New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Prior to founding Dabar, Williams spent 10 years practicing commercial real estate law, most of that time with prominent firm Sidley Austin LLP. During her legal career, she represented major developers, international funds, investment banks, institutional lenders and private equity investors to facilitate a wide range of complex real estate transactions, totaling millions of spatial square feet.

Williams also serves on the boards of ACRES Commercial Realty Corp., Focus Impact Acquisition Corp., the New York Real Estate Chamber, the Apollo Theater, and The Trust For Cultural Resources of The City Of New York. She holds an A.B. from Smith College, an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School and a J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.