Melissa Gillispie has been promoted to chief operating officer of JWB Real Estate Cos., effective immediately. The Jacksonville Daily Record reported that she is the first woman to join the Jacksonville company’s C-suite. Her portfolio spans JWB Real Estate Capital, JWB Property Management, JWB Rental Homes, JWB Construction and the JWB Cares 501(c)(3) Foundation, according to the company announcement cited by the Jacksonville Daily Record.
A promotion built on operating experience
Gillispie joined JWB’s property-management business in 2013 and most recently was director of leasing and property management, the Daily Record reported. In announcing the promotion, JWB pointed to her work in expanding its property-management and rental-home operations. The company describes those businesses as Jacksonville’s largest locally owned residential property-management operation and a leading source of affordable housing in the city.
The division’s recent standing provides a measure of its scale. JWB Property Management said in August that it ranked No. 2 on the Jacksonville Business Journal’s 2026 list of residential property-management companies. The company said the operation had 55 local employees across Northeast Florida; those figures and the ranking appear in JWB Property Management’s account of the result. JWB Rental Homes manages more than 5,700 Jacksonville homes, according to the Daily Record.
Resident programs remain part of the portfolio
Downtown housing and development context
The available downtown data provides a current snapshot rather than a year-over-year measure of housing change. According to Downtown Vision Inc.’s 2025 State of Downtown Report, as described by Jacksonville’s Downtown Investment Authority, downtown had 9,228 residents in 2025 and a $7 billion development pipeline.
Gillispie’s previous work also included resident services and housing-access programs, according to the company announcement reported by the Daily Record. She created a resident-relations role focused on appreciation efforts, resolving concerns and organizing community events. She also led HomeStep, which helps renters save toward a future home purchase, and developed JWB’s partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters Beyond School Walls to introduce students to real estate careers.
She also oversees the JWB Cares Welcome Home Fund. The program, now in its second year, provides $20,000 down-payment awards to eight families, the Daily Record reported. Gillispie earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, where she was a scholarship softball athlete, according to the company announcement.
A connection to JWB’s downtown development business
Her new portfolio includes JWB Real Estate Capital, one of the partners behind Gateway Jax. Gateway Jax says its partnership with JWB Real Estate Capital and DLP Capital has a development pipeline valued at more than $2 billion across 25 downtown Jacksonville blocks, according to the Gateway Jax website. The available information does not show how Gillispie’s operating role will affect specific Gateway Jax projects.
The promotion places JWB’s residential, construction, capital and philanthropic businesses under a single operating role. JWB said Gillispie will help guide its next stage of growth, while the company announcement reported by the Daily Record remains the principal source for the details of her background and responsibilities.
