JOEL A. GILLAND

Mr. Gilland joined Wesley as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning in 2014, after serving on its Board and Finance Committee for six years. In this new role, Mr. Gilland led the expansion of the organization into church asset evaluation, consulting, and development. In June 2018, he became President, CEO of the organization. Since accepting, the role of President/CEO Mr. Gilland has grown Wesley and expanded its work into a fully licensed real estate firm engaged in bringing a full-service development and real estate experience focused on helping faith-based properties evaluate, reimagine and reposition their properties for impact and sustainability. Wesley continues to develop housing as part of this expanded vision.

Prior to joining Wesley Mr. Gilland owned and operated The Southern Projects Group, Inc. from 2003 to 2014 specializing in the development of medical office, office, and retail projects in the greater Charlotte market. Preceding the Southern Projects Group, Mr. Gilland was a member of Lincoln Harris (formerly The Harris Group) for twelve years finishing as Vice President of Corporate Services managing a 1.7 million square foot portfolio in uptown Charlotte. Mr. Gilland has been involved in the development and management of multiple real estate products including hotels, multifamily, office, retail, medical office, technical spaces, and historic preservation. While focused predominantly on the North Carolina market, Mr. Gilland has worked in Texas, Florida, New York, and the states in between. This wide exposure to varied real estate projects helps inform the vision Wesley brings to its projects.

Mr. Gilland has deep roots in North Carolina and the United Methodist Church. The son of a United Methodist minister, Mr. Gilland brings a deep understanding of the relationship of trust and respect that must exist working with congregations. Mr. Gilland leads Wesley with the focus on keeping the faith community at the forefront of all decisions and providing transparency in communication with Wesley’s client partners.

Mr. Gilland graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BA in Political Science. He has served as President of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association and on the Executive Committee of the Past Presidents Council as well as on the Advisory Council of the College of Arts and Sciences and the UNC Charlotte Legacy Committee. A member of Assurance United Methodist Church, Mr. Gilland has served several leadership roles in the local church, the district, and the Western North Carolina Conference.

Mr. Gilland has chaired the School Leadership Teams for Mountain Island Lake Academy and Hopewell High School, Co-Chaired the Charlotte Mecklenburg Superintendent’s Task Force on Choice, led the introduction of the Cambridge International curriculum to Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and served as the District One Representative on the Bond Oversight Committee. Mr. Gilland serves on the Truist Community Development Council and the loan committee of the United Methodist Foundation of Western North Carolina, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Working Group for Unused and Underutilized Faith Based Properties. Mr. Gilland is joining the board of the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation.

Mr. Gilland and his wife Tina have two children. Caroline is a graduate of UNC Charlotte in Psychology and returning for a BS in Nursing, and Andrew is a junior in Mechanical Engineering at UNC Charlotte. The Gillands reside in the Mountain Island Lake area of Charlotte.