Early Life and Education
Robert Alan Faith was born in Oklahoma in 1963 or 1964. His father was a civil engineer for a major oil company, which influenced Faith to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering at the University of Oklahoma. However, after earning his bachelor's degree in 1984, he decided to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School, graduating in 1986.
Rise to Success
Faith's career began at the Trammell Crow Company, where he became a partner. In 1991, he co-founded Starwood Capital Group with Barry Sternlicht. In 1993, Faith founded Greystar in Houston, Texas. Under his leadership, Greystar has grown to manage over $300 billion in real estate assets across five continents. He also served as the South Carolina Secretary of Commerce from 2002 to 2006.
Key Business Strategies
Faith's strategies involve expanding Greystar through acquisitions. The company acquired Education Realty Trust in 2018 for $4.6 billion. Other major acquisitions during Faith's tenure include the property management arm of Alliance Residential Co. in June 2020, Thackeray Partners in May 2021, and Fizzy Living in December 2021. He strategically expanded the business beyond multifamily rental properties into sectors including life sciences, purpose-built single-family rentals, and industrial.
Philanthropy
Faith's philanthropy score is 1/10, indicating minimal public charitable giving relative to his net worth, though private donations may exist outside public reporting. In 2025, Faith donated $1 million to Junior Achievement of Oklahoma's capital campaign.