Jillian Papa brings nearly two decades of inside government experience in land use, zoning, and municipal development to investors and developers navigating the entitlement process to the Investors Real Estate Partners team.

Most recently, Jillian served as Director of Planning, Building & Development for the City of Roanoke, Virginia, leading a 50+ person department through zoning, permitting, plan review, and inspections. Over her tenure, she has held or managed nearly every regulatory role in the development process, including Zoning Administrator, Subdivision Agent, Flood Plain Administrator, Planning Commission Agent, and Agent to both the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Architectural Review Board, giving her a rare, insider's view of exactly how decisions get made and where projects most often stall.

That regulatory precision shows in her track record: as Zoning Administrator, she authored numerous appeal-proof decisions upheld in Circuit Court, including one upheld by the Virginia Supreme Court. She also helped lead the City's Say Yes! to Housing zoning reform campaign, reflecting a practical, solutions-oriented approach to complex policy challenges. Colleagues and stakeholders know Jillian for her responsiveness, discretion, and ability to build trust across both the public and private sectors, qualities that translate directly into faster, more predictable outcomes for clients navigating unfamiliar jurisdictions. Her career began in West Palm Beach, Florida, a high-growth market, as a Historic Preservation Planner navigating design review requirements that often complicate redevelopment and adaptive reuse projects.

She holds a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation from Goucher College and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Michigan, has taught at Virginia Tech's School of Urban Affairs & Planning, and is a certified planner (AICP) through the American Planning Association.