Uptown Dallas Inc Names Kelem Butts Executive Director

As Uptown Dallas positions itself as the city’s de facto downtown, the district’s guiding engine has tapped a new leader to steer its next chapter.

Kelem Butts was named executive director of Uptown Dallas Inc. on Tuesday, taking over nine months after former director Jamee Jolly exited to lead The Real Estate Council, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

Uptown Dallas Inc. was created as a public improvement district in 1993 and is funded by assessments paid by local property owners. More than $5 billion in investment has flowed into the district since its formation.

Butts, a longtime Uptown resident, previously served on Uptown Dallas Inc.’s board and chaired its public safety committee. He brings corporate and nonprofit experience from his time at AT&T, where he was director of charitable operations.

About 19,000 people live in Uptown, roughly 4,000 more than in Downtown Dallas, and the area draws 50,000 workers daily. Developments such as Granite’s 23Springs office tower and a proposed Central Market grocery are reshaping the landscape, aligning with broader trends that have pulled high-end office and residential development away from the traditional downtown core.

The Uptown district has emerged Dallas’ top-performing office submarket, drawing financial firms and corporate tenants with its walkability, dining and amenity-rich towers. The neighborhood commands the highest average office rents in the region and accounts for two-thirds of all new office construction in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Butts said he plans to prioritize public safety and cleanliness as key pillars of Uptown’s competitiveness. He helped spearhead a 2,000-square-foot Dallas Police office at 2222 McKinney Avenue, expected to be staffed by the end of the year.

Maintaining the neighborhood’s status as a public improvement district will also be a focus. The PID designation expires in 2026, and Butts said he’s considering reauthorization.

— Judah Duke