Career Change to Construction Leads to Professional Success
Erica Leatham shares her career journey and advice for women in the trades in a workforce development video series available on NAHB’s YouTube page.
March is Women’s History Month. Throughout March, NAHB’s workforce development team will highlight women who are making contributions to the residential construction industry.
NAHB members often endure several career changes before entering the residential construction industry. Erica Leatham and Allison King, members of the HBA of Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties (HBADOC), started their careers in different fields and are now role models for other women in residential construction industry.
“I love the home building industry because we’re creating a community where people live, play, and raise children … that’s a pretty exciting thing to say that you’re responsible for doing,” says Erica Leatham, vice president of land at M/I Homes.
Before moving to North Carolina, Leatham was a Top 100 D.C. law firm partner. She thought her career as a land use attorney would be a good fit in the home building industry.
Leatham says the local HBAs have been invaluable to her growth in the industry. She works closely with the Government Affairs Committee at HBADOC and the HBA of Raleigh/Wake County. Leatham values the association’s efforts to get out in front of local municipalities on issues that affect all member firms. In addition to her involvement in government affairs, she mentors young women in the industry and served as a judge for the NAHB Student Competition at the 2024 NAHB International Builders’ Show®.
Another HBADOC member, Allison King, started her career in restaurant management. She shifted her focus to real estate and obtained a broker’s license. She then held several positions within the industry, from on-site sales to project administrator. Today, she is the COO of 1st Choice Cabinetry and owner of Clarity Design-Build.
The industry offers a variety of opportunities for those individuals who decide to pivot from a different field, says King. “There are so many ways in this industry that you can get involved, get in the door and keep growing and learning.”
To learn more about Leatham and King’s career journey and their advice for other women joining the industry, visit NAHB’s Workforce Development YouTube page.
Sponsored by
Latest from NAHBNow
Membership
Sep 24, 2026
NAHB Mourns the Passing of Past Chairman Tom Woods
Tom Woods, 2015 NAHB chairman, passed away on Monday, Sept. 21. A Blue Springs, Mo.-based home builder and its former mayor, Woods served as president of Woods Custom Homes.
Economics
Sep 24, 2026
New Home Sales Rise as Affordability Challenges Continue
Sales of newly built single-family homes increased 6.4% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 684,000, following an upwardly revised July estimate, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The pace of new home sales was 2% lower than a year earlier.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Sep 24, 2026
Single-Family Detached Homes Still Dominate Among the 55+ Population
Adults ages 55 and older make up a large and growing share of the U.S. population and play an important role in the U.S. housing market. In 2024, around 103 million Americans were ages 55 or older, ranging from adults still in the labor force to retirees.
Economics
Sep 23, 2026
Number of Bathrooms in New Single-Family Homes in 2025
Single-family homes started construction in 2025 typically had two full bathrooms, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Construction.
Economics
Sep 23, 2026
Q2 2026 Remodeling Market Update: Labor and Nonlabor Input Costs
The remodeling industry is taking on a larger role within the residential construction sector. Structural tailwinds, such as an aging housing stock, the growing trend of aging-in-place among older home owners, and record-high housing wealth, will continue to grow remodeling’s market share further.