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
Labor
Sep 09, 2026
TPS Uncertainty Remains for El Salvadoran Workers Living in the U.S.
The Trump administration’s expiration date of Sept. 9 for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador has been effectively continued, affecting roughly 200,000 Salvadoran TPS holders in the U.S. and further straining the construction industry’s labor shortage.
Environmental Issues
Sep 09, 2026
New Agency WOTUS Proposal Would Eliminate 'Wet Season' Concept
The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced a supplemental proposed rule offering a new approach to defining “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Sep 10, 2026
Energy Prices Rise Again in August
Residential building material prices, excluding energy, rose 0.2% in August and were up 5.1% from a year ago. Energy prices rose sharply in August, as prices for energy inputs to residential construction rose 6.6% over the month.
Economics
Sep 09, 2026
Mortgage Applications Decline for Sixth Straight Month in August
Mortgage application activity continued to decline in August as elevated US treasury yields pushed mortgage rates higher. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, declined 3.2% month-over-month in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, marking the sixth consecutive monthly decline.
Economics
Sep 09, 2026
Who Are NAHB’s Builder Members?
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) conducts an annual census to better understand the composition and characteristics of its members. In 2025, 35% of NAHB’s membership was comprised of builder members—single-family and multifamily builders, residential and commercial remodelers, commercial builders, land developers, and manufacturers of modular/panelized/log homes.