NAHB’s Inaugural HBCU Cohort Paves Way for Future Leaders
NAHB’s first-ever Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Student Leadership program recently completed a successful year of learning, networking and making lifelong memories.
The cohort featured 22 of some of the best and brightest students from 10 HBCUs. Over the course of eight months, the students traveled for two flagship events: a trip to the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C., and a multi-day stay in Las Vegas for the 2024 International Builders’ Show.
“My experience in NAHB’s first cohort was amazing because of the way the students bonded right away,” said Kendal Phillips, a student at Tuskegee University. The students plan to stay connected with each other and with NAHB after the program as they continue their careers in construction.
Many of the program’s student leaders have already lined up jobs and internships that will begin later this spring. Some of their future employers include companies such as Whiting-Turner, DPR Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, JE Dunn, Disney/Skanska, Turner/Hensel Phelps, Taylor Morrison, Alpha Construction, Cadence McShane and Kirksey/Perkins & Will, among others.
“Aside from internships, this cohort experience has helped me a lot with my academics,” said Malloy Shamwell, a student at North Carolina A&T. “Within my curriculum, it’s always been about commercial construction, and then suddenly in my senior year, we finally had a class that’s residential. Throughout the cohort, I was able to learn the processes of residential that have helped me be successful in that class.”
The success of the HBCU Leadership Program’s first cohort has opened the door for a second cohort that will gather later this year. Similar to the first group’s experience, the second cohort will kick off in Washington, D.C. in the fall and then take part in additional programming at the 2025 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
Are you interested in being involved with one of these HBCU construction education programs as a mentor, speaker or fundraiser? Complete this form.
Sponsors
Latest from NAHBNow
Membership
Dec 29, 2025
NAHB Mourns the Passing of Past Chairman John “Joe” RobsonJohn “Joe” Robson, 2009 NAHB chairman, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 27. As founder and president of The Robson Companies, Inc., Robson was a leader in the Tulsa, Okla., area home building and development industries for decades.
Economics | Membership
Dec 29, 2025
Last Chance to Complete the 2025 Census SurveyMembers will receive a final reminder this week from NAHB to complete our 2025 Builder and Associate Member Census. We encourage you to fill this survey out by Dec. 31, 2025, to help us better understand the composition and characteristics of the members who belong to our Federation.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Dec 22, 2025
State-Level Employment Situation: September 2025In September 2025, nonfarm payroll employment was largely unchanged across states on a monthly basis, with a limited number of states seeing statistically significant increases or decreases. This reflects generally stable job counts across states despite broader labor market fluctuations. The data were impacted by collection delays due to the federal government shutdown.
Economics
Dec 19, 2025
Existing Home Sales Edge Higher in NovemberExisting home sales rose for the third consecutive month in November as lower mortgage rates continued to boost home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, the increase remained modest as mortgage rates still stayed above 6% while down from recent highs. The weakening job market also weighed on buyer activity.
Economics
Dec 18, 2025
Lumber Capacity Lower Midway Through 2025Sawmill production has remained essentially flat over the past two years, according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. This most recent data release contained an annual revision, which resulted in higher estimates for both production and capacity in U.S. sawmills.