Nation’s Home Builders Elect Leadership for 2023

Members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) elected four senior officers to top leadership positions within the Federation during the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.

With more than 700 affiliated state and local home builders associations and more than 140,000 members across the country, NAHB represents the interests of the nation’s housing professionals through advocacy, education and research.

Talking the helm as NAHB’s Chairman of the Board this year is Alicia Huey, a Birmingham-Ala.-based custom home builder with more than 30 years of experience in the home building industry. Huey founded AGH Homes, Inc. in 2000. In addition to building high-end custom homes for buyers on individual lots, AGH Homes has also built in several golf course communities in Hoover and Vestavia, Ala.

"With the housing market currently in a recession and inflation still stubbornly high, our top priority for 2023 will be to work with policymakers to find ways to boost housing output, ease building material supply chain disruptions and reduce unnecessary regulations that are raising housing costs," said Huey. "Increasing production of attainable, affordable housing is the best solution to ease inflation in the housing sector and overall economy and to improve housing affordability."

Also moving up on the association’s leadership ladder during NAHB’s Winter Leadership meetings was Carl Harris, a Wichita, Kan.-based small volume spec and custom home builder with more than 40 years of experience in the home building, remodeling and light commercial construction industry. He was elected as First Vice Chairman of the Board. As co-founder and vice president of the Carl Harris Co., Inc. and managing partner of Harris Homes, Harris has built homes in many communities around the state of Kansas.

Buddy Hughes, a Lexington, N.C.-based home builder and developer with more than 45 years of experience in the home building industry, was elected as Second Vice Chairman. Hughes in 1984 opened his own general contracting business, Hughes Construction, specializing in home building and light commercial construction. Since the 1990s, Hughes has trained hundreds of builders and home owners to install poured, insulated concrete walls for all types of construction. Today, he continues to serve as a product specialist and consultant to the residential and commercial construction industry for both large and small projects.

Bill Owens joined the NAHB leadership ladder with his election as Third Vice Chairman of the Board. A Worthington, Ohio-based, remodeler and home builder with more than 40 years of experience in the residential construction industry, Owens is president of Owens Construction, a leading residential design/build firm in central Ohio that he established in 1982. The company completes 30 to 40 projects a year with a focus on integrating seamless appearance, energy efficient technology and creating welcoming home environments.

2022 NAHB Chairman Jerry Konter remains on the leadership ladder as the 2023 Immediate Past Chairman. A Savannah, Ga.-based home builder and developer with more than 40 years of experience in the home building industry, he founded Konter Quality Homes in 1977. Konter’s company is one of the largest home building firms in Savannah and has created 20 communities and built more than 2,200 homes and 800 apartments throughout the local metro area.

Rounding out the association’s leadership is NAHB Chief Executive Officer Jerry Howard, from Washington, D.C. Howard heads up a professional staff of more than 240 working out of the National Housing Center in Washington. He has served as the association’s CEO/EVP since February of 2001. Previously, Howard was NAHB's chief tax counsel.