Nation’s Home Builders Elect Leadership for 2025

Members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) elected four senior officers to top leadership positions within the federation at the conclusion of this week’s NAHB 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.

Taking the helm as NAHB’s Chairman of the Board this year is Buddy Hughes, a Lexington, N.C.-based home builder and developer with more than 45 years of experience in the home building industry. 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.

“With the nation in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, our top priority this year will be to work with the Trump administration and Congress to remove barriers that hinder the construction of new homes and apartments,” said Hughes. “NAHB will actively engage with policymakers to eliminate excessive regulations that needlessly raise housing costs, adopt practical workforce development and immigration policy that will help our industry fill open jobs, and alleviate permitting roadblocks to help builders increase the supply of attainable, affordable housing.”

Also moving up on the association’s leadership ladder during NAHB’s Winter Leadership Meetings was Bill Owens, a Worthington, Ohio-based, remodeler and home builder with more than 40 years of experience in the residential construction industry. He was elected as First Vice Chairman of the Board. Owens is founder and principal 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.

Bob Peterson, a Fort Collins, Colo.-based remodeler and home builder with more than 40 years of experience in the construction field, was elected as Second Vice Chairman of the Board. Peterson is the founder of Associates in Building + Design, Ltd. (ABD), a company he started in May 1990 that specializes in custom homes and high-end remodeling. Peterson’s daughters, Heather Schreiner and Alison Johnson, now own and manage ABD, where he serves as a consultant.

Gary Campbell joined the NAHB leadership ladder with his election as Third Vice Chairman of the Board. A Lowell, Mass.-based real estate developer and remodeler with more than 30 years of experience in the construction field, Campbell is the chief executive officer of Campbell Communities, a company that owns and manages 2,000 units of rental housing in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He is responsible for management operations, as well as developing and acquiring new rental communities, including market-rate and Chapter 40B projects.

2024 NAHB Chairman Carl Harris remains on the leadership ladder as the 2025 Immediate Past Chairman. 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, Harris is co-founder and vice president of the Carl Harris Co., Inc. and managing partner of Harris Homes. He has built homes in many communities around the state of Kansas.

Rounding out the association’s leadership is NAHB President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Tobin, from Washington, D.C. Tobin heads up a professional staff of more than 240 working out of the National Housing Center in Washington. He was named president and CEO in June 2023 and previously served as NAHB’s executive vice president and chief lobbyist.