Top executive has been with NAHB for 33 years, including 21 years as CEO

Jerry Howard will step down as CEO of the National Association of Home Builders when his current contract expires in February 2024, exiting a role he has held for more than two decades.

Howard first joined NAHB as tax counsel 1988, working his way up the ranks until he was appointed CEO in 2001. His upcoming departure isn't a retirement as the CEO said he plans to pursue other work once he steps down.

"Frankly, it's just time for me to make a change," he told CEO Update. "I would like to do something else before I finish my career."

Like most associations, NAHB took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, with its 2021 International Builders' Show converted to a virtual event. But Howard noted he had guided the association through tough times before, leading through the darkest days of the 2007-2009 Great Recession. The association also pulled off an in-person trade show in February that attracted more than 45,000 building professionals to Orlando.

"We survived, I think, very well," Howard said. "Aside from that, on the legislative side, being able to advance the cause of decent, safe and affordable housing both on the rental side and the homeownership side is what kept me at NAHB. It's a great cause."

Revenue for NAHB and its affiliates totaled $118 million in 2020, according to the latest IRS public disclosure documents for tax-exempt organizations. Howard's take-home salary in 2020 was $1,367,336.