WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 8, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — John A. Courson, an established housing industry executive who most recently served as the president and chief executive officer of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), has been tapped to become the new president and chief executive officer of the Home Builders Institute (HBI).
HBI is the non-profit workforce development arm of the 160,000-member National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Courson will be replacing longtime HBI president and chief executive officer Frederick Humphreys, who is retiring at the end of this year after leading the organization for 11 years.
“HBI will benefit tremendously from having a leader with John’s outstanding credentials at the helm,” said Donald Pratt, 2011 chairman of the HBI Board of Trustees. “His solid understanding of non-profit associations, entrepreneurial spirit, expertise in strategic planning, and passion for the housing industry will be incredible assets for HBI. John’s skills will help to further HBI’s 40-plus year mission to prepare youth and adults for careers in the residential construction industry.”
Courson is a nationally recognized housing industry spokesperson and government affairs expert who served as MBA’s president and CEO from 2008-2011. His initial priorities at HBI will be to identify new revenue streams and create new programs that build on HBI’s core competencies, such as training, mentoring, curriculum development and job placement services.
“John Courson is the right man for the job,” said National Association of Home Builders Chairman Bob Nielsen. “He’s a recognized and respected force in the building industry who has the talent and energy required to bring HBI to the next level of success. These characteristics are especially important at a time when major changes are occurring in the marketplace with regard to the availability of government funding opportunities and other evolving conditions.”
“I look forward to the opportunity to help HBI successfully meet the challenges that it faces in the current and future marketplace,” said Courson. “I can’t think of a more important goal than ensuring that this highly respected organization continues to thrive and grow while preparing tomorrow’s workforce to meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated and quality-driven home building industry.”
In addition to serving as president and CEO of the national MBA, Courson was its MBA’s elected chairman in 2003 and has served as a past president of the California, Dallas and Michigan Mortgage Bankers Associations. He has also served at the head of three different mortgage companies, Central Pacific Mortgage Company in Folsom, Calif., Fundamental Mortgage Corp. and Westwood Mortgage Corp. (formerly Fort Wayne Mortgage Co.), both in Texas. From 2004-2008, he was chairman of the California Housing Finance Agency, a position to which he was appointed by then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Courson also has a participated in international housing initiatives led by the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department.
