Since 1986, he has served as the chair and chief executive officer of Trammell Crow Residential, the nation’s largest multifamily housing developer. In his early years at the company, Terwilliger worked on affordable housing options, and he continues to work closely on the issue with Atlanta Mayor, Shirley Franklin. Known for his civic and philanthropic efforts in Atlanta, Terwilliger has become a champion of the role that for-profit developers can play in providing workforce housing. For many years, Terwilliger has volunteered his resources and expertise to organizations that provide housing to low-income families and individuals.
Terwilliger served on Habitat for Humanity International’s board for seven years before being named chair in October of 2007. Recently, he visited some of the tsunami-affected communities in Thailand and Indonesia and presented 30 families with a special Habitat savings box to start saving for their new homes.
“We are very proud that Ron is being recognized for his support of affordable housing efforts around the world,” said Jonathan Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International. “He is a tremendous resource for our work in finding housing solutions for low-income families, and his leadership is helping our board to shape new and exciting opportunities toward that end.”
An honor graduate of the United States Naval Academy who served five years in the Navy, Terwilliger went on to receive an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business where he was elected a Baker Scholar. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Wharton Real Estate Center. Terwilliger is also a past chairman of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership and is the immediate past chairman of the National Association of Home Builders Multifamily Leadership Board. He is also a director of the Naval Academy Foundation and is a subcommittee chairman of the Naval Academy Athletic Committee.
Terwilliger is a former chair of the Urban Land Institute, and in February of 2007, he made the single largest financial contribution to that organization in its 72-year history. His generous grant established The ULI J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing. Its mission is to measurably increase the production of workforce housing that is economically viable, sustainable for future generations, and close to jobs.
The Terwilliger Center has set an ambitious goal of producing 3,500 new units of workforce housing by 2012 in three pilot markets, which include, Atlanta, Southeast Florida and Washington, D.C. The Center’s ultimate goal is to facilitate a measurable increase in the number of mixed-income workforce housing units in communities across the nation.
“This is a wonderful honor and I am humbled to be in the company of those elected to the National Association of Housing Hall of Fame,” said Terwilliger. “Advocating for and taking action to secure affordable housing are my passions, and this occasion inspires me to work harder so we can reach more people.”
For more information, visitwww.habitat.org.
