In June, Ron Terwilliger (MBA ’70) was named Housing Person of the Year by the nonpartisan National Housing Conference. With almost forty years in the housing business, Terwilliger was involved in the development of Hilton Head, South Carolina, before moving on to a long and successful career at Trammell Crow. In May, he announced a gift of $100 million to Habitat for Humanity International, whose board he chairs. The largest individual gift in Habitat’s history, it has the potential to help 60,000 families worldwide, according to the Hilton Head Island Packet (June 6, 2009).

Terwilliger is also an advocate for, and generous supporter of, affordable housing in the United States. He is concerned that housing in too many cities and towns is beyond the means of the workers employed in those communities. “This is not just a matter of social equity,” Terwilliger stated. “The shortage of workforce housing is compromising the economic well-being of our cities.”

And for the residents of exclusive areas such as Hilton Head, where he began his career, he said, “Give some thought to the living conditions of the people who fix your house, mow your lawn, teach your children, and are the first responders in an emergency. Ask how they can have the same quality of life that you do.”

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