NORTH BAY – The Home Builders Association of Northern California has gone through a number of changes in the past year and continues to do so with Cheryl O’Connor as the new president and chief executive officer.
Ms. O’Connor had been named chairwoman of the association in 2008. When Joseph Perkins, immediate past president and CEO of the association, left earlier this year, Ms. O’Connor stepped in to take his place.
She had previously been senior vice president of Summerhill Homes, a specialty builder in the Bay Area.
The association has 600 members, down from the 810 it had last year.
Last October the Santa Rosa office was closed down. The two local positions were eliminated. In December, just two months after the closure, the San Ramon-based organization shifted staff so Mr. Perkins could take the lead advocacy role in the North Bay for the trade group.
He said at the time that local initiatives in developing green-building standards and advocating sustainable business models are making the North Bay a model for the rest of the Bay Area.
While the North Bay office did shut down, there was more than a year left on the lease, and the office remains on standby.
At the time of the closure, officials said there was a strong possibility staff will return when the market recovers. The local board of directors and executive committee is still in place.
Last year a new association urban division opened in San Francisco. Its goals were to adopt the greenest building codes in the country by 2012. The San Francisco office of the association is currently empty.
