Builder and developer Joe Robson, of Tulsa, Okla., was elected as the 2009 Chairman of the Board of the National Association of Home Builders. Active in the Tulsa area for more than 25 years, he is the founder and president of The Robson Companies Inc., developers of residential communities and commercial properties.

Robson has been leading NAHB’s efforts to strengthen the housing industry in response to the current economic downturn. Amidst reports of falling home prices and declining housing starts, he has been working with federal lawmakers and regulators to find ways to shore up the housing market and renew confidence in the American economy.

“We look forward to working with the Obama Administration and the new Congress to develop policies that will help families facing foreclosure, stabilize home prices and put America’s home builders back to work as the engine of the economy,” Robson said. “NAHB will be pushing very hard for an economic stimulus package that recognizes the important role that residential construction plays in generating economic activity and jobs.”

In recent testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, Robson noted that the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), up to this point, “has failed to expand the flow of credit to business and consumers on competitive terms. In addition, the TARP program has not adequately responded to the nation’s foreclosure crisis, which must be addressed to keep people in their homes, help stabilize home prices and promote recovery of the housing market and economy,” he said.

Robson has long been a driving force in local, state and national home builder associations, and he has held numerous leadership positions within NAHB. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1990, was the chairman of BUILD-PAC in 1998, and was the chairman of the Legislative and Regulatory Policy Task Force in 2002. Robson was chairman of NAHB's Federal Government Affairs Committee in 2003, chairman of the Resolutions Committee in 2002, and vice chairman of the Budget Committee in 2005.

At the state and local levels, Robson has served on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association since 1990 and was the association’s president in 1993. Robson was honored as Oklahoma Builder of the Year in 1994.

Locally, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Tulsa Home Builders Association since 1986 and was the association's president in 1991 and 1992. He was the Tulsa Home Builder of the Year in 1992.

Robson said he expects to draw on his local, state and national experience to help NAHB serve its members during the housing downturn.

He has been active in numerous business and civic leadership positions. He has served as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka; a director of the Broken Arrow, Tulsa and State Chambers of Commerce; and a member of the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Committee. He has also served as chairman of the Tulsa Area Command of the Salvation Army.

Robson and his wife, Hannah, have two children, Davis and Callie.