Stillman Knight Honored for Affordable Housing Efforts - 5/10/2004 - Multifamily Landlord Tenant Commercial Buildings

Stillman Knight Honored for Affordable Housing Efforts

Knight, an apartment developer from Mobile, AL, is the deputy assistant secretary for multifamily housing programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Before being tapped by the Bush Administration for his current position, Knight was an active member of NAHB for almost three decades, serving the association as an Executive Committee member and in several other leadership positions.

“Stillman always understood the importance of NAHB and its role in educating Congress and the Executive Branch on housing issues and on keeping housing a national priority,” said NAHB President Bobby Rayburn. “He focused on the concept that everyone in our society deserves a good, safe and affordable place to live, and he always strove to keep that at the center of every issue we championed.”

At HUD, Knight is responsible for the overall management, development, direction and administration of multifamily housing programs, including FHA Multifamily Mortgage Insurance, project-based rental subsidy programs, housing for the elderly and persons with disabilities and community-based initiatives.

The award is named in honor of Robert Corletta, a long-time executive director of multifamily operations at NAHB who died in 1998. Corletta was recognized by his peers as a visionary in the affordable housing industry, particularly for his efforts supporting congressional passage of the Community Reinvestment Act. Enacted in 1977, the legislation requires banks and other lending institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate and has enabled affordable housing to be created in many low- and moderate-income neighborhoods across the country.

In 1978, Corletta co-founded NDC, a non-profit corporation whose mission is to help re-build America’s communities through the creation of affordable housing and comprehensive community development.

Presented annually during NAHB’s spring board of directors meeting, the Corletta Award pays tribute to individuals who have shown extraordinary creativity and dedication in advocating for advances in affordable housing.

Past recipients of the award include Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT); Robert Gould, vice president of Reilly Mortgage Group; Ted Dinerstein, chief executive officer of the Dinerstein Companies; Larry Swank, president of The Sterling Group; and Judith Siegel, president of The Landex Corporation.