Sandy Dunn, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), appointed Joanne (Jo) Theunissen, a small-volume custom builder from central Michigan, as the 2008 chair of the NAHB 50+ Housing Council. Theunissen was officially installed as chair at the recent International Builders’ Show in Orlando.

Theunissen is president of Howling Hammer Builders, Inc. Her company prides itself on designing and building homes which meet the needs and desires of customers at the most reasonable cost while maintaining the highest quality of standards.  

In addition to extensive interior and exterior design training, Theunissen has residential mortgage experience and is a licensed residential builder. She is heavily involved in the design and construction of her customers’ homes. Her current interest involves integrating green building techniques with universal design features, not to mention marketing and building homes that promote aging in place for residents.

“Jo Theunissen brings a lot of energy and excitement to the NAHB 50+ Housing Council,” said Sharon Dworkin Bell, senior staff vice president for NAHB Multifamily and 50+ Housing. “She recognizes the growing importance of the boomer market and her passion for green building and universal design is contagious.”

Theunissen is a past chair of the NAHB Women’s Council and currently serves on NAHB’s Public Affairs Committee, Green Builder Subcommittee and NAHB Board of Directors. She also currently chairs the NAHB Working Group for the National Green Building Conference coming up in May in New Orleans.

The first woman Region II vice president for the Michigan Association of Home Builders, Theunissen serves on the MAHB Construction Codes Committee. She is the first woman to have been elected as a senior officer for the Home Builders Association of Central Michigan and currently serves as their first vice president and Home Show Committee chair.

Theunissen recently chaired the MAHB Green Build Task Force and was instrumental in securing approval for the support of Green Built Michigan, Inc., a state-wide green building program based on the NAHB Model Green Building Guidelines. She is a certified “green” builder and an active advocate for voluntary green building, serving on the board of directors for Green Built Michigan. 

She has been featured in Builder Magazine, Michigan Builder, The Wall Street Journal, HGTV-Pro.com, Nation’s Building News and Shattered (a Canadian-based magazine focused on women breaking through typical male-dominated career barriers), and has been the cover story of the magazine Building Women.  Theunissen also is frequent industry speaker on topics such as green building, women in non-traditional careers and 50+ housing. [Return to top]