The organization’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a top leader within the real estate community who has had a transformational impact on the region and the land use industry and whose body of professional and civic work exemplifies the mission and values of ULI – an enduring commitment to responsible development and building thriving, sustainable communities. View a listing of all past recipients here.

As his passion for housing affordability grew, Ron used his platforms and influence to become one of the nation’s most prominent advocates for policies that support affordable and workforce housing, calling for government reforms at the federal and local levels to incentivize affordable housing development and increase public-private partnerships. In 2017, he was recognized with the Edward W. Brooke Housing Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to elevating the national discussion on rebalancing federal housing policy to better serve the needs of the nation’s low-income households. In 2021, he founded the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, which works to build political support for affordable housing and identify the most effective public policies to ensure that every family has access to a decent, affordable home.

Beyond shaping housing policy and leading as one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, he has also dedicated significant resources to addressing housing affordability worldwide. In 2009 he dedicated a $100 million legacy gift to Habitat for Humanity International – $30 million of which is already being put to work to improve housing conditions for low-income families worldwide through the Terwilliger Center for Innovation and Shelter. Since launching, the Center has worked with over 100 financial institutions to unlock $10 billion in affordable housing capital and has helped over 45 million people access improved housing solutions.

His $5 million gift to the Enterprise Foundation created the Enterprise Terwilliger Fund, targeted to create 2,000 affordable homes annually. Through a $5 million gift to the Urban Land Institute, he established the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing, which works to further affordable housing within the ULI network and catalyze the production and preservation of a full spectrum of housing options nationwide.

With his establishment of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing, Ron has advanced data- driven, community-focused housing strategies, expanded the production and preservation of affordable housing, highlighted the critical need for affordable housing in rapidly growing urban areas like Southeast Florida, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., and has greatly increased ULI’s assistance to communities looking for housing help and solutions.

Ron’s foundational belief that housing is a human right and that there is no substitute for a decent, safe, affordable home has driven his decades-long commitment to affordable housing – a commitment which has had a transformational impact on our nation’s housing market, outlook, leaders, and policy.

His dedication to finding the best solutions to housing challenges has reshaped the real estate industry and continues to guide the future of affordable and workforce housing in Southeast Florida, throughout the nation, and across the globe, ensuring that the needs of diverse communities can continue to be met as our urban landscapes evolve. As our region faces an escalating affordability crisis, Ron’s indelible impact and legacy of both personal and professional leadership is a shining example of why ULI’s Lifetime Achievement Award was created – to recognize and honor the top leaders and visionaries whose work is shaping our communities and changing the future of the land use and real estate industry.