NeighborWorks America presented two longtime leaders with the 2025 Founders Award this month. Robert “Bobby” Calvillo, president and CEO of Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc., and Ann Houston, former executive director of The Neighborhood Developers and founder of Opportunity Communities, received the award for their contributions in the community development field and for their legacy in innovation and dedication.
“At NeighborWorks America we believe strong communities are built by people who respond to challenges, by people who anticipate challenges, by people who commit to service,” said Marietta Rodriguez, president & CEO of NeighborWorks. She presented the awards during the NeighborWorks Executive Symposium, a gathering of leaders from throughout the network. Attendees came from 48 states and Puerto Rico.
Calvillo and Houston have had careers that reflect “purpose, creativity and an unwavering belief in the potential of the communities they serve.”
“All of us do this work because we love it,” Calvillo shared. “We do it not because we have to but because we want to.” He accepted the award on behalf of the staff of Affordable Homes of South Texas – the people who inspire him every day.
Houston, too, spoke of inspiration of her colleagues and mentors. “Our north star is empowered residents,” she said. The people gathered in the room may represent different communities, “But we were bound by a shared vision and common values to believe that everyone deserves a decent home in a community that offers the opportunity to thrive.” Our successes are built on weathering very hard times. This is a time where community developers are most critical, she added. “We are resilient and we can learn from each other.”
The ceremony also highlighted awards from the National NeighborWorks Association, work from across the network that NeighborWorks celebrates every day, Rodriguez said.
RUPCO’s Faith Moore received the award for Emerging Leader. As we face new challenges in affordable housing, said Kevin O’Connor, president and CEO of RUPCO, “it’s clear to me that strong leadership is going to be an important element of my success.” Moore is such a leader, and the number and breadth of programs she’s administered is truly unprecedented.
“I truly believe that if we’re not building homes, we’re building barriers,” Moore said in accepting the award. She reminded the group that housing “is not just about building. It’s the people.” Each story is important, she said. The single mother raising her family. The older couple aging in their community. “Home matters,” she stressed.
GROW South Dakota received the Organization Impact Award for efforts across the board that include a loan portfolio, which reached a record high of $54.5 million, for providing
560 hours of training to small business owners, for creating new homeowners and for programs in weatherization and digital literacy and more. The organization also actively engages in Native American-led initiatives.
Marcia Erickson, co-CEO of the organization, thanked the crowd. “You know I could not do it without you,” she said to the other leaders in the room. “Without your help and our shared common purpose to lift people up in our communities, this would not be possible. And NeighborWorks, I cannot imagine where we would be without you. This is definitely a network of excellence.”
Gail Latimore, who will be retiring (or “graduating”) this year, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work at Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp.
Board member Carla Richards, one of many who spoke in a video congratulating Lattimore, described her as a champion for both residents and for affordable development. Others spoke of energy. Of improvements. Of revitalization.
“I am a member of the community,” Lattimore said. “I have traveled in the shoes of many of the people that we serve.” She described her life growing up in a family of nine children of hard-working parents. She remembers moving from place to place before her parents purchased a home.
“For me this has been like serving my family. Serving myself,” she said.
These are tough times for the affordable housing and community development field, she told the crowd. But from tough times comes transformation.
Even after she retires, “I will always be connected to the community. I’m not going to stop.”
