Doug Bibby has worked in the real estate industry for his entire career, including helming the apartment industry’s trade association, the National Multifamily Housing Council, for nearly two decades. 

On the cusp of his retirement next summer, Bibby leaves behind his legacy in the housing industry. Almost every major initiative Bibby has undertaken is with a view to ensuring the long-term health and growth of our sector. 

Perhaps his most enduring contribution is his effort to create NMHC’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative – a long-term commitment to promote diversity within the multifamily industry. In fact, at the 2019 NMHC Annual Meeting, the vision of diversity and inclusion took a step forward – as nearly 500 women gathered for NMHC’s first-ever Women’s Event.

Recognizing the critical need to attract talent to the commercial real estate industry, Bibby personally recruited 26 related trade associations last year to create the Careers Building Communities platform, which is designed for students, educators and other individuals to explore the industry and learn more about what it takes to obtain education and employment within each sector.

Bibby was also the driving force behind the creation of NMHC’s Emerging Leader program, designed to ensure that once talent is attracted to the industry, there are avenues to help those professionals advance. 

Since its inception, thousands of under-40 future leaders have participated in the program, and several of the Emerging Leader Committee members have gone on to assume CEO and other C-Suite roles in their companies.

What has been your secret to success?

“Have a vision, hire the right people and empower them to carry out that vision.”