2026 Housing Visionary Awards Gala
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm EDT
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On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, NHC will host our Annual Housing Visionary Awards Gala at the Anthem in Washington, D.C.! Housers from across the country will come together to celebrate the leadership excellence of this year’s honorees: Bill Emerson, Board Member, Rocket Companies, and Debra W. Still, Retired Vice Chair, Pulte Financial Services.
Honorees
Bill Emerson serves on the Rocket Companies Board of Directors.
Most recently, Bill was President of Rocket Companies. Previously, Bill held the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer from June to September 2023. He was also Vice Chairman of Rock Holdings, Inc. from February 2017 until May 2023 and served in a leadership role at Bedrock from July 2020 until February 2023. In both roles, he was responsible for leadership, growth and development of the company culture. Bill was Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Mortgage from 2002 to 2017, managing a changing mortgage market and leading the company through a period of massive growth.
Bill’s extensive leadership roles in the related businesses give him a unique understanding of the company, culture and history through many economic cycles – which is particularly critical given recent executive transitions and the macroeconomic challenges. His senior leadership experience also provides the Board with valuable perspective in long-term strategy, budgeting, risk management, human capital management and succession planning.
In addition to Rocket Companies, Bill is a member of the board of the United Way of Southeast Michigan and the Skillman Foundation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Penn State University.
Debra W. Still, CMB, retired in January 2026 as Vice Chair of Pulte Financial Services, which includes Pulte Mortgage LLC, PGP Title and Pulte Insurance Agency and employs over 1100 individuals throughout the U.S. Pulte Financial Services is a part of PulteGroup, one of America’s largest homebuilders with operations in twenty-six states.
Pulte
Still has more than four decades of experience in the mortgage housing industry. She joined Pulte Mortgage in 1983, as Vice President/Branch Manager of the Maryland Division and subsequently held that position with the Dallas/Fort Worth Division. In June 1997, she was promoted to Executive Vice President, Production, and in October of that year was appointed to the Pulte Mortgage Board of Directors and named Corporate Secretary. Still became Chief Operating Officer in 1999, and in August 2004, was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. She was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Pulte Financial Services in 2010, overseeing Pulte Mortgage, PGP Title, and PIA Insurance.
Mortgage Bankers Association, Washington, D.C.
Still served as the 2013 Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association and is currently a member of the association’s Board of Directors. She was awarded MBA’s Andrew D. Woodward Distinguished Service Award in 2014. As an active MBA member for more than a decade, Still has also Chaired MBA’s Residential Board of Governors (RESBOG), MBA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Council for Residential Mortgage Servicing for the 21st Century, the Affordable Housing Subgroup on GSE Reform, and the MBA Forward Task Force. She has also served on MBA’s Strategic Planning Committee, Loan Origination Task Force, and Secondary and Capital Markets Committee. Still has testified before Congress multiple times. She has been the Chairman of MBA’s Opens Doors Foundation for the past 12 years.
Other Housing Involvement, Washington, D.C., Denver
In 2011 and 2013, Still was featured in “Influential Women of the Housing Economy” by HousingWire Magazine and in 2011 was named one of “The Top Ten Women in Mortgage and Housing” by The Five Star Institute. In 2020, she was recognized by the Denver Business Journal as “Most Admired CEO of 2020.” In 2025, Still was recognized by Cotality (formally CoreLogic,) with the Dr. Frank Nothaft Impact Award.
Still is Co-Chair of the National Housing Conference’s National Advisory Council, a member of the National Association of Home Builders Housing Roundtable, and a board member of the Institute for Global Collaboration and the Ferguson Centers for Leadership Excellence.
Public Company Board Service
In March 2018, Still was appointed to Chimera’s Board of Directors. Chimera Investment Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that is primarily engaged in real estate finance. In September 2021, Still was appointed to the Board of Directors of Enact, Holdings, Inc. Enact is a publicly traded company and a leading U.S. private mortgage insurance provider.
Gala Program
5:30 PM | Registration and Reception
6:30 PM | Dinner and Networking
7:00 PM | Awards Program
7: 45 PM | Dessert and Networking