Thank You, Jeff Hall, For 36 Years

HAA celebrates Executive Vice President Jeff Hall’s influence and impact as it embraces a new future.

By MORGAN TAYLOR, HAA Staff Portrait by MARK HIEBERT, Hiebert Photography

There are people whose absence is deeply felt because their presence felt timeless. It was somewhat of a shock when Jeff Hall announced he would be retiring at the end of the year. Hall has led the Houston Apartment Association as the executive vice president for the last 19 years. His retirement doesn’t come earlier than expected, either. He was with HAA for a total of 36 years.

His leadership redefined Houston’s apartment industry and he will leave a lasting mark on the organization. He made HAA a place where people could pursue their passion, find their purpose, be challenged and have fun.

Professor, researcher and author Angela Duckworth studied 16,000 people for her book called “Grit,” winning her the MacArthur “Genius” Award for her work. She found that grit is the perseverance that keeps us going in order to fulfill long-term goals. The difference, though, between those who are hard workers and those who have real grit is that the latter finds purpose or meaning in what they do. Purpose, or meaning, is defined as serving others and loving what you do.

When you look at the work that HAA has accomplished under Hall’s leadership, you can understand how Hall was motivated to lead HAA for 36 years. He found a meaningful, other-centered life, as Duckworth would say. This type of work transcends a job or a career to a calling.

“Being able to represent the association and working with the broader community and helping create coalitions was really satisfying. Being able to do things for

the association and its members that at the same time impacted the larger community –that was exciting for me. To have an impact, to make a difference,” Hall said.

Contributing to the well-being of the apartment industry and community was Hall’s favorite role in his career. Oftentimes, that wellbeing contribution reached beyond our local parameters.

When Hurricane Katrina made landfall and demolished New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region in 2005, it displaced more than a million people across the entire Gulf Coast region. Eight days after the storm’s landfall, Houston Mayor Bill White held an emergency meeting at city hall to find a solution for the 200,000 victims who evacuated to Houston. Under Hall’s guidance, 250 HAA members showed up to that meeting and made it their problem to solve. The group set aside more than 10,000 units for Hurricane Katrina victims. Other apartments in the city quickly followed suit. In the end, more 37,000 units were rented to evacuees. This tactic became part of the city’s hurricane response model for both the city and HAA for every other hurricane that would follow. Being able to provide for people who lost everything with resources, support and most importantly, a home over the years are the moments in Hall’s career that really stand out.

Hall was able to stitch purpose and passion into the fabric of HAA’s culture. When you consider how out of 18 people, four have been with HAA for more than 25 years, you can see that Hall fostered HAA to be a place where people found their callings, too.

“We all work together well and with loyalty and respect. That’s one of the best things –probably the best thing I’ve ever done as an association executive – is hire some great people and keep them involved and challenged and progressing in their careers and in their impact. That’s why I’ve always been very passionate about the CAE credential and other credentials,” Hall said.

The CAE credential is short for the Certified Association Executive credential. It is the marker of a committed association professional and it’s the highest credential you can receive as an association professional. Seven people on HAA staff have credentials and six have the CAE credential.

“The fact that we’ve had more CAEs working for HAA at one time than any other organization in America except for a large medical group in Texas – I’m very proud of that because I wanted to encourage people to seek that,” Hall said.

Earning a credential, especially the CAE credential, is a strong indicator of someone who is gritty, who loves what they do and who wants to be the best at what they do. Its these people who have driven HAA to be the largest and best local apartment association in the country.

“We have a great organization here and the culture … is that we want things done at a high standard. We want to be the best; we want to be the trendsetter among apartment associations and even among other associations to some extent,” Hall said.

At the near end of Hall’s career, he won two awards that standout among the 12 awards he has received over the years. The first being the Texas Apartment Association’s 2017 Association Executive of the Year award and the Texas Society of Association Executives’ 2018 Executive of the Year award. When he won the TAA award in 2017, it was the third time he won that award, an accomplishment met by only one other person in the state of Texas.

“To still get that award, after being in my role for a long time, had a special meaning. I knew the end was relatively near, so to receive that was really special,” Hall said about the 2017 TAA Association Executive of the Year award.

To win the TSAE Executive of the Year award in 2018 was special because TSAE reviews leaders within all types of associations throughout the state.

“To get that for the whole state of Texas was a shock and a surprise. That will always have special meaning for me because it shows I was able to do things that weren’t just good for HAA but for the association community as a whole in the state, and that I’m still involved and relevant after 30 something years,” Hall said.

Financially, it has been a hard year for HAA, and so many other people and organizations, filled with tough decisions. Despite it all, Hall guided HAA to find new ways of supporting its members and the Houston community. Hall is confident that HAA will continue to live on for another 60 years, as well as its culture of exceeding excellence as the new executive director takes over.

“Difficult situations like this year require more creativity. That puts us to the test to some extent. How can we still serve our members and the community when our options seem to be limited in the ways we can have an impact,” Hall said. “Without really knowing my successor, I’m really impressed with her background and her history of working with people on our staff.”

Even though Hall will miss the comradery with his HAA family, he and his wife Tracy Hall will have an active, exciting retirement. The two bought a home in San Marcos, where they will live when they aren’t traveling the world together. When they are home, they will spend their time volunteering and indulging in all the outdoor activities San Marcos and the Texas Hill Country have to offer.

While we, as an HAA staff, are excited for his next chapter in life, Hall will be missed dearly. Thank you, Jeff Hall, for 36 years.