Executive Vice President
Bill Ward is the Executive Vice President of the Home Builders Association of Illinois. Bill was hired in 1989 as HBAI’s first full-time lobbyist, serving as Director of Governmental Affairs for over 19 years. Bill was selected as the State E.O. in the fall of 2008. In his tenure with the association, he has worked on every aspect of the law as it affects the home construction industry. He is responsible in part for the passage of the Roadway Impact Fee Law; the expansion of the Model Home Act and the Vacant Lot Act,; the enactment of the Home Repair & Remodeling Act; the defeat of the Fire Sprinkler Mandate and the Home Repair Tax. He was elected Speaker of the Illinois Third House for 1997; and, received the Legislation of the Year Award from NAHB in 2004 for the passage of the Illinois Residential Building Code Act.
HBAI Staff
Evelyn Yowell has been the staff assistant to Bill Ward since 2012. Prior to joining HBAI, Evelyn was part of the HBAI leadership team and Board of Directors for several years. Straight after college, with a double major of accounting and business management, Evelyn joined a drywall and plastering firm, then moved to a home building and remodeling firm, ending with the ownership of a residential remodeling and insurance restoration firm for over ten years.
The benefits of being an HBAI member and knowing first hand how HBAI strengthens every member’s company, has given her the background to assist Bill Ward and HBAI in it’s pursuits.
