About HERA

The Association formed over 50 years ago and was originally known as the American Association of Housing Educators (AAHE). Over time the Housing Education and Research Association (HERA) increased the focus on research and changed its name to reflect that.  Learn more about the history of HERA.

Housing Education and Research Association members encompass a wide spectrum of housing topics, including, but not limited to, social sciences, the built environment, and sustainability. As social, cultural and economic conditions change, HERA is dedicated to making society a better place.

HERA Leadership

Executive Director:
Barbara Allen
581 Stargazer Way
Florence, MT 59833
406-580-4836
heraballen@gmail.com

President:
Kimberly Skobba
University of Georgia
kskobba@uga.edu

President-elect:
Vacant

Vice President for Annual Conference:
Eunju Hwang & Greg Galford
Virginia Tech
hwange@vt.edu and ggalford@vt.edu

Secretary:
Eunju Hwang
Virginia Tech
Hwange@vt.edu

Treasurer:
Randy Cantrell, Treasurer
University of Florida
rcantrell@ufl.edu

Director:
Carla Earhart
Ball State University
cearhart@bsu.edu

Director:
Katherine Allen
UFL – IFAS Extension
nrgkate@ufl.edu

Director:
Greg Galford
Virginia Tech
ggalford@vt.edu

Past-president:
Axton Betz-Hamilton
South Dakota State University
axton.betzhamilton@sdstate.edu

Journal Executive Editors:
Thomas Moore & Richard Dunning
University of Liverpool
thomas.moore@liverpool.ac.uk
R.j.dunning@liverpool.ac.uk

2025 Conference Host
Eunju Hwang & Greg Galford
Virginia Tech
hwange@vt.edu and ggalford@vt.edu

2025 Proceedings Editors:
Daejin Kim
Florida State University
dk24v@fsu.edu

Academic Section Chair:
Michael Gawrys
Virginia Tech
mgawrys@vt.edu

Research Section Chair: 
Julie Irish
Iowa State University
jenirish@iastate.edu

Extension Section Chair:
Katherine Allen
University of Florida/IFAS
nrgkate@ufl.edu

Awards Committee Chair:
Sung-Jin Lee
NC A&T State University
slee@ncat.edu

Publications Committee Chair:
Daejin Kim
Florida State University
dk24v@fsu.edu

Membership Committee Chair: 
Pamela Turner
University of Georgia
prturner@uga.edu

Nomination Committee Chair:
Axton Betz-Hamilton
South Dakota State University
axton.betzhamilton@sdstate.edu