Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association leader Miles Conway leaving for state association CEO position

Officials at the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association are searching for a new leader as the organization’s executive officer of many years, Miles Conway, has announced he is leaving for a similar job with the New Mexico Home Builders Association.

The move was announced in a Monday news release from the Santa Fe association, which Conway has led since March 2020. He will continue to work for the local group temporarily while pursuing his new duties, according to the release. A search committee charged with finding Conway’s replacement already has been organized.

Conway will succeed Denise Montoya as CEO of the New Mexico Home Builders Association, which is based in Albuquerque. He signaled he would take a measured approach to his new position in a statement included in the news release.

“I don’t intend to come bucking out of the gate,” Conway wrote, explaining he plans to carefully immerse himself into the state association’s board and committee structures with an eye toward building unity and common purpose.

“Now begins my time to listen and learn,” he added.

Miles Conway (copy)

Miles Conway, executive officer of the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association, is leaving the position to lead the New Mexico Home Builders Association.

Conway, who did not respond to a request for comment from The New Mexican on Monday, wrote his goal is to be up to speed on the state organization’s work by fall. It’s not clear how long he will continue to work for the Santa Fe group during the transition.

The Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association touted Conway’s contributions to the organization in a statement included in the release, describing him as a powerful advocate for housing, design and community development throughout Northern New Mexico.

“Miles brought clarity, warmth, and inspiration to our work, never shying away from the challenges facing our industry,” the release said. “Whether engaging with policymakers, organizing powerful community events, or simply encouraging members to think bigger, Miles left an indelible mark on our region — and on all of us.”

During his tenure, the organization said, the association expanded its influence, deepened its community ties and elevated its voice.

Conway previously drew high praise from Kim Shanahan, the late Santa Fe New Mexican real estate columnist, builder and affordable housing advocate, who credited the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association for hiring Conway as its executive officer in 2020 despite his background as a union official — an unusual path to leadership in residential construction, Shanahan noted.

“Conway was unknown, not a builder and with a résumé that presumably spelled troublemaker,” Shanahan wrote in a May 4, 2024, column in which he described Conway as perhaps the best leader the association had ever had. “The flyer the board took on Conway appears to be working well.”

An online listing for the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association position describes the executive officer as the face of the association and someone who advocates for its mission and values. The new executive officer will oversee all operational, financial and administrative aspects of the organization.

Applications for the position are being accepted online at shorturl.at/gIHET.