HHHunt Names Ann Kelly CEO as Buck Hunt Moves to Chairman-Only Role in 2027 Transition

HHHunt, a family-owned residential real estate company serving the Southeast, announced that Ann Kelly, its current chief financial officer, will become chief executive officer effective July 1, 2027. Kelly will succeed Buck Hunt, who has served as CEO since 2013 and will retain his role as chairman.

Ann Kelly to Lead HHHunt as CEO

HHHunt announced the leadership change on Oct. 7, 2026. Buck Hunt, the company's current chairman and CEO, will step down from the chief executive role on July 1, 2027, while remaining chairman. In that capacity, he will continue to help guide HHHunt's long-term strategy.

Kelly joined HHHunt in 2001 and spent her first 10 years as controller for HHHunt Homes. She later served as vice president of finance and accounting and as senior vice president of finance and risk management before being named CFO in 2019. In that role, she has led corporate finance and accounting functions across all HHHunt business lines.

Kelly is a Virginia Tech graduate. Outside the company, she serves on the boards of the Goochland Education Foundation, GoochlandCares and Virginia Tech's Blackwood School of Real Estate.

"I am honored to be entrusted with the CEO role," Kelly said, "and excited to continue building on a 60-year HHHunt legacy of values-driven success and innovation."

Executive Leadership Team Changes at HHHunt

As part of the transition, Steve Brant, currently senior vice president of finance and treasury, will become chief financial officer. Brant joined HHHunt in 2006 as controller for HHHunt Communities, was promoted to vice president of finance and accounting in 2013 and has held his current position since 2019. He holds an economics degree from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Averett University.

Steve Fritz, chief operations officer since 2019, will serve alongside Kelly and Brant. The three will comprise the HHHunt executive leadership team. Fritz holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland. He joined HHHunt in 2015 as general manager of HHHunt Homes of Raleigh and was promoted to president of HHHunt Homes in 2017. He previously held president roles at the divisional and regional levels with several of the largest publicly traded homebuilders in the country.

Buck Hunt's Role After the Transition

Buck Hunt grew up in the family business, following his father, HHHunt founder Harry H. Hunt III, and learned the company through a variety of roles. During his 13 years as CEO, the company said, he guided HHHunt through divestitures and acquisitions and helped create its vision, mission, brand promises and values.

After July 1, 2027, Hunt will focus on leading a new hospitality venture for the company. HHHunt is evaluating sites for a boutique hotel within its existing Southeast footprint, with an upscale concept emphasizing design, finishes and technology.

"Ann and I are aligned on what the future holds for HHHunt," Buck Hunt said. "She has a passion for pushing the company forward, challenging the status quo and holding us accountable for the high standards we have always met. I have nothing but confidence in the new executive team's leadership and they will have my full support in leading HHHunt forward."

Succession Comes During Active Expansion

The leadership change comes as HHHunt deploys capital across several Southeast markets. The company has announced $247 million of Southeast expansion, including more than 600 apartments in two Charlotte communities and 581 apartments plus 41 build-to-rent townhomes in Raleigh. HHHunt is also developing Abberly Rise in Greensboro, a planned 288-unit, $80 million apartment community that will be the company's first in Greensboro. It has committed $34 million to the second phase of Abberly Chase in Ridgeland, South Carolina, which will add 120 apartments across five buildings.

HHHunt operates 27 apartment communities with nearly 8,900 units across six states and employs nearly 500 people. It also builds single-family homes and develops master-planned communities. HHHunt Homes closed 580 homes in 2025, and HHHunt Communities has 27 master-planned communities, nine of which are under development.

The company, founded in 1966, operates through three divisions: HHHunt Abberly Apartments, HHHunt Communities and HHHunt Homes. It develops, builds, owns and manages properties in Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The transition is not associated with a change in that six-state footprint.

Market Backdrop for HHHunt's Leadership Change

HHHunt's apartment expansion follows an unusually large national supply cycle. U.S. apartment construction starts fell to approximately 55,000 units in the first quarter of 2026, a 73% decline from the peak in early 2022 and the lowest quarterly level since 2011. Vacancy in major Southern markets was 6.6% in March, compared with a 7.3% national rate, and the broader 2026 forecast called for vacancy to decline to 5.2%. Rent performance has remained uneven, with Miami-Fort Lauderdale leading the region at 0.7% year-over-year asking-rent growth.

Against that backdrop, the appointment of an internal executive with finance and risk management experience places day-to-day leadership with an executive who has worked across HHHunt's finance and construction operations. Moving Brant into the CFO role preserves continuity in the finance team as the company funds its development pipeline, and Fritz's continued presence keeps construction and operating experience on the executive team.

Sources

HHHunt, "HHHunt Names New CEO as Part of Leadership Transition": https://www.hhhunt.com/blog-posts/hhhunt-names-new-ceo-as-part-of-leadership-transition