The Howard Hughes Corp. (HHC) has appointed Stephen Sams as the company’s senior vice president, master-planned communities of residential development in the Houston region.

Sams holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas.

Sams has over 20 years of experience managing land development activity, a press release noted. Before joining HHC, he served as senior development manager, then general manager for Johnson Development Corporation.

Additionally, Sams served as land development manager for Perry Homes for eight years and worked for other prominent companies within the Houston real estate market. 

“Steve’s proven track record of progressive, professional experience in managing MPCs as well as land development will be invaluable as he leads our renowned master-planned community initiative in the Greater Houston area,” said Jim Carman, president of the Houston region for HHC. “He will be a great asset to our regional leadership team, and we welcome him to HHC.”

Sams will take over the prior residential responsibilities of Heath Melton, who was recently promoted to president of the Phoenix region for HHC.

“Howard Hughes is committed to providing sustainable developments in a natural setting with a focus on health and wellness initiatives for its residents, and this is evident through its successful and nationally recognized master-planned communities,” said Sams. “At a time of such growth and opportunity for Howard Hughes, I am pleased to join the regional team in the Greater Houston area.”