WASHINGTON, DC—William Rudin has assumed the chairmanship of the Real Estate Roundtable, succeeding Taubman Centers CEO Robert Taubman in this capacity. The vice chairman and CEO of Rudin Management Co., among the most prominent private owners in New York City, Rudin was a founding member of the Roundtable in 1999 and has served as chairman-elect for the past year.

“Thanks to his deep engagement over the years, and the respect he enjoys from peers and elected officials at all levels of government, Bill Rudin has contributed immeasurably to the Roundtable's success in Washington,” says Jeffrey DeBoer, the Roundtable's president and CEO. He adds that among the areas in which Rudin has participated include tax and technology issues, homeland security policy “and real estate's positive role in creating jobs and addressing U.S. energy challenges. I'm thrilled to be working with Bill in this new role, and look forward to many policy successes under his leadership.”

Taubman, who has served as Roundtable chairman for the past three years, says that “we could not have a better choice to lead our industry than Bill Rudin.” He cites his successor's “deep understanding of what is needed for real estate markets to thrive—including jobs, economic demand, financing, and infrastructure—and how all of this relates to healthy cities, local government budgets and a healthy US economy.”

Rudin calls on the real estate industry to maintain a proactive approach in Washington, and for policymakers to consider real estate as “part of the solution.” He is active in civic and industry groups in his native New York as well as in the nation's capital; among other affiliations, he chairs the Association for a Better New York.

Also effective on Wednesday, two new members have joined the Roundtable board. They're Thomas R. Arnold, head of Americas—real estate for the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and chairman of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate as well as the Pension Real Estate Association; and Stephen Lebovitz, president and CEO of CBL & Associates Properties Inc. and chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Stepping down from the Roundtable board are: Ronald L. Havner Jr., chairman, CEO and president of Public Storage Inc. and immediate past chairman of NAREIT; Steven D. Martin, managing principal of SDM Partners and chairman of NAIOP; and Daniel M. Neidich, CEO of Dune Real Estate Partners LP and immediate past chairman of the Roundtable.