Ron Granville, a real estate management professional whose experience spans five decades, has taken the gavel as the California Apartment Association’s board president for 2014.

Granville, chief executive officer and partner at Northern California-based Woodmont Real Estate Services, led his first CAA board meeting as president Thursday, Feb. 20, in Sacramento.

He said he is honored to guide an association dedicated to serving the ethical members of the state’s rental housing industry.

“Millions of Californians live in rental housing, whether large-scale apartment complexes or single-family homes,” Granville said. “At CAA, we have a great responsibility to help property owners and managers provide quality rental  homes throughout this vibrant and diverse state.”

For more than 70 years, CAA has supported apartment owners and managers through tireless work in public affairs, education and customer service.

As CAA president, Granville will head the organization’s volunteer board of directors for a 12-month term. His predecessor, Laura Khouri, said the Association is in good hands.

“Under the leadership of Ron Granville, CAA’s accomplishments will surely continue in 2014,” said Khouri, who remains on CAA’s executive committee as immediate past president.

Granville, a graduate of UC Berkeley, joined Woodmont in 1974 and has built a reputation for constantly raising the bar in real estate management. He remains actively involved in all aspects of Woodmont’s operations, and under his leadership, the company’s portfolio has grown to over 10,000 multifamily units and more than 7.2 million square feet of commercial space with assets totaling $3 billion.

“CAA’s mission aligns perfectly with Ron’s experience both as a longtime leader within the Association and through his career at Woodmont,” said Tom Bannon, chief executive officer at CAA. “This is an exciting time for our industry, and with Ron at the helm, we are ready for the many opportunities that 2014 will bring:”