Sheryl Palmer
Sheryl Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Education | |
| Occupations | Marketer and business executive |
| Organization(s) | Chairman and CEO of Taylor Morrison (since 2007) |
Sheryl Palmer is an American marketer and business executive best known for serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of homebuilder Taylor Morrison, a role she's held since 2007, when the company was formed. She is the only female CEO of a publicly traded homebuilder.
Biography
[edit]Palmer was born in Los Angeles but grew up moving around due to her mother working as a fashion designer. She began working at McDonald's at 15, and by 20, while she was enrolled at San Diego State University studying special education, became the Marketing Manager for San Diego of McDonalds.[1]
She then worked at a marketing agency with a major homebuilder client, before joining Irvine Company and then Blackwood Company, both homebuilders. She then joined PulteGroup.[2]
After this, she took a year off and considered retiring but was tapped by Morrison Homes to serve as their Western Union President. After they fused with Taylor Woodrow to form Taylor Morrison, she was soon tapped to serve as the company's CEO.[2] She led the company through the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007[3][4], which occurred just as she was becoming CEO. Under her leadership, however, the company rebuilt and, after a stint in private equity starting in 2010 during which she resigned for about a day before returning[5], went public in 2013[6][7], opening 20% higher than expected.[8] She is the only female CEO of a publicly traded homebuilder.[9][10][11][12] Under her leadership, the company has been in the Fortune 500.[13]
As CEO, she has emphasized "loving the customer",[14][15] a philosophy that includes getting to know each and every customer and maintaining a diverse staff to be prepared for customers with diverse needs and cultures. In particular, she has led Taylor Morrison to have 44% of its employees be women, far more than the average in homebuilders.[16] She also announced that Taylor Morrison would provide an ownership stake to every one of the employees, not merely executives.[17]
She has led Taylor Morrison through its acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway and will remain CEO after the acquisition is finalized.[18][19]
She has also interviewed individuals including George W. Bush, Steve Case, Donna Brazile, Karl Rove, and Michelle Obama.[5] She has served as Chairman of the Board of HomeAid.[20]
She was named Executive of the Year by the W. P. Carey School of Business in 2021.[21] She was named a 2025 CNBC Changemaker[22]. That same year, she was named to Forbes's 50 Over 50.[23]
References
[edit]- ^ Strong, Symone (2021-05-05). "2021 Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award Winner: Sheryl Palmer". Builder Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ a b Carmichael, Mollie (2022-10-11). "What Sheryl Palmer Learned at McDonald's". Builder Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "2019 Peoples' Choice Winner: Sheryl Palmer grows Valley business to fifth-largest homebuilder in nation". Phoenix Business Journal. 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Breaking Ground and Glass Ceilings: Sheryl Palmer's Mission to Humanize Homebuilding". fortune.com. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ a b Brady, Diane. "How Taylor Morrison CEO Sheryl Palmer leads differently after almost 20 years—and who she's met along the way". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "15: Sheryl D. Palmer, Taylor Morrison". Builder Magazine. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ Taulli, Tom. "Interview with Taylor Morrison's CEO Sheryl Palmer". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ Jarzemsky, Matt (2013-04-10). "Home Builder Taylor Morrison Opens Higher in IPO". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Sheryl Palmer". The New Era of Leadership. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Secrets of Wealthy Women: Sheryl Palmer on Thriving in a Male-Dominated Industry". The Wall Street Journal. 2019-04-26. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Taylor Morrison CEO Sheryl Palmer talks homebuilding". AP News. 2019-01-27. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Taylor Morrison Home CEO Sheryl Palmer talks homebuilding". AP News. 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "How Taylor Morrison CEO Sheryl Palmer leads differently after almost 20 years—and who she's met along the way". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ Bryant, Adam (2017-01-27). "Sheryl Palmer on Her 'Shoes Off' Leadership Style". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Pass it on: Taylor Morrison CEO says 'trust your gut'". AP News. 2019-01-27. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ Draffen, Leah (2026-03-06). "How Sheryl Palmer Fosters Diversity in the Industry". Builder Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ Georgescu, Peter. "Love Your Customers, Love Your Team, And Shareholders Will Love You". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ Hur, Rebecca Picciotto and Krystal (2026-06-02). "Berkshire Is Convinced the American Dream of Homeownership Will Stay Alive". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Berkshire Hathaway finds a use for 2% of its $397 billion cash pile with home-builder deal". Morningstar, Inc. 2026-06-01. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Sheryl Palmer". HomeAid. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ "Taylor Morrison Chairman and CEO Sheryl Palmer named 2021 Executive of the Year | W. P. Carey News". news.wpcarey.asu.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ Rosenbaum, Eric (2025-02-24). "Sheryl Palmer". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ^ McGrath, Maggie. "50 Over 50: Lifestyle". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-06-26.