As the National Association of Realtors hunts for a new CEO, its 1.2 million members have a chance to influence who that person will be.
All who would like to share the qualities that they hope to see in a new CEO, names of ideal candidates, or what the new leader should focus on can contact any member of the search committee or reach out on NAR’s main social media channels, “which are always monitored,” the trade group told Inman.
Chris Polychron
“The NAR member search committee is currently in the process of working with [executive search firm] Heidrick & Struggles to create a job and requirements description that will be used for the CEO search,” Chris Polychron, NAR member search committee chair and NAR 2015 president, told Inman via email.
“Once it is finalized it will likely be posted online.”
The new CEO’s first priorities “will be up to the next CEO and NAR’s elected leadership to determine,” Polychron added.
When current CEO Dale Stinton departs at the end of 2017, NAR will likely need someone at the helm who can steer the trade group and its agents and brokers through “radical changes to how real estate will be bought and sold” in the coming years, Inman publisher Brad Inman noted in September.
“The organization needs a corporate makeover artist. The challenge for NAR is how can it leverage its vast membership (which gives it so much clout), remain democratic and at the same time become lean enough to make tough decisions easily,” Inman wrote.
“NAR is working hard to become more inclusive and tear down its white-boy insider club. This decision could be telling on that front as well.”
Some industry commentators have suggested that NAR should hire a woman as its next CEO. Consultant and blogger Rob Hahn even put forward the names of five potential candidates.
NAR has had 11 CEOs since its founding in 1908 and all of them were men, according to the trade group.
When asked about the possibility of a female choice, Polychron said, “The search committee is focused on finding the best qualified candidate for the position, regardless of gender.”
Still, in announcing the official start of the search, the trade group noted the diversity of its member search committee.
“The search committee leaders strived to select diversity and representation across as many variables as possible,” Polychron said.
“While not exhaustive, those variables included specialty, firm size, geographic area, age, role (local/state association leaders, members, and staff), race and gender.”
The names of candidates will remain confidential and NAR will not share them externally, even after a new CEO is hired, according to spokeswoman Sara Wiskerchen.
In the meantime, the trade group anticipates “much discussion and sharing on our many member and social channels,” she said.
She recommended members share their thoughts on the trade group’s main social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Agents can also reach out to the search committee members individually:
- NAR 2015 President Chris Polychron of Hot Springs 1st Choice Realty in Hot Springs, Arkansas; chair (chrispolychron44@gmail.com)
- NAR 2003 President Cathy Whatley of Buck & Buck, Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida; vice chair (cwhatley@
realtors.org ) - Doug Hinderer, NAR senior vice president, Chicago, staff executive (dhinderer@realtors.org)
- Jeff Barnett of Alain Pinel, Realtors in Los Gatos, California (jbarnett@apr.com)
- Tray Bates of Bates Commercial LLC in Corpus Christi, Texas (tray@batescommercial.com)
- Brian Copeland of Village Real Estate Services in Nashville, Tennessee (brian@villagetn.com)
- Julie DeLorenzo of Keller Williams Realty in Boise, Idaho (julie@kw.com)
- Travis Kessler, CEO of the Texas Association of Realtors in Austin, Texas (tkessler@texasrealtors.com)
- Mike McGrew of McGrew Real Estate Inc. in Lawrence, Kansas (ceo@askmcgrew.com)
- Mike Pappas of The Keyes Company in Miami (mikepappas@keyes.com)
- Beth L. Peerce of Prime Time Properties in Los Angeles (words4beth@aol.com)
- JoAnne Poole of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Baltimore (joanne@joannepoole.com)
- Diane Ruggiero, former CEO of the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors, in The Villages, Florida (diane@pranix.com)
- Joel Singer, CEO of the California Association of Realtors in Los Angeles (joels@car.org)
- Tom Stevens of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Vienna, Virginia (TStevens@cbmove.com)
- Rebecca Thomson of @properties in Chicago (rebeccat@atproperties.com)
In his list of predictions for 2017, Brad Inman forecast, “Though the old-guard will lobby hard for anointing one of its own, the National Association of Realtors will do what the country could not — make a woman the CEO.
“Remember, your hard work funds NAR, so speak up in one way or the other. If you hold an opinion, email the search committee and give them a piece of your mind.”
What would you like to see in NAR’s next CEO? Let us know below.
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