“What
we
have
been
able
to
do
since
January
8th
of
last
year,
I
believe,
has
transformed
our
association,”
Sears
said.
“The
hiring
of

Nykia
Wright
as
our
permanent
CEO
—
she
has
been
the
juggernaut
that
we
needed.” 

Sears
praised
Wright
for
guiding
the
association
through
budget
challenges,
revamping
its
risk
mitigation
efforts
and
creating
the
impetus
for
NAR’s
recently
passed

2026-2028
strategic
plan,
which
he
feels
will
help
guide
the
association
into
the
future. 

If
rules
allow
for
it,
Sears
says
he
would
like
to
give
Wright
an
NAR
President’s
Award.

“What
you
have
done
is
extraordinary,”
Sears
said. 

But
Sears
wasn’t
the
only
one
doling
out
praise.
During
her
remarks,
Wright
gave
Sears
his
metaphorical
flowers,
telling
directors
that
the
changes
she
was
able
to
enact
were
only
possible
due
to
Sears’
support. 

“My
journey,
thus
far
at
NAR,
has
been
the
most
challenging
professional
opportunity
imaginable,”
Wright
said.
“It
has,
at
times,
been
very
hard
coming
into
an
industry
where
I
knew
no
one
and
then
taking
a
pledge
to
do
my
best
to
help
keep
the
association
on
track.
Many
thought
that
I
was
insane
for
even
trying.
I
led
and
managed
a
turnaround
before,
but
it
was
nothing
like
this.”

Despite
all
of
the
turmoil
and
chaos,
Wright
said
there
was
still
a
hope
and
a
desire
for
her
to
continue.

“There
was
hope
because
there
was
another
man
in
the
fire,
teaching
me
the
ropes
and
effectively
carrying
the
association
when
I
was
still
getting
up
to
speed.
That
man
was
Kevin
Sears,”
she
said.
“There
was
hope
because
he
led
by
example
and
showed
me
how
to
properly
care
for
the
association
and
members
that
I
was
serving.
There
was
hope
because
when
I
was
afraid
to
get
on
stages
around
the
country
because
I
didn’t
want
to
say
the
wrong
things
and
have
that
blowback
on
our
members,
he
offered
to
join
those
stages
with
me.”

According
to
Wright,
while
the
industry
at
large
may
remember
him
for
helping
stave
off
bankruptcy,

managing
the
commission
lawsuit
settlement
decision,
managing
the
transformation
of
member
experience,
balancing
two
budgets,
and
getting
the
strategic
plan
passed,
she
will
remember
him
“carrying
the
association
through
its
most
turbulent
and
darkest
period
through
his
actions
and
sincerity
and
doing
the
things
that
no
one
else
would
have
wanted
to
do.”

“Kevin
made
the
load
easier
to
carry
and
I
will
forever
be
grateful
for
his
leadership
and
partnership,”
she
said.
“He’s
an
extraordinary
man
and
citizen,
and
I
am
grateful
to
have
had
him
along
with
me
on
this
journey.” 

NAR’s
“guiding
star”
for
the
next
three
years

Much
of
the
meeting
was
dedicated
to
further
discussion
of
NAR’s

2026-2028
strategic
plan,
which
was
unanimously
passed
by
the
executive
committee
during
a
meeting
on
Sunday.
According
to
Dawn
Ruffini,
the
2025
chair
of
the
strategic
planning
committee,
the
plan
will
be
“NAR’s
guiding
star
for
the
next
three
years.” 

“To
echo
something
Nykia
said,
most
members
will
find
real
value
in
NAR
if
we
deliver
on
those
priorities
[outlined
in
the
strategic
plan],”
Ruffini
said. 

With
Ruffini’s
term
as
chair
coming
to
an
end,
it
will
be
up
to
Adam
Watkins
to
oversee
the
start
of
the
implementation
of
the
plan
in
2026. 

“We
are
going
where
no
strategic
planning
committee
has
gone
before,
pushing
boundaries
and
setting
a
new
standard
for
leadership
in
NAR’s
second
century,”
Watkins
said.
“Looking
ahead
to
2026,
we’re
focused
on
accountability
to
make
sure
this
plan
doesn’t
just
live
on
the
paper
that
it
is
writing
on,
but
actually
comes
true.” 

According
to
Watkins,
to
accomplish
this,
he
and
his
team
will
build
feedback
loops
and
ensure
that
the
plan
stays
dynamic
and
relevant.

“We
are
keeping
our
eyes
on
the
strategic
horizon
because
we
can’t
only
look
down
at
the
plan
we
have,
we
have
to
look
out
and
see
what
is
coming
down
the
track
so
that
we
can
adapt,”
Watkins
said.

While
NAR
may
be
in
a
better
position
than
it
was
679
days
ago
when
Sears
took
office,
the
trade
group
is
most
definitely
not
out
of
the
woods
just
yet,
as
it
continues
to
face
buy-side
commission
lawsuits,
as
well
as
disputes
over
the
three-way
membership
agreement
and
continued
slow

housing
market
conditions.

Although
NAR
is
finishing
2025
beating
its
membership
estimate
of

1.4
million
members
with
a
total
of
1.49
million
members,
the
organization
said
it
is
budgeting
for
1.2
million
members
in
2026.

Additionally,
NAR
said
it
will
continue
to
reduce
operating
expenses
to
maintain
current
membership
dues,
while
still
meeting
its
obligation
to
pay
$72
million
into
the
commission
lawsuit
settlement
fund
in
February
2026. 

For
now,
Sears
says
he
is
looking
forward
to
taking
a
long
awaited
vacation,
as
he
looks
to
make
good
on
a
promise
he
made
to
his
wife
Molly
on
stage
Monday,
and
it
will
be
up
to
NAR’s
2026
president,

Kevin
Brown,
to
continue
enacting
the
changes
Sears
and
Wright
have
set
into
motion
over
the
past
679
days.