Eight NAR Leaders Appear on 2021 Swanepoel Power 200 List

WASHINGTON (January 12, 2021) – Eight National Association of Realtors® leaders are featured among this year's Swanepoel Power 200 list. The Swanepoel Power 200 – SP200 – is considered "the definitive ranking of the leaders and executives in the residential real estate brokerage industry" and published annually by T3 Sixty.

The following NAR leaders were named to the 2021 SP200 list (includes portions of SP200 narratives):

#8 – Bob Goldberg, CEO

(#1 among the SP200's Most Powerful Association/MLS Executives)

• 2020 was Bob Goldberg's third year as NAR's CEO. As the most powerful executive in the most powerful real estate association in the world, he continued his successful advocacy for the industry's 1.4 million members throughout 2020, including in the fight to have real estate professionals deemed essential workers when COVID-19 was shuttering businesses across the country. In one significant development this year, NAR was named one of America's top workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute in October. He has been ranked in the SP200 top 10 four years in a row and in the top 40 eight years in a row.

#37 – Shannon McGahn, Chief Advocacy Officer

(#4 among the SP200's Most Powerful Association/MLS Executives)

• In 2020, McGahn succeeded NAR head lobbyist Bill Malkasian as chief advocacy officer. In this role, she leads NAR's significant advocacy efforts. In addition to ensuring that independent contractor agents could participate in the Paycheck Protection Program, she helped get the National Flood Insurance Program extended for another year. Before joining NAR in 2018, McGahn served as counselor to the U.S. Treasury Secretary and staff director for the House Financial Services Committee.

#45 – Katie Johnson, General Counsel and Chief Member Experience Officer

(#6 among the SP200's Most Powerful Association/MLS Executives)

• As NAR's general counsel and chief member experience officer, Johnson ensures NAR's programs, policies and activities comply with the law. She had an active 2020, which will continue in 2021 and beyond as she helps NAR respond to and deal with the class-action antitrust commission lawsuits that name NAR as a defendant. Johnson helped settle an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice related to buyer's agent commission policies NAR set for affiliated multiple listing services. Johnson joined NAR in 2007 and became general counsel in 2014.

#51 – Charlie Oppler, 2021 President

• CEO of New Jersey-based Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty, Oppler succeeds Vince Malta as NAR's president in 2021. He has held multiple roles with NAR since 2003, including as a vice president in 2015, and many leadership roles at various association levels, including as president of the New Jersey Association of Realtors®. Oppler has also previously served as chair of the Realtor® Party Coordinating Committee and RPAC Trustees Committee.

#99 – Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Research

(#12 among the SP200's Most Powerful Association/MLS Executives)

• Widely quoted as the nation's foremost residential real estate industry economist, Dr. Yun leads NAR's research group as chief economist and senior vice president of research, directing NAR's marketing research and predictive analysis teams, creating economic forecasts and providing housing market analysis for the trade association.

#125 – Mark Birschbach, Senior Vice President, Strategic Business, Innovation and Technology

(#16 among the SP200's Most Powerful Association/MLS Executives)

• Birschbach is responsible for managing NAR's venture capital division Second Century Ventures, its international real estate technology accelerator REACH® and the Realtor Benefits® Program. He also leads NAR's Emerging Technology group, which identifies and researches new technologies. To date, SCV and REACH® own equity in over 100 companies that impact the businesses of over 600,000 real estate practitioners on an annual basis. Previously, he served as vice president of strategic investments at NAR and was responsible for managing several NAR investments.

#167 – Victoria Gillespie, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

• As NAR's Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Gillespie manages a team of approximately 80 staff responsible for NAR's public relations, marketing, events, creative and digital strategy. Since taking the position in 2018, Gillespie has overseen the development of a successful NAR consumer advertising campaign, a full redesign of the association's online presence, and its pivot to hosting conferences and events virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

#182 – Dave Garland, Managing Partner, Second Century Ventures

• Garland has served as managing partner of NAR's venture capital wing Second Century Ventures since 2016. The firm operates a startup incubator in REACH®, and has made over 100 investments into companies such as: Docusign®, Notorize, Adwerx, HouseCanary, Sindeo, RealScout, Smartzip, BombBomb, SentriLock, Ylopo and Zavvie.

"NAR's impact on the real estate industry remains unmatched in large part due to the vision and work of our association's leadership," said NAR 2021 President-Elect Leslie Rouda Smith. "We salute our colleagues on this outstanding honor and are thankful for their collective inspiration, innovation and service."

According to T3 Sixty, it arrives at its annual SP200 list after spending "approximately 500 hours analyzing hundreds of bios, annual reports and transaction and sales volume data." It then sends "hundreds of requests for additional information, personally verifying stats, announcements, and actions that took place over the past year."

Nominations for the Power 200 are accepted, but the majority of the 3,000 or so people reviewed and considered come from T3 Sixty's own database and ongoing research of the industry. Leaders are evaluated based on the office they hold, the decision-making power associated with the office, the financial resources at their disposal, their organization's industry significance and geographical reach, public announcements about imminent changes, their tenure and their personal influence in the industry.

"Despite the complexities and craziness of 2020, many NAR leaders stepped up, and were willing to do what it takes to serve their members and the real estate brokerage industry at large," said T3 Sixty Chairman and CEO Stefan Swanepoel. "NAR's commitment to improving diversity and making the industry a more balanced and represented profession is also highly commendable."

Visit sp200.com for more information on The Swanepoel Power 200 and to see the full list.

The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

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