Sears praised Wright for guiding the association through budget issues, renewing its risk mitigation efforts and creating the momentum for NAR’s recently adopted 2026-2028 strategic plan, which he said will help lead the association into the future.
If regulations allow, Sears says he would like to give Wright a NAR President’s Award.
“What you did is extraordinary,” Sears said.
But Sears wasn’t the only one offering praise. During her remarks, Wright gave Sears his metaphorical flowers and told the directors that the changes she was able to make were only possible because of Sears’ support.
“My journey to date at NAR has been the most challenging professional opportunity imaginable,” said Wright. “It has been very difficult at times to come into an industry where I didn’t know anyone and then make a commitment to do my best to keep the association on track. Many thought I was crazy for even trying. I have led and managed a turnaround before, but this was not the case.”
Despite all the turmoil and chaos, Wright said there was still hope and desire that she would continue.
“There was hope because there was another man in the fire, who taught me the ropes and effectively carried the organization while 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 the members I served. There was hope because when I was afraid to go on stages across the country because I didn’t want to say the wrong things and get backlash against our members, he offered to come on those stages with me.”
According to Wright, the industry may remember him for helping to avert bankruptcy, leading the committee’s settlement decision, managing the transformation of the member experience, balancing two budgets and implementing the strategic plan, but it will remember him for “carrying the association through its most turbulent and darkest period by his actions and his candor and by doing the things no one else would have wanted to do.”
“Kevin made the burden easier to bear and I will forever be grateful for his leadership and partnership,” she said. “He is an extraordinary man and citizen, and I am grateful to have had him with me on this journey.”
NAR’s “guiding star” for the next three years
Much of the meeting was devoted to further discussion of NAR’s 2026-2028 strategic plan, which was unanimously adopted by the executive committee during a meeting on Sunday. According to Dawn Ruffini, chair of the 2025 Strategic Planning Committee, the plan “will be the guiding star of NAR for the next three years.”
“To echo what Nykia said, most members will find real value in NAR if we deliver on these priorities [outlined in the strategic plan]” said Ruffini.
As Ruffini’s term as chairman comes to an end, it will be up to Adam Watkins to oversee the start of the plan’s implementation 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,” said Watkins. “Looking ahead to 2026, we are focused on accountability to ensure this plan not only lives on the paper it is written on, but actually becomes a reality.”
To achieve this, Watkins says he and his team will build feedback loops and ensure the plan remains dynamic and relevant.
“We keep our eyes on the strategic horizon because we can’t just look down at the plan we have, we also have to look outward and see what’s coming our way so 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 certainly not out of the woods yet, as it continues to face lawsuits over buying commissions, as well as disputes over the three-way membership agreement and continued sluggish housing market conditions.
Although NAR concludes 2025 and surpasses its estimated membership of 1.4 million members with a total of 1.49 million members, the organization said it budgets 1.2 million members for 2026.
In addition, NAR said it will continue to reduce operating costs to maintain current membership dues, while still meeting its obligation to pay $72 million to the lawsuit settlement committee fund by February 2026.
For now, Sears says he’s looking forward to a long-awaited vacation as he looks to fulfill a promise he made to his wife, Molly, on stage Monday, and it’s up to NAR’s 2026 President Kevin Brown to continue implementing the changes Sears and Wright have initiated over the past 679 days.
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