RESPONSIBILITIES: Leadership of Virginia’s largest trade association – a 501.c.6 organization with 29,000 members, $5 million annual budget and staff of 25.SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS:Financial Management. Strategically eliminated $1+ million in expenses and balanced budget with no substantive reduction in member-facing services during 5-year economic downturn in which membership fell by 33%. Strategic Leadership. Narrowed organizational focus to a handful of high-value, measurable objectives – for which VAR had high competency and was well positioned to achieve – by creating and implementing a new ends-based strategic plan. Public Policy and Political Advocacy. Realigned VAR programs and expenditures and enhanced political effectiveness by conceiving and coordinating the strategic process that identified legislative and political advocacy as VAR’s core competency.• Grew and leveraged REALTORS’® local public policy influence by implementing the Political Field Representative program, in which two VAR employees are sited in-district• Asserted a unified, pragmatic public voice on housing related policy issues by initiating effective external partnerships with like-minded organizations, including Virginia Chamber, Virginia Bankers, and Virginia Mortgage Lenders.• Significantly grew media impressions and op-ed placement by developing public relations competency, positioning VAR as a trusted voice on housing policy and source of accurate market data.Member Engagement. Increased face-to-face contact with rank-and-file members and grew member affinity by creating a member outreach division. As a result, VAR now “touches” more than 50% of members annually with face-to-face interaction.Social Media. Grew member engagement by overseeing implementation of integrated social media strategy; components included one of the first widely read REALTOR® assn weblogs and highly efficient syndication system for multi-purposing editorial content across communication platforms.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Leadership of Mississippi’s largest trade association – a 501.c.6 organization with 5,500 members, a $1.8 million annual budget and a staff of 14.SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS:Organizational Development. Engineered transformation of MAR from a four-employee, inward-focused organizational model to a member-focused, strategy-driven business with capable volunteer leaders and a dedicated professional staff.Financial Management. Increased MAR operating revenues from $720,000 in 1994 to more than $2.1 million in 2005 largely by growing non-dues business lines.Strategic Leadership. Implemented “balanced scorecard” approach to strategic management and created customized “strategic scorecard” to aid Board of Directors in evaluating progress toward MAR’s strategic priorities.Leadership Development. Conceived and implemented LeadershipMAR, a nationally recognized and replicated REALTOR leadership development program that since inception has prepared hundreds of REALTOR® leaders across the nation for association and community leadership positions.Political Advocacy. Strengthened organizational focus on political advocacy role, enhancing MAR’s political influence and clout significantly by substantially growing PAC fundraising, hiring in-house lobbyist and creating grassroots legislative key contact network.WHAT I LEARNED THERE: Size and budget are not the best indicators of an organization’s potential, nor should they be limits on its ambitions. With visionary, passionate leaders, an organization can be credible, effective and influential. Nurturing leadership is a good investment.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Management of award-winning nationwide communications program, including administration of $600,000 communication budget, and management of $288,000 public relations agency relationship, as well as publications, consumer education campaigns and public information.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Management of comprehensive public relations and member services programs, including administration of $80,000 budget and supervision of staff support personnel; serving as media liaison and principal staff spokesperson; editor of Alabama REALTOR Magazine; and program development and coordination for AAR’s three annual meetings.