By: Nicole Slaughter Graham
Young professionals play an integral role in shaping the association, says National Association of REALTORS® CEO Nykia Wright. They may be the future leaders, but their perspective is valuable and needed now.
Young real estate leaders meeting in Chicago last week got face-to-face with Wright and other NAR staff executives at YPN Advance, the annual leadership conference for Young Professionals Networks leaders. Wright was joined by Raffi Williams, vice president of communications; Ashley Stinton, managing partner with the association’s tech growth program, NAR REACH; and Alexia Smokler, NAR director of Fair Housing policy and programs.
What Do You Bring to the Table?
The visit from Wright was a surprise for YPN Advance attendees. In a Q&A with 2026 YPN Chair Brandi Minchillo of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wright said NAR is in the midst of “one of the largest turnarounds in real estate history.” That includes reintroducing a truly member-centered, agile association to members and consumers and making sure they understand the value that NAR members provide.
Younger members are needed in this work, she emphasized, adding, “You all are the next generation of content creators. You all are the next generation of how people will experience real estate transactions in the country.”
And while YPN members are invaluable in sharing NAR’s story, they also key sources of intelligence on what they need from their association. With more than 1.4 million members consuming information in different ways, NAR can’t rely on guessing how best to reach them.
“Our guessing game will make us slow.” Wright said, encouraging attendees to bring their ideas into NAR committees and policymaking bodies.
Beyond having a seat at the table, young professionals should think about what they bring into the room that might be different from the existing expertise, Wright said.
She pointed to her own experience as a newcomer to real estate and the range of issues she encounters as NAR’s CEO, noting that approaching the business as a multitool professional proved beneficial.
“One minute I could be working on how we’re thinking about our new learning management system for CRD, the Center for REALTOR® Development. Another moment I could be on stage being led by Raffi and getting talking points as well by Ashley and others,” Wright said. “I could be masquerading as an expert but really following Alexia when we’re talking to HUD [the Department of Housing and Urban Development].”
Being an outsider, one who listens in a deliberate and purposeful manner, was one of the things the organization needed most in a CEO, said Wright, who took the helm as interim CEO in late 2023 and was named permanent CEO in August 2024.
The lesson for YPN members: The value you bring to a room is greatest when it’s different from what is already there.
Call to Action 1: Be an NAR Influencer
Williams, who heads the NAR Influencer Program, said one member’s perspective can make a big difference in how other members and the public perceive the association and the industry. Through the Influencer Program, NAR equips engaged members with information they can share with their spheres.
One of the association’s key efforts in the social media arena is to incorporate more user-generated content into its communications.
“Our best spokespeople are you,” he told attendees. “It’s not me sitting up here on stage. It’s you who are living the real estate agent’s life day in and day out.”
That firsthand experience also gives young professionals an opportunity to help NAR understand how the next generation wants to receive information. Williams said feedback from YPN is already helping NAR determine what resonates with members. “That feedback loop, that involvement, that engagement is so important for all of us here,” he said.
Call to Action 2: Help Shape Real Estate Technology
The same principle applies in the technology arena: The tech tools that will become part of real estate professionals’ everyday business are best shaped by practitioners, and Stinton told attendees that their willingness to experiment with AI and other emerging technologies makes their feedback particularly valuable.
REACH works with emerging technology companies and gives real estate professionals opportunities to test their products and provide feedback through its Insight Panel. Rather than technology companies developing products in isolation and deciding what real estate professionals need, members have can influence the development of those products while they’re being built.
“We need your input,” Stinton said. “We need to know what works for your business, what doesn’t work for your business, what current technology doesn’t serve you? How can we make the technology that you already use better?”
Call to Action 3: Help Shape Fair Housing Policy
Smokler discussed the third arena where young professionals can help shape the future: fair housing. Young professionals are in the field, working alongside buyers and sellers in an increasingly complicated market, Smokler said, and their voices are needed before policy is shaped.
She encouraged YPN Advance attendees to join policy committees and participate while positions are being developed. “We need you in the room representing the perspective of first-time buyers and the future of this industry,” Smokler said.
The conversations at YPN Advance offered several ways young professionals can shape what comes next, but the overarching message is, the door is open.
If you’re a young professional, you don’t have to wait until later in your career to get involved. The experience you are gaining in the business right now, the technology you are using every day, the consumers you are serving and the questions you are asking are precisely what gives you a perspective that the association needs right now.
Nicole Slaughter Graham is a contributing editor at REALTOR® News and the manager of the YPN Lounge. Connect with her at ngraham@nar.realtor.