Today, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) announced it is eliminating a total of 61 positions as CEO Nykia Wright—who has held the role on a permanent basis for just over six months—continues her transformation of the organization in the wake of multiple turbulent years.
“The industry is changing, and it is our responsibility to lead and change with it,” said Wright in a statement shared with RISMedia.
Touting several recent hires, including the creation of brand-new roles for longtime brokerage executive Sherry Chris and MLS industry veteran Jarrod Grasso, NAR is characterizing the staffing cuts as part of a “months-long strategy” to “streamline” and “reposition” around a new leadership team, which also includes the addition of Matthew Cenedella as chief financial officer.
Positions that have been eliminated—which include both layoffs and vacant roles that were “redundant or that could be integrated elsewhere”—are spread across a broad swath of sectors, from creative and content strategy to member experience to IT, according to NAR.
A source familiar with NAR’s plans tells RISMedia that the layoffs are effective immediately, with some minor exceptions for specific roles that will require some transition time. The source said they are mostly at the department level, and do not include any other high-visibility leadership roles.
The moves are part of a larger, ongoing push, according to NAR, that includes “reducing expenses in some areas and reallocating budget dollars,” with an emphasis on advocacy, research, data and education functions. The release did not include specific numbers, and the source familiar with NAR’s plans declined to provide further details.
“Nykia Wright and the NAR team continue to reshape and improve the organization to meet the challenges of today’s residential real estate market,” said RISMedia Founder & CEO John Featherston. “Today’s bold moves to ensure a more effective and responsive organization, should be positively received by all NAR members as to the future direction of the association.”
In the big picture, NAR said “priority initiatives” under Wright are member experience and strengthening relationships with brokerages and REALTOR® associations, along with ensuring NAR governance structure “facilitates agile, forward-looking discussions and decision-making.”
“As we continue managing our finances to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, we need to invest in the best people, adopt the right processes and apply the most advanced, cost-effective technology while remaining prudent financial stewards of the enterprise,” Wright said.
Facing blistering criticism in the wake of a 2023 sexual harassment scandal and fallout from the Burnett trial, NAR has been under significant pressure from the REALTOR® community to show it is prepared to shift gears. After former CEO Bob Goldberg resigned days after the Burnett verdict, Wright—a relative outsider, having most recently led the Chicago Sun-Times news organization—was named interim CEO, before taking the reins full-time last August.
Under Wright, NAR parted ways with more long-time executives, including human resources head Donna Gland, who faced internal pressure for failing to address the aforementioned sexual harassment complaints, and Chief Legal Officer Katie Johnson, who was also singled out by NAR staff during that controversy. NAR also faced further criticism, including allegations it was funding conservative political organizations unrelated to housing, and excessive spending on perks for leadership.
Wright announced this past November that NAR would hire an outside legal firm to help the company better assess future legal risk, after facing criticism that its policy choices led to the commission lawsuits. The organization still faces potential legal threats in 2025, most notably from lawsuits filed by homebuyers that are not fully covered by the settlement, and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, which continues to scrutinize NAR rules.
Most recently, at RISMedia’s Rocking in the New Year virtual event this past January, Wright acknowledged “mistakes” made by the organization, promising NAR understood and was ready to put in the “herculean effort” needed to rebuild trust with membership.
“Members have been experiencing NAR in silos, so we’re cutting all that out,” Wright said at the time, “whether we’re talking about what we want to do with the big brokerages, how we want to engage more with state and local associations, (or) how we think about bringing in members and understanding their entire lifecycle.”