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WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 11, 2023)—The National Association of REALTORS® announced Michael McGrew of Lawrence, Kan., as one of the 2023 recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor outside the presidency bestowed on an NAR member.
Michael C. McGrew, CIPS, CRB, CRS, AHWD, MRP, C2EX
Michael C. McGrew has been a REALTOR® for more than 30 years. He served as the 2014–2016 NAR Treasurer and is current President of the REALTORS® Relief Foundation. McGrew is CEO and Chairman of McGrew Real Estate in Lawrence, Kan., a firm specializing in residential and commercial real estate and development. A third-generation practitioner, McGrew didn’t expect to have a career in real estate. “At the start, I didn’t know the difference between the association and the real estate commission,” McGrew laughed. “But I got involved in the REALTOR® organization and quickly realized, when you give, just how much you get back. It has been one of the greatest experiences in my life.”
McGrew has given his time and expertise at the national level for 27 years. He has served on the Board of Directors continuously since 2000 and on Executive Committee for 11 of those years. He has also served on and chaired a broad range of committees, work groups and presidential advisory groups. His past chairmanships include Finance, Federal Taxation and Risk Management. He has been a Federal Political Coordinator since 2005 and was inducted into the RPAC Hall of Fame in 2009 and the HOF third level in 2022.
McGrew is a former member of the Sentrilock board of directors. He was NAR Regional Vice President (Region 9) in 2003. In 1998, he was President of the Kansas Association of REALTORS®, which named him REALTOR® of the Year in 2000. The Lawrence Board of REALTORS® named him REALTOR® of the Year in 1995, and both the state and local associations have awarded him their own Distinguished Service Award.
McGrew’s commitment to the Lawrence community also runs deep. He has served more than 10 years on the Lawrence and Douglas County Economic Development Corp. He chaired the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce in 2014 and has been a member of its board of directors for eight years. He also served as a Trustee of the Douglas County Community Foundation for eight years. He is a past chairman and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for the Bert Nash Mental Health Facility and continues as a member of its Finance Committee. He is a graduate of the School of Business at Kansas University. He and his wife, Christine, have two adult children, John and Nicole.