In the National Association of REALTORS® annual report released last week, Immediate Past President Kevin Sears talked about laying the foundation for the future and CEO Nykia Wright said the association had “initiated the most significant transformation in the history of our industry.”
That work has not gone unnoticed.
On Jan. 29, Sears and Wright were among 146 industry leaders named to Inman’s 2026 Power Players list. The Power Players is an annual recognition honoring executives and founders whose influence is shaping the future of residential real estate.
The 2026 honorees included several other NAR leaders: Kevin Brown, 2026 president; Shannon McGahn, executive vice president and chief advocacy officer; Lawrence Yun, senior vice president and chief economist; Bryan Greene, vice president of policy advocacy; and Sherry Chris, independent consultant and special advisor to the CEO.
Inman Power Players recognizes leaders from residential real estate, mortgage finance and proptech. The 2026 list features prominent brokerage leaders from across the country, including Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty; Robert Reffkin, CEO of Compass; Christina Pappas, president of The Keyes Company; J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate; Kamini Rangappan Lane, CEO and president of Coldwell Banker Realty; Ryan Serhant, founder and CEO of SERHANT; and Ginger Wilcox, president of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.
"NAR congratulates all the brokerage and association leaders who were named to the list," Bennett Richardson, NAR’s chief marketing and communications officer, said in a statement.
State and local association leaders featured on the list include Jeff Baker, CEO of Illinois REALTORS®; Doreen Spagnuolo, CEO of the Long Island Board of REALTORS®; and Bob Hale, president and CEO of the Houston Association of REALTORS®, who is retiring at the end of this month after 50 years with HAR.
“These Power Players represent the visionaries and changemakers who are defining what's next for real estate,” said Emily Paquette, CEO of Inman. “Their leadership and innovation set the standard for excellence in our industry.”
