National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) President Tracy Kasper is resigning her position effective immediately, NAR announced today in a press release shared with RISMedia, after she “received a threat to disclose a past personal non-financial matter.”
According to NAR, Kasper was pressured to “compromise” her position at NAR by the unnamed party or parties, but instead reported the threat to law enforcement and subsequently chose to resign.
“Ms. Kasper felt that, in the circumstances, it was best for the organization that she step down. The Leadership Team is deeply concerned about any attempt to undermine its governance and, as a result, is taking steps to protect the integrity of the organization,” the statement said.
The statement did not provide any other details on the apparent blackmail attempt, including who was behind it or what their goals were. NAR declined to comment or answer specific questions on the threats or goals of the perpetrators.
This shocking development comes amid a period of historic turmoil for the REALTOR® advocacy organization, which is only a few months removed from a sexual harassment scandal that saw then-President Kenny Parcell forced out.
Kasper was seeking to right the ship, calling for healing and unity in the wake of that scandal, even as staffers feuded behind the scenes over NAR’s handling of issues of gender equity and a hostile work environment under Parcell.
More recently, Kasper was leading efforts to defend against a broadside of legal woes, with dozens of class-action copycat lawsuits claiming that NAR has inflated commissions and conspired to control real estate markets.
“As president and a long-time member of NAR, I always have put the interests of NAR first. As a result of the recent threat and given the significance of this moment for myself, my family and the organization, it is again time for me to put the interests of NAR first,” Kasper said in a statement.
Stepping down, Kasper claimed, will allow NAR to “forge forward in effecting the change that we all have worked so hard over the past few months to begin.”
Replacing Kasper as president-elect is Kevin Sears, a REALTOR® from Springfield, Massachusetts. Sears previously served as a president’s liaison in 2019 and as NAR vice president of Government Affairs in 2017, before being elected 2023 vice president. He will be the third NAR president in five months.
This is a developing story. Check back with RISMedia for updates.
