The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently announced the retirement of Bill Malkasian, chief advocacy officer and senior vice president of the Advocacy Group, and Joe Ventrone, vice president of the Federal Policy and Industry Relations Team, both effective Dec. 31, 2020. Shannon McGahn, currently senior vice president of Government Affairs, will be promoted to chief advocacy officer, effective Oct.1, 2020.
“Bill and Joe have both had a profound impact on protecting the interests of REALTORS®, the real estate industry, and current and future property owners—and I want to thank them for their contributions to NAR,” said Bob Goldberg, chief executive officer at NAR. “Looking ahead, I am excited to have Shannon step up to chief advocacy officer and continue modernizing our approach to advocacy—she is exactly the kind of leader we need to fully align our advocacy efforts across all levels of government.”
Malkasian developed NAR’s advocacy strategy for nearly a decade, leading teams that advocated on behalf of REALTORS® in Congress, in State Legislatures, and at the city and county levels. His expertise and leadership helped NAR along with state and local REALTOR® Associations’ advocacy programs enjoy a stellar reputation of strong grassroots, political engagement and community activism. Prior to joining NAR, Malkasian served as the CEO at the Wisconsin REALTOR® Association for 35 years.
Ventrone was instrumental in advocating vital legislative and regulatory issues before Congress, the White House and federal agencies for NAR. A long-time fixture in the real estate industry, Ventrone’s expertise in housing issues spanned over 40 years and included stints in the private sector, top federal agencies and on Capitol Hill during both Democratic and Republican administrations.
By announcing their retirement now, Malkasian and Ventrone will ensure a smooth transition before their retirement at the end of the year.
Bringing nearly two decades of experience in the legislative and executive branches of government, McGahn will leverage her political expertise to drive NAR strategy and REALTOR® Party advocacy efforts as the association’s next chief advocacy officer. McGahn has led NAR’s Congressional advocacy team for the past two years, where she aligned efforts across the federal, state and local levels, and opened lines of communications between REALTORS® and their elected representatives in city halls, statehouses and in Washington, D.C.
“Bill and Joe have left such an incredible mark on the association by giving REALTORS® everywhere a voice,” said McGahn. “Because of their work, NAR has an organized army of advocates across this country to help tell the REALTOR® story. “Real estate makes up one-fifth of the American economy. We have a duty to our members and consumers to tell their story—our work makes the dream of property ownership a reality for millions of Americans.”
McGahn joined NAR in 2018 as the first woman to hold the senior vice president of Government Affairs position and will be the first female chief advocacy officer in NAR’s 110-year history. Before joining NAR, McGahn served as the staff director for the House Financial Services Committee and, prior to that, as a counselor to the United States Treasury Secretary. She also held communications roles for three members of House Leadership during her nearly 20-year Capitol Hill career. In addition, McGahn served as vice president for a D.C.-based public affairs firm, and held the same position for a consulting firm focused on grassroots communication in major national media markets.
For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.
