Nykia Wright named permanent CEO for NAR

As shared by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)  today, August 19, Nykia Wright has been named its permanent Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Wright, an executive with vast experience driving organizational transformation, has served in the interim CEO role since November 2023.

“I am thrilled Nykia is staying on board to lead us through this time of transformation,” said 2024 NAR President Kevin Sears. “She has been instrumental in leading us up to this point, and her unwavering commitment to our members makes her the ideal steward for guiding our association through the evolving real estate landscape."

During her initial tenure, Wright shepherded the association in early 2024 through negotiations to settle and resolve claims brought on behalf of home sellers related to broker commissions. She also is guiding the implementation of NAR’s Culture Transformation Commission—a group of more than 70 members, including state and local association staff and NAR staff selected through a collaborative process — which was established to identify and break down impediments to being an inclusive, welcoming and respectful organization for all individuals and to ensure that the association meets the evolving needs of members well into the future.

Under Wright’s leadership, NAR is sharpening its focus on its core mission of serving members, communicating more deliberately, and working to become a more agile organization. Among her immediate priorities will be to continue guiding NAR past the implementation of the proposed settlement practice changes and prioritizing ongoing education, training and compliance for consumers and agents.

“I am honored to have earned the confidence and trust from the Leadership Team to guide this organization at such a critical point. I am committed to ensuring our association remains a powerful and effective voice for the industry and to fulfilling our goal to bring the privilege of homeownership to more Americans,” Wright said. “I am clear eyed about our past and present, and I am hyper-focused on building trust with NAR’s many stakeholders so that we can be successful in ensuring we are bringing the best of NAR to each and every one of our members.”

Wright brings a breadth of executive leadership and strategic advisory experience to NAR. Previously, as CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times, she led the newspaper through a sweeping digital transformation and a merger with WBEZ (Chicago Public Media), which created one of the largest nonprofit local newsrooms in the country. She is a recognized leader in the media industry for managing significant disruption, driving change and implementing digital transformation at the newspaper.

Wright began her career in the financial services industry and, prior to leading the Sun-Times, was a strategy and business transformation consultant who advised Fortune 500 companies and top tier universities on operational, financial and performance improvement projects.

She is also the co-founder of SonicMESSENGER, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup helping democratize audience engagement and measurement by leveraging smart audio.

Wright serves on the board of the Better Government Association, and she is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at her alma mater, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.