NAR hires events VP; Freddie Mac appoints general counsel
Amanda Whitehead joins NAR "as part of our strategic efforts to continue to add and prove value to Realtors," said CEO Nykia Wright.
Editor's note: As an industry with millions of agents and over 100,000 brokerage companies, new leaders rise to the top every day. Here we highlight executives and other notable leaders who've recently taken on, or stepped away from, roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.
NAR hires events VP to lead 'signature programs'
Amanda Whitehead is the new vice president of event strategy and member engagement at the National Association of Realtors, the organization announced today.
Whitehead will manage NAR's "signature programs" beginning Sept. 30, according to a news release. She most recently led events and business development at Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, where she oversaw more than 350 events involving high-profile partners including Formula 1, PGA and the Special Olympics.
"As NAR charts a new path and as part of our strategic efforts to continue to add and prove value to Realtors, we are transforming our events business to be a bigger and more inclusive space for industry leaders and practitioners to convene and help define the future of real estate," NAR CEO Nykia Wright said in the announcement.
"Events are among the most powerful ways we connect, educate, and inspire our members," added NAR's SVP of education & events Elizabeth Ranno, noting that Whitehead's background will help NAR "produce experiences that welcome and empower Realtors to grow their businesses and shape the industry."
Ranno, who joined in May, is one of the multiple executives hired at NAR this year as part of Wright's effort to "re-engineer" the leadership team.
Freddie Mac appoints new general counsel
Matthew Abrusci has joined Freddie Mac as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, bringing more than three decades of financial services experience to the job, the government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) announced earlier this week.
"Matthew Abrusci brings deep experience across the legal spectrum, and I have no doubt he will quickly become a valued member of Freddie Mac's executive team," said Mike Hutchins, president and interim CEO of Freddie Mac.
Abrusci previously worked as general counsel for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. He joins as the Trump administration has floated plans to take Freddie Mac and sister GSE Fannie Mae public in what would be one of the largest IPOs in U.S. history.