NAR vows to ‘evolve’ governance, announces committee reductions
Eight of the association’s 95-plus committees will be sunset this year in “an important first step” toward increasing efficiency, NAR’s president said.
The National Association of Realtors announced on Wednesday a series of governance updates that it said would streamline and enhance efficiency of the association's governance.
'Our governance system must evolve': As part of the process, which seeks to reduce duplication across committees and modernize the organization, NAR will sunset eight of its nearly 100 committees between now and Dec. 1, 2026.
NAR President Kevin Brown said the changes were guided by member feedback and an internal review.
"These member-led updates are grounded in what we've heard from our members," Brown said in a statement. "Realtors have been clear that our governance system must evolve, becoming more focused, more effective, and more responsive. These changes mark an important first step."
The committee reductions follow a series of staffing and leadership shakeups at NAR since CEO Nykia Wright took the helm in Aug. 2024. One of her goals, she said on a podcast appearance in November, is to make NAR "more agile" operationally and "understand where all of the fat in the organization is."
A comprehensive review: The governance changes were an output of NAR's Committee Excellence Program — an initiative included in the organization's 2026-2028 Strategic Plan — following a "multi-source" review comprising member surveys, leadership feedback and an audit of the association's 95-plus committees, forums, councils and advisory groups.
The review findings showed that members felt some committees were redundant or less effective, and that members' and staff time could be better spent, NAR said.
Saying goodbye: Five committees are being dissolved immediately — the Large State Forum, Medium State Forum, Small State Forum, State Leadership Idea Exchange Council and Reserves Investment Advisory Board — with three more to be eliminated on Dec. 1, 2026: the Amicus Brief Advisory Board, Leading Edge Advisory Board, and Leadership Identification and Development Committee.
The committee reductions, NAR indicated, will allow the association to redirect resources to areas that provide the best value to members and staff. The association also said it continues to evaluate ways in which its governance structure can be strengthened further.
"This process is following a deliberate, data-driven approach," Brown said. "We are continuing to audit the system, follow the feedback, and identify where additional improvements can and should be made. These initial actions will inform further changes."
Proving its value: In recent years, NAR has faced growing pressure to provide more value for its members amid scandals, lawsuits and an alternative professional association — the American Real Estate Association (ARA) — finding solid footing.
After officially launching in August 2024, ARA has been growing, installing its first executive director in late 2025. At that time, the association had roughly 10,000 members, and it has continued to add a number of high-profile brokerage partners, including Douglas Elliman.