National Association of Realtors names Nykia Wright as permanent top leader
Nykia Wright was named permanent CEO of the National Association of Realtors, the trade association announced Monday.
Wright, former CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times, first joined the NAR as interim CEO in November 2023, succeeding longtime CEO Bob Goldberg.
Since then, she has helped steer the more than 1.5 million-member organization through a $418 million antitrust settlement following a series of class-action lawsuits filed by homeowners.
The suit accused the NAR of fixing broker commissions at high rates and discouraging sellers from seeking better terms. A settlement was granted preliminary approval in April, and a final approval hearing is scheduled in November. The NAR has denied any wrongdoing.
NAR President Kevin Sears said he’s glad Wright will remain on board as the settlement continues to impact those involved in home buying and selling.
“[Wright] 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,” Sears said in a news release.
Wright assumes the permanent role during a time of transformation for the real estate industry: On Aug. 17, practice changes with the potential to shift how Realtors have traditionally been paid went into place, as a result of its antitrust settlement.
Wright said in an emailed statement that one of her immediate goals is to continue ushering the trade association through the practice changes.
Other goals include restoring the reputation of Realtors, advocating for affordability and minimizing disenfranchisement across stakeholder groups.
“We also need to keep a keen eye on historically disenfranchised populations and advocacy efforts — continuing to prioritize our work in fair housing, advancing our support for veterans and the like,” Wright said. “We need to be sober minded about the implications of any policies we propose to ensure those groups are benefiting in our economy and not being inadvertently left behind.”
Wright left her role as CEO of the Sun-Times in January 2023. She joined the Sun-Times in 2017 as chief operating officer and became CEO a year later.
As a former strategy and business transformation consultant, Wright’s experience helped her to lead the Sun-Times through its transition to a nonprofit newsroom in 2022 when it joined Chicago Public Media, which operates public radio station WBEZ.