Information on speakers for the 2025 Sustainability Summit In Nashville, Tenn., June 24-25, will be provided here as soon as it's available.

Real estate sustainability experts came together for the 2024 NAR Sustainability Summit in Minneapolis. Learn more about them below.

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Keynote Speaker

Rohit Bhargava

Bestselling Author

Rohit Bhargava

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Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking in the world. He is the three-time Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of ten books and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original speakers on trends, innovation, and marketing in the world. Rohit has been invited to deliver “non-boring” keynotes and workshops in 32 countries around the world to change the way teams and leaders think at the World Bank, NASA, Intel, LinkedIn, MetLife, Under Armour, Univision, Disney, and hundreds of other well-known organizations. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur and founding the Non-Obvious Company and Ideapress Publishing, he spent 15 years leading marketing strategy at Ogilvy and Leo Burnett where he advised global brands on human behavior, marketing, and storytelling. Outside his speaking and consulting, Rohit has taught persuasive speaking and global marketing as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, is frequently quoted in the global media and writes a monthly column on non-obvious ideas for Inc magazine. Rohit lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and is a proud dad of two boys. He loves the Olympics (he’s been to five!) and actively hates cauliflower.

Additional Speakers

Cynthia Adams

CEO and Co-founder
Pearl Certification

Cynthia Adams

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Cynthia is CEO and Co-founder of Pearl Certification, the gold standard in high-performing home certifications, bringing visibility to the valuable features that make them healthy, safe, comfortable, and energy- and water-efficient. Cynthia is also the co-founder of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council and a 25-year veteran in energy efficiency and green construction. Voted 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council, she is also the 2018 winner of the Linda Wigington Leadership Award from the Building Performance Association, and she serves on NAR’s Sustainability Advisory Group. Cynthia has been a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Energy Council and Executive Committee on Energy Efficiency. She has been certified as a USGBC LEED Accredited Professional and NAR Green Designee.

Stacey Alcorn

Chief Executive Officer
LAER Realty Partners

Stacey Alcorn

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Stacey has been a fervent and devoted lifetime pursuer of knowledge, understanding, truth, and enlightenment, utilizing her studies to help elevate consciousness and awareness. By teaching agents clarity of mindset, efficient business systems, and personal energy management, her independent brokerage has attracted more than 780 agents in three states, including Massachusetts where LAER is the largest independent firm based on residential sales. Stacey's most notable recent work is the Mindful Monday newsletter, now on its 165th weekly issue, which has 78,000 subscribers, mostly real estate agents, across the country.

Jenae Batt

Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Ever-Green Energy

Jenae Batt

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Jenae Batt works across utility operations to develop meaningful customer engagement and leads a variety of projects targeted to communicate the value of energy services, bolster customer loyalty, and support utility system growth. She provides a broad range of experience from change management to event planning and education. Prior to joining Ever-Green Energy, Jenae worked in communications and donor relations at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a master’s degree in English Literature from Boston College.

Cecile Bedor

Chief Real Estate Officer
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Cecile Bedor

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Cecile Bedor joined the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity team as Chief Real Estate Officer in February 2024. Cecile possesses an unwavering commitment to Habitat’s mission and brings executive leadership skills and practical experience to lead all home building efforts. In addition to serving on the Executive Leadership Team, she is responsible for directing strategic and coordinated functions of land and other acquisitions, the construction and rehabilitation of homes (staff and volunteers), and public fundraising and related compliance.

Cecile’s previous roles included Executive Vice President, Real Estate for CommonBond Communities, Executive Vice President of GREATER MSP, the region’s economic development partnership, and the City of Saint Paul’s Director of Planning and Economic Development and Executive Director of the Housing & Redevelopment Authority. She previously held additional positions with the Minneapolis Public Library System, National Equity Fund, and the Metropolitan Council. Cecile has supported various organizations through board and volunteer service. She currently serves on the Itasca Working Group and chairs the boards of MN Housing Partnership and Wilderness Inquiry. She has two adult children and lives in south Minneapolis.

Carrie Chang

CEO
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®

Carrie Chang

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Carrie has been the CEO of Minneapolis Area REALTORS® for the last five years and brings extensive experience from corporate and nonprofit sectors. She brings vision and a passion for homeownership, service, and leading organizational change to her teams.

Dan Collison

Senior Director of Business Development & Public Affairs
Sherman Associates

Dan Collison

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Collison is the Senior Director of Business Development and Public Affairs for Sherman Associates. In his role, Collison assists the development team in advancing new project proposals and originations as well as connecting the company with the communities where development projects are built, owned, and operated.

As a business and civic leader, Collison has been instrumental in catalyzing affordable housing, safety-net social services, new inclusive business growth, and forging strategic collaborations between diverse business, non-profit, and civic leaders alongside the emerging residential communities of downtown Minneapolis. Collison's holistic and inclusive leadership style developed over 30 years of professional work in the fine arts, religious, non-profit, and business sectors.

Collison is a Humphrey School of Public Policy Fellow, the 2022 AIA Minnesota Collaborative Achievement Award winner, a 2015 recipient of Minnesota Business magazine’s (Real) Power 50 awards, an annual list of 50 remarkable business leaders. In 2010, Metro Magazine listed him in the “Top 100” list of people, places, and things making a positive impact in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Region. And, in the 2020 City Pages People Issue, Collison was named one of the unsung heroes of the Twin Cities.

Tim Dain

CEO
NorthstarMLS

Tim Dain

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Tim Dain is CEO of NorthstarMLS, a regional MLS serving more than 22,600 REALTORS in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. An industry innovator, Dain possesses a wealth of experience, including serving as vice president and general manager for real estate technology company Remine, as President and CEO of MARIS MLS, as Director of MLS for ACTRIS and SIRMLS, and as a REALTOR® salesperson and broker-owner. He was named to the Swanepoel Power 200 list of the most powerful and influential executives in the residential real estate industry in 2017, 2022, and 2023.

Tim Eian

Principal
TE Studio, Ltd.

Tim Eian

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Tim Delhey Eian was born and raised in Germany. He is a master carpenter and a graduate of the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, from which he received an engineer’s title in architecture. Tim moved to Minneapolis in 2001 and worked with a sustainable design/build firm for close to 7 years. In 2008, Tim founded TE Studio to focus on Passive House buildings. He is one of the first certified Passive House professionals and designed the third certified Passive House in the Americas. Tim founded Passive House MN in 2008. He has been instrumental in educating and transforming how owners, legislators, and professionals think about high-performance buildings. Tim and his family live in Minneapolis’ first certified Passive House Plus home.

Craig Foley

Chief Sustainability Officer
LAER Realty Partners

Craig Foley

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Craig Foley is a leading national voice on sustainability in the real estate industry. Craig’s combination of real estate and energy management skills give him a unique perspective about sustainable energy solutions and subject matter expertise on greening the MLS, high-performance home valuation and marketing, and the impact of climate change on the real estate industry. He is a LEED Green Associate and the chief sustainability officer for LAER Realty Partners. As a real estate broker, he has sold several high-performance projects in and around Greater Boston. He is also the team co-founder of REthink39 Group. REthink39 is devoted to lowering the 39% of U.S. energy consumption attributed to the built environment and believes they can be part of a solution with every transaction closed. In 2023 Craig was named by RISMedia as a 2023 Newsmaker in the Trailblazers “Agents of Change” category. In 2024 he serves on NAR’s Executive Committee for his sustainability expertise.

Jan Green

REALTOR® & Instructor
HomeSmart

Jan Green

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Jan earned the EcoBroker designation in 2008, NAR GREEN Designation in 2014, and Master Certification for High Performance Homes in 2022. She is a past Director and current Instructor for the Scottsdale Area Association of REALTORS®, past board member of the Scottsdale Chapter for the Women’s Council of REALTORS®, past director and current volunteer for the Arizona Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. She is the past President of the Sustainability Advisors Group and current Sustainability Advisor Board Member for Montei De Globe, an $80 million mixed use commercial, multifamily, and single-family development to be completed in 2026-2027 in Globe, Arizona.

Jan’s experience in real estate includes creating a one-of-a-kind continuing education class, partnering with a building science professional. The course seeks to expand knowledge in understanding building science, how to market and sell high performance homes, navigating the appraisal process, and gaining value for solar panels. She is a frequent public speaker in and around the Phoenix area at various real estate functions.

Kerri Hartnett

2024 National President
Women's Council of REALTORS®️

Kerri Hartnett

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Kerri Hartnett is the Women’s Council of REALTORS® 2024 National President. A third-generation REALTOR®, Hartnett has over 19 years of personal real estate experience and has been a consistent top-producing REALTOR® since 2004. She served as the Portland Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® President in 2017 and was honored as PMAR's REALTOR® of the Year in 2018. Kerri also currently serves the Oregon REALTORS® as a State Director and as a member of the Political Affairs Key Committee. Kerri has been an NAR Director since 2015 and will be representing Women's Council on the Institute Advisory Committee in 2024.

Kerri is a Principal Broker and owner at Hartnett Homes Group, Brokered by Premiere Property Group, LLC, in Oregon, where she serves her communities between Astoria and Portland. She is also the owner of Ohm Girl Consulting, LLC, where she coaches and consults real estate professionals on how to bring mindfulness into their business practices to create a life worth living and a business worth owning. She is passionate about finding balance between work, life, and leadership and strives to inspire others to do the same.

Rod Helm

REALTOR®
Coldwell Banker Realty

2019 Region 08 - RVP Rod Helm

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Rod Helm (GRI, CRS), a REALTOR® from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the 2024 Immediate Past Chair of the Sustainability Advisory Group. He has been a REALTOR® since 1991 and works for Coldwell Banker Realty located in Minneapolis, where he specializes in residential real estate.

At the national level, Rod served as the 2019 Region 8 Vice President and has had various committee and board rolls over the years, most notable are multiple terms on the NAR Board of Directors, the Chair of Emerging Business and Technology Forum, and on NAR’s Professional Standards Committee.

He is a member of the Minnesota REALTORS® (MNR), where he received the award for Minnesota REALTOR® of the Year in 2015. In 2014, he served as the president of MNR. Rod has also served in multiple rolls over his volunteer career as committee chairs and director positions for both MNR and for his local association, Minneapolis Association of REALTORS® (MAR).

Rod has been an active member in RPAC as well, both as a major investor and as a past trustee for MN-RPAC. He has served multiple terms as the MN Major Investor Liaison for NAR and is member of RPACs Hall of Fame.

Rod holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is married to his wife, Jolene, and has two adult, children, Alexa (25) and Charlie (23).

Petra Hurtado

Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer
American Planning Association

Petra Hurtado

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Petra (Stieninger) Hurtado, Ph.D. is the Chief Foresight & Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association, leading APA’s foresight practice to leverage knowledge as a catalyst for innovation and resilience in the planning profession and the organization.

In her role, Petra is responsible for identifying, developing, and capitalizing on opportunities to create and disseminate knowledge essential to an effective planning practice today and in the future. She oversees APA’s research, foresight, international, marketing, communications, and career services functions. Petra provides strategic input to APA’s strategy system through APA’s foresight-first governance, advancing a dynamic and resilient path forward for the organization.

She has a Ph.D. in urban planning from the Vienna University of Technology. Her areas of expertise and research include strategic foresight, urban futures, emerging technologies, urban sustainability, and environmental psychology.

As an adjunct professor, Petra has taught courses on planning with foresight at the University of Maryland and on urban sustainability and environmental psychology at the Vienna University of Technology. She has presented as a keynote speaker and subject matter expert at numerous conferences across the globe and guest lectured at Harvard GSD, Virginia Tech, among other universities.

Passionate about empowering planners to thrive in dynamic environments, Petra combines academic rigor with practical wisdom to inspire action and drive positive change.

Craig Kaiser

President and Co-founder
LandGate

Craig Kaiser

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Craig Kaiser is the President and co-founder of LandGate. He has been instrumental in developing both the property analytics and marketplace segment of the company while working with real estate groups across the U.S. He is the former Owner and Chairman of Kamara Kaiser Mining Company, a West African precious minerals mining organization. He is also a former executive in Alaunt Exploration, a private equity (Warburg Pincus) backed exploration company focused on energy assets in Colorado and Wyoming. He received a BSc. in Geosciences from Chadron State College where he also earned NCAA Football First Team All-Conference honors. He later earned an MSc. in Petroleum Geology from the Colorado School of Mines while receiving multiple fellowships and scholarships. His thesis was later published and won Paper of the Year for 2014 in the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists. He and his wife Elizabeth have been blessed with four beautiful little girls.

Jessica Lautz

Deputy Chief Economist & Vice President of Research
National Association of REALTORS®

NAR Deputy Chief Economist Dr. Jessica Lautz

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Dr. Jessica Lautz is Deputy Chief Economist and Vice President of Research at the National Association of REALTORS®. The core of her research focuses on analyzing trends for both NAR members and housing consumers. Through the management of surveys, focus groups, and data analysis, she presents new and innovative ways to showcase results. She effectively utilizes Research data to educate and impact policymakers on the state of the housing market and discusses research findings in major media outlets and international presentations. In 2021, Dr. Lautz was named one of Housing Wire’s Women of Influence, a list representing 100 of the most influential women in leadership in the housing industry. In 2022 and 2023, Dr. Lautz was named a RISMedia Newsmaker in the Influencer and the Crusader categories, respectively. She also volunteers at Nottingham Trent University as an industry fellow mentoring real estate graduate students.

Jessica received her Doctorate of Real Estate from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. She also holds a Master’s in Public Policy from American University and undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Law and Justice from Central Washington University.

Christopher Matos-Rogers

Associate Broker and REALTOR®
Coldwell Banker Realty

Christopher Matos-Rogers

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Prior to real estate, Christopher spent five years working in marine biology. Working closely with marine animals gave him first-hand experience with a variety of environmental issues. Also coming from a family of builders, architects, master craftsmen, and REALTORS®, he grew up deeply entrenched in housing.

Leadership and visibility in the space, quickly allowed him to become a leading voice on the intersection of sustainability and real estate in Georgia. In 2018, he was tapped to lead and create an all-new sustainability committee at the Atlanta REALTORS® Association, the largest local REALTOR® association in Georgia with over 14,000 members. In this role, he led a team that collaboratively worked with non-profits, local governments, and businesses in the sustainability space to connect and educate REALTORS® on this rapidly growing sector of real estate. Educating fellow REALTORS® leads to more green-competent agents and helps support the value of solar and energy efficiency features at the time of sale.

His leadership experience has since included the 2024 class of NAR Leadership Academy, involvement on the Sustainability Advisory Group for NAR, serving as 2021 President of LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance Atlanta chapter, and multiple awards for leading progress in the REALTOR® organization including 2023 REALTOR of the year for Atlanta REALTORS Association. Christopher and his husband have been enjoying the many benefits of driving EV-only, since 2014.

Josh McFall

Chief Executive Officer
Minnesota Association of REALTORS®

Josh McFall

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Josh McFall is the chief executive officer of Minnesota Realtors® (MNR). McFall holds the National Association of REALTORS® REALTOR® Certified Association Executive (RCE) Designation, (NAR) ePRO Certification, At Home with Diversity (AHWD) Certification, and the Commitment to Excellence Endorsement (C2EX). He has earned the American Society of Association Executive’s (ASAE) top-level designation, Certified Association Executive (CAE).

Originally from Florence, Alabama, McFall holds a bachelor’s degree in public communication from the University of North Alabama and a master’s degree in Communication from Auburn University. Prior to his time at Minnesota REALTORS®, he served as CEO of the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® and ValleyMLS.com in Huntsville, Alabama, and also previously served as vice president of Strategic Development at the Alabama Association of REALTORS® (AAR). McFall has also served on faculty at Auburn University, Huntingdon College, Auburn University-Montgomery, and Jefferson State Community College teaching courses in communication.

Amy Peterson

REALTOR®
Edina Realty

Amy Peterson

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Amy Peterson has been a dedicated REALTOR® in the Twin Cities of Minnesota for over 20 years and is currently serving as the 2024 President of the Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS®. She has been actively involved in the industry, holding positions on the Board of Directors and various committees at the local, state, and National Association of REALTORS®. Amy's commitment to excellence has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including being named the 2022 Minnesota REALTOR® of the Year and receiving the Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS® Distinguished Service Award in 2020. As an NAR Certified Instructor and a lifelong learner, she holds numerous designations and certifications, including the GREEN designation.

Russell Riggs

Director, Environmental and Sustainability Policy
National Association of REALTORS®

Russell Riggs

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Russell Riggs is Director of Environmental and Sustainability Policy for the National Association of REALTORS® in Washington, D.C. For the past 27 years, Russell has advocated on behalf of REALTORS® on environment, property rights, visas, and natural resource issues before Congress and federal regulatory agencies. Russell also serves as the Advocacy Liaison to the REALTORS® Land Institute, and the NAR's Global and Business Affairs Group.

Prior to his position with NAR, Russell held positions with the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Governors Association, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Russell holds a Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and Master’s Degrees from Tufts University and New York University. He resides with his family in Falls Church, Va.

John Rosshirt

2024 Chair, Sustainability Advisory Group
National Association of REALTORS®

John Rosshirt

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John has been watching real estate markets professionally for 34 years. His perspective includes being an active award-winning sales agent, Designated Broker/co-owner of Stanberry REALTORS®, as well as time spent as President of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, Regional Vice President of Texas REALTORS®, Director of the National Association of REALTORS®, member of NAR GREEN Resource Council Advisory Board, and Chair of the NAR Smart Growth Advisory Board.

He is the current Chairman of the NAR Sustainability Advisory Group and the Chair of the Texas REALTORS® Public Policy Committee on Infrastructure. He has also taught the National Association’s Smart Growth class in 34 cities in 17 states. He was a contributor to NAR’s new certificate class ‘Planning and Zoning’.

John has lived southwest of Austin, Texas, since marrying Sharon in 1985. They have four grown sons, a lovely daughter-in-law, and two incredible grandkids. He lives on five acres just outside the Austin city limits to accommodate his wife’s love of animals, organic gardening, and other growing things. Besides real estate, John has a passion for movies and World Cup Soccer.

Todd Shipman

Broker
Lakes Sotheby's International Realty

Todd Shipman

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Todd is connector of people and ideas. He sees the world as it could be and takes the risk to step into the unknown. Todd can vision how the collaboration between people, ideas, and change can evolve into something better for individuals, organizations, and the human capital within. REALTOR®, thought leader, startup CEO, he is committed to the business of organized real estate.

As Chair 2022/2018 Northstar Multiple Listings Service of Minnesota, he has recently completed a CEO search. He co-founded PicketFence.com, bootstrapped and coordinated a start up team to launch into the proptech space.

Todd has 27 years of experience bringing together smart enthusiastic property owners and buyers. He never underestimates the power, knowledge, and skill required to project manage a successful real estate transaction. With 500+ successful transactions, he still focuses on working with each client personally, listening to the client’s needs and wants, and giving them the benefit of experience.

Aaron Smith

CEO
Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA)

Aaron Smith

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Aaron Smith is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) which represents a community of over 50,000 builders and their stakeholders across North America that are truly the early adopters and innovators in driving sustainable transformation of the homebuilding industry.
Aaron has over 25 years of experience in home construction, building products, sustainability and non-profit board leadership. He has worked for companies including Kohler, Uponor, and ASSA ABLOY as well as startups in Silicon Valley and his own building and remodeling company.

Aaron completed his undergraduate studies at West Point and St. Cloud State University and is a 2016 graduate of the Yale University MBA program with a focus on Sustainability.

Steve Winkelman

Executive Director
Ottawa Climate Action Fund

Steve Winkleman

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Steve Winkelman, Executive Director of the Ottawa Climate Action Fund, has 30+ years of experience in climate change, urban planning, transportation, clean energy, infrastructure resilience, and climate finance. He has supported senior government officials, development banks, NGOs, companies, and researchers in more than 25 countries with policy development, project finance, implementation, evaluation, and capacity building. He thrives in bridging silos across sectors to advance holistic, lasting solutions.

Steve is co-author of two books on the climate change and economic case for smart growth: "Growing Cooler" and "Growing Wealthier." His recent article for the Ottawa Board of Trade, “Prevent, Prepare, Prosper” explains how local climate solutions can bolster the local economy.

Steve was raised in suburban Detroit and now lives in a walkable, vibrant neighborhood in Montreal.