ShareWASHINGTON (July 1, 2024) — Shannon McGahn, Chief Advocacy Officer for the National Association of Realtors®, has been named a 2024 Women of Influence by HousingWire for her outsized advocacy impact on the housing industry over the last six years.
As the first female Chief Advocacy Officer for the association, she has built a bipartisan operation that’s consistently delivered wins for NAR’s 1.5 million members on policies aimed at expanding access to housing and protecting the rights of property buyers and sellers in the U.S. and around the world.
“Shannon is relentless in her pursuit to ensure NAR is on the leading edge of advocacy,” said NAR President Kevin Sears. “She’s also exceptionally well suited to work in a divided Washington because of the strong relationships she continues to maintain with both political parties, and she’s expanded NAR’s lobbying team to ensure Realtors® are reaching every congressional office on both sides of the aisle.”
"HousingWire's Women of Influence award is one of the housing industry's highest honors, celebrating the most impactful and innovative leaders in mortgage and real estate," said Clayton Collins, CEO of HW Media. "HousingWire is proud to honor such an exceptional group of female executives whose dedication to excellence and leadership is redefining success in housing.”
The Women of Influence are selected by HousingWire’s selection committee based on their professional achievements within their organizations in addition to their contributions to the overall industry, community outreach, client impact, and personal success.
Under Shannon’s leadership, NAR’s advocacy team has focused on several initiatives including: developing and supporting federal long- and short-term policy solutions for housing accessibility, availability and affordability, as well as fair housing enforcement and elevating the Realtors® voice; working with NAR’s state and local associations to identify policy solutions that can be replicated across the country, including zoning reform, protecting independent contractor status, fair housing training and enforcement and tax issues; identifying and engaging new industries and associations, including housing groups, consumer organizations, the financial services community, think tanks, and diverse coalitions to push NAR’s advocacy agenda forward; thinking beyond a two-year election cycle to plan for the future, including modernizing the RPAC program to increase the strength of NAR’s voice on Capitol Hill and in-district events; and promoting NAR research and reports on inventory shortages, housing affordability, and increasing homeownership to drive the conversation and explain why NAR is fighting for specific policies.
The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
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