Greetings from Chicago!

Wayne Syphers, 2010 President of the Greater Portland Board of REALTORS®, and Kelley Craig, Executive Officer, joined 1800 other leaders in Chicago last week for the National Association of REALTORS® Leadership Summit. This was fully funded this year by NAR's Right Tools Right Now program.

This summit is designed to bring together the leadership of local and state boards to be briefed on everything from national trends to local politics. We were able to hear from 2010 NAR President, Vickie Cox Golder from Arizona, as well as updates from Lawrence Yun, NAR Economist.

Cathy Whatley, 2003 NAR President and Keith Holm, St. Paul Area Association of REALTORS® EVP, spoke on Leadership Roles and responsibilites, best practices and areas to improve in REALTOR® association management.

As usual, NAR put on a fantastic program that outlined traits and trends in leadership. We enjoyed 2 of the most inspiring speakers.

Allyson Levine has climbed peaks on every continent, served as the team captain of the first American Women's Everest Expedition, and skied across the Arctic Circle to the geographic North Pole. Her presentation offers a unique perspective on the topics of leadership, teamwork, innovation, and dealing with a changing environment.

Christopher Gardner is the head of his own successful brokerage firm - but just 25 years ago, he was homeless, carrying all his possessions on his back, and occasionally living in a bathroom at a train station. A true testament to perseverance, Gardner tells his story of overcoming obstacles, "breaking cycles," and hard-won success. The amazing story of Gardner's life was the inspiration for the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness," starring Will Smith as Gardner.

Laurie Janik is General Legal Counsel for NAR and gave us an informative legal update of issues facing associations. The great news is that the trend is FEWER lawsuits involving REALTOR® boards.

Please visit for Leadership Summit materials and speaker bios. You will find the reading well worth your time!

MAR treated us to 2 very nice dinners on the streets of Chicago - thank you!