The National Association of Realtors’ longtime CEO Bob Goldberg is stepping down from the trade association more than a year before he was set to retire — marking an abrupt end to his 30-year career with NAR.
Goldberg had announced earlier this year that he would retire when his contract expires Dec. 31, 2024. He will serve as an executive consultant during the transition, the trade association said in a statement Thursday.
“After announcing my decision to retire earlier this year, and as I reflected on my 30 years at NAR, I determined last month that now is the right time for this extraordinary organization to look to the future,” Goldberg said in a statement Thursday.
He did not specify what led him to resign now.
Critics have been pushing for his departure for weeks after a The New York Times investigation alleged former president Kenny Parcell, who resigned from his post in August, sexually harrassed current or former employees and members of the Chicago-based organization. NAR is also facing a series of court challenges that could upend how agents receive commissions on the sale of a home.
Nykia Wright, former CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times and cofounder of SonicMessenger, has been appointed interim CEO, starting Nov. 20.
“NAR advocates for and empowers people who help families across America realize the dream of homeownership,” Wright said. “I am honored to join the organization at this important moment, when the opportunity to make a difference in the evolving real estate landscape has never been greater. I look forward to getting to work and partnering closely with NAR’s talented staff in the months ahead.”
Wright joined the Sun-Times in 2017 as chief operating officer and became the CEO a year later. Wright, who left the newspaper in January, helped lead its transition to a nonprofit newsroom when it joined Chicago Public Media, which operates public radio station WBEZ, early in 2022.
“Her deep experience driving organizational transformation positions her well to advance our strategy, vision and culture initiatives,” said NAR President Tracy Kasper, a Realtor from Nampa, Idaho, and broker-owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Silverhawk Realty.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contributing: David Roeder