James L. Helsel, Jr., Treasurer

James L. Helsel, Jr., a REALTOR® from Lemoyne, Pa., is 2009 Treasurer of the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR, the Voice for Real Estate®, is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Helsel, a REALTOR® for 34 years, is a Partner with RSR Realtors, a full-service real estate company in Harrisburg, Pa. He holds the professional designations of Certified Property Manager® (CPM), Graduate, Realtor Institute (GRI), and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). He is also a member of the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB), Counselors of Real Estate (CRE), and Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR).

On the national level, Helsel was treasurer in 2008 and a member of the NAR Board of Directors from 1989 until 1999 and joined again in 2001. He was a member of NAR’s Finance Committee in 2002 and 2003, and again from 2005 to 2007. He served as NAR’s 2002 regional vice president for Region II, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. He chaired the Real Property Operations Committee in 2002 and 2003, which was responsible for building NAR’s award-winning Washington, D.C. headquarters. He has served on NAR’s Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Committee as well as numerous Presidential Advisory Groups (PAGs). He is a three time "Golden R" Member of RPAC.

In 1994, he was president of the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® (PAR). In 2001, he was selected "REALTOR® of the Year" by his state peers.

At the local level, Helsel served as president of the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS® in 1983. He was named "REALTOR® of the Year" by his local peers in 1985. The IREM Delaware Valley Chapter selected him as CPM of the Year in 1987.

Active in his community, Helsel was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cornwall Manor Home, a 550 bed continuing care facility for the elderly, from 1997 to 2000 and has continually served on the Capital Region United Way Allocations and Venture Grant Committees. He also serves on the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Regional Chamber as Chairs the Chamber’s PAC.