Cindy Doll Receives Terry McDermott Leadership Award

Cindy Doll, CEO of the Pismo Coast Association of REALTORS®, Calif., is the recipient of the Terry McDermott community leadership award, presented during the AE Institute in March. This award was created to honor an AE who has shown outstanding leadership and commitment in helping others outside of regular association duties.

Fair Housing Investigation Spurs Association Action

A little over a year ago, Ryan Conrad, CEO of the Lehigh Valley Association of REALTORS®, Pa., got a phone call that made him clear his calendar and convene his executive committee: Twenty-four members were on the verge of being prosecuted for Fair Housing Act violations as part of an undercover testing project by the Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia.

AE Profile: MLS of the Future

In her more than 30 years working with and leading MLSs, Merri Jo Cowen, RCE, e-PRO®, has witnessed the industry transform from listing books to mobile apps. She is the CEO of My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service, a consortium of 15 REALTOR® associations and boards that represent about 32,000 members.

Small Board: Embrace the Cloud

As an AE for a small association, I am my own IT director. I make sure our computers and software are up-to-date and working properly, which they usually are. But a few weeks ago, my assistant’s computer went down, and along with it went all of our association files (e-mails, membership details, financial accounts, everything). Our saving grace? Our data backup in the cloud.

Law & Policy: Soliciting RPAC Investments from Staff

A question raised from time to time by AEs and other association staff involves soliciting association staff to contribute to RPAC.

HR Connection: Train or Hire?

The skills it takes to run a successful REALTOR® association are deep and constantly evolving. Today’s associations need social media expertise, consumer marketing know-how, and political skills they didn’t need just a few years ago. And who knows what new talent you’ll need in the next few years?

So how do you keep up: train existing employees, train yourself, outsource, hire freelancers, share resources with other associations?