Last week, your Leadership Team had our annual meeting with the past presidents of the National Association of REALTORS®. We were also privileged to have a former CEO and previous NAR staff attend. Each year, NAR senior staff provides an in depth briefing of the issues facing the association and how we will address those issues for the benefit of our members.

It is also the Leadership Team’s opportunity to acquire knowledge and feedback from past leaders of this association. They have an insider’s view of the workings of this great and complex organization that few individuals can offer.

Anyone that has served this association from president to treasurer does so because of their passion for serving our members. (Believe me, it is not because of our AIG bonuses!) After listening to the dialog last week, it is evident that our passion has not waned. In fact, it has never been higher.

I was awed by the individuals and their accomplishments as I looked around the room. For example, we should thank 2002 NAR President Martin Edwards for his hard work during his presidency on the Community Choice in Real Estate legislation. It recently became law and now banks are forever banned from getting involved in real estate. 1995 NAR President Gil Woods fought the battle of banning mortgage interest deduction—winning for all of us and our consumers.

All of us can be thankful that NAR’s current leadership stands on the strong shoulders of previous leaders. This benefits all of our members and our industry. — Vicki Cox Golder, 2009 NAR President-Elect