Bylaws Vote and Governance Revamp Information

On Friday, August 1, 2025, GLAR members will be asked to approve a slate of changes to the association’s bylaws in order to create a more responsive, modernized, and nimble Board of Directors.

These changes are being proposed to bring the association’s governance structure in line with best practices adopted across the non-profit, business, and association industries to ensure that GLAR stays relevant to the needs of our members and our communities. Adopting these changes would allow the board composition to be better aligned with the skills, experience, and preparation needed for effective governance in today’s complex and litigious environment.

The restructuring would strengthen and expand the association’s successful advocacy and government affairs efforts by giving regional representatives a bigger voice in advocacy efforts, where their perspectives can have maximum impact.

By streamlining the structure of the Board of Directors and creating more opportunities for members to put their expertise to work on behalf of the association, these changes create a strong pipeline of association leaders over the long-term, and a more structured and supportive leadership framework to make sure our members’ needs are met.

If approved, these changes would go into effect for the 2026 Board of Directors elections. All primary and secondary REALTOR® members in good standing are encouraged to register for the virtual member meeting and vote taking place on Friday, August 1st.

Click here to read the full text of the proposed changes.

Click here to download a summary of the proposed changes

Town Hall registrations coming soon!

FAQs

As part of the restructuring of GLAR’s Board of Directors, the Regional Chair and Regional Vice Chair positions will move from the Board to newly formed “Regional Advocacy Councils” (RACs) within GLAR’s Government Affairs Committee.

Alongside the moving of the Regional Chair and Regional Vice Chair positions, the GLAR Board of Directors will be reduced in size from 19 members to 11 members to allow for more efficient decision making, and to ensure a stable pipeline of future Board leaders. The number of Presidentially appointed directors to the Board will also be reduced from four to one.

The new board will be composed of:

  • 5 Officers: President, President-Elect, First Vice President, Treasurer (appointed), Immediate Past President
  • 5 Elected Directors (serving staggered 2-year terms)
  • 1 Presidential Appointee (serving a 1-year term and ratified by the Board)

This streamlined structure allows for broad representation while ensuring that all board members are selected based on leadership potential, relevant experience, and a demonstrated commitment to the Association’s strategic goals.

A smaller, more strategic board allows for faster decision-making and greater focus on strategic priorities. By moving local engagement into the Government Affairs structure, GLAR can respond more directly to local issues while allowing the Board to concentrate on high-level governance, industry trends, and long-term planning.

As an organization, we regularly review our bylaws and leadership structure to ensure that the association is in-line with accepted best practices in the corporate and non-profit world. This review determined that GLAR’s Board was significantly larger than similar organizations. 

GLAR is aligning our governance model with best practices from the nonprofit and association sectors, which recommend smaller, more strategic boards—typically between 10 and 13 members—for effective oversight and leadership.

GLAR’s 19-member board created challenges in terms of agility, engagement, and decision-making. Reducing the board to 11 members is a strategic shift to ensure:

  • More Efficient Decision-Making: Smaller boards allow for quicker, more focused discussions and more timely decisions. This becomes especially important in fast-changing industry or policy environments.
  • Increased Accountability and Engagement: With fewer board members, each individual has a more clearly defined role and greater responsibility. This improves preparation, attendance, and overall participation.
  • Stronger Strategic Focus: A smaller board is better able to concentrate on high-level governance, long-term planning, and financial oversight—freeing operational or regional tasks to be handled by specialized committees or work groups.
  • Improved Recruitment and Succession Planning: A smaller board allows for more intentional recruitment focused on skills, experience, and leadership potential, rather than solely geographic assignment or availability.

Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency: The shift reduces costs associated with meetings, travel, leadership retreats, and board training. These savings can be redirected toward member services, professional development, or advocacy initiatives.

The purpose of the board is to set the strategic direction of the association and to provide oversight of the association’s operations and progress towards its strategic plan. 

When we examined the work being done by the Regional Chairs and Regional Vice Chairs, the vast majority of the regional insight and direction was in boots on the ground, grassroots advocacy efforts. This work is extremely valuable but falls outside of the purview of the Board, and is directly aligned with the work of our Government Affairs and advocacy efforts. Moving the RCs and RVCs within the Government Affairs Committee allows us to expand these critical efforts while allowing the Board to be laser-focused on its strategic mission.

The Regional Advocacy Councils will be structured under GLAR’s Government Affairs Committee. Each RAC will consist of a Regional Chair and Vice Chair who serve as grassroots liaisons. Their responsibilities include reporting on local policy issues, mobilizing advocacy efforts in their region, and supporting candidate engagement and community outreach. This creates a direct link between regional insights and GLAR’s public policy priorities.

Regional Advocacy Councils will operate as such after 2026: The President will select the Regional Chair, the President-Elect will select the Vice Chair, and any member interested in serving may apply to be on the council. All members of the councils must be ratified by the Board of Directors.

No. Any Board member currently serving an unexpired term that runs through 2026 or later will continue in their current position either on the board, or on the newly formed Regional Advocacy Councils. Board members whose terms are expiring will term off the Board as they would have previously.

Yes. While the Regional Chair and Vice Chair roles will no longer automatically include Board seats, regional leaders are encouraged to pursue Board service through the standard nomination process. The new structure emphasizes leadership readiness and merit-based selection while keeping regional voices active in advocacy work.

Governance Town Hall and Member Meeting / Vote

Wednesday, July 23

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Member Meeting & Vote

Friday, August 1

10:00 am – 11:00 am