The 2025 Texas REALTORS® Shaping Texas Conference in Houston brought together thousands of REALTORS® from all over Texas to discuss the latest real estate issues, connect with colleagues, and conduct association business. The event equipped members with actionable insights and tools to better showcase their value as real estate professionals. Below are a few of the many highlights from the conference.

Check out the Texas REALTORS® Flickr album for 400+ photos from the event.  

Opening Session: Chet Garner

The Daytripper Chet Garner officially started the conference at the Opening Session. He shared his stories from traveling all around Texas and encouraged REALTORS® to embrace their stories. Garner said, “What makes a great storyteller? Authenticity. A reckless commitment to being yourself.”

He asserted that REALTORS® are ambassadors for their communities and offered five ways they can tell great stories:

  • Embrace the past
  • Embrace the artistic
  • Embrace the tasty
  • Embrace the outdoors
  • Embrace the people

Capitol Conversations: Where Policy Meets Property

This session featured a discussion of governmental affairs and public policy issues, highlighted by Q&As with U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Steven Pedigo, Assistant Dean for Faculty of Practice and Policy Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin.

Cornyn, a REALTOR® champion, sat down with Texas REALTORS® Chairman Christy Gessler and talked about federal issues and their effect on the economy and real estate marketing. The wide-ranging discussion covered the debt ceiling, immigration reform, workforce housing, flood insurance, and housing affordability. Cornyn praised REALTORS® for their role in the strong economy of Texas and their advocacy efforts.

Pedigo shared the stage with Dixon Holman, Chairman of the Public Policy Oversight Committee. They talked about the demographics of Texas and future challenges and opportunities with the state’s infrastructure.

Installation Gala

Members and guests came together to celebrate the installation of the association’s 2026 leaders. The evening’s emcee, 2024 Texas REALTORS® Chairman Jef Conn, also introduced several videos of members and their clients sharing stories of how REALTORS® play an important role helping Texans achieve their dreams.

NAR President-Elect Kevin Brown served as installing officer, first swearing in the Texas REALTORS® 2026 executive board appointees:

  • Marisela Harper, Greater El Paso
  • Katie Kossev, Houston
  • Justin Landon, MetroTex (AE appointee)
  • Colby Norris, Lubbock (commercial appointee)
  • Leigh York, Greater Fort Worth.

Brown then swore in the Texas REALTORS® regional vice presidents:

  • Region 1: Donna Sue Clements
  • Region 3: Paula McDonald and Elizabeth McCoy
  • Region 4: Bob Baker and Robin Mata
  • Region 8: Kriston Wood
  • Region 11: Jeremy De La Garza
  • Region 12: Ashley Gentry, James Martin, and Jeff Varnell
  • Region 13: Kim Bragman, Sara Briseno Gerrish, Tracie Hasslocher, and Marquis Williams
  • Region 14: Mario Arriaga, Jay Bradley, Bob Christian, Shannon Cobb Evans, Theresa Hill, Kat Robinson, Chaille Short, and Cathy Trevino
  • Region 15: Emily Bibby, Becky Debutts, Jay Gohil, and Brandy Wuensch
  • Region 16: Shy Rodriguez.

Following the RVPs, Brown installed the following officers for 2026:

  • Secretary/Treasurer: Deborah Spangler
  • Chairman-Elect: Tony Lloyd
  • Immediate Past Chairman: Christy Gessler
  • Chairman of the Board: Jennifer Wauhob.

Wauhob praised REALTORS® for going above and beyond for their clients. She called the profession “wonderful and meaningful and hard and rewarding.” She noted that people often don’t understand the countless actions REALTORS® take day in and day out to help them achieve their real estate dreams. “It’s time to reclaim our narrative—to tell our story,” she said. “We must explain what we do and talk about how we care about something bigger than ourselves. Let’s make it a story worth telling.”

Board of Directors Meeting

The Texas REALTORS® Board of Directors Meeting closed out this year’s conference with association business and important updates.

  • Texas Real Estate Commission Chairman Mark Woodroof and Executive Director Chelsea Buccholtz covered key changes to real estate agency laws and announced a new online license-management system to launch later this year.
  • NAR President-Elect Kevin Brown emphasized that the work of REALTORS® is important to open the door to homeownership, create generational wealth, and strengthen the economy. NAR Region 10 Vice President Eloise Gauthier discussed recent legal wins for NAR.
  • REALTORS® Relief Fund Ambassador for Region 10 Jo Ann Stevens provided details of the relief fund’s $55 million in assistance provided since 2001, including funds for the victims of the July floods in Texas.
  • Banners signed by conference attendees to express support for flood victims were presented to representatives of the following local associations:
    • Kerrville Board of REALTORS®
    • San Angelo Association of REALTORS®
    • Highland Lakes Association of REALTORS®
    • Five Points Board of REALTORS®
    • Central Hill Country Board of REALTORS®
    • Austin Board of REALTORS®
    • Four Rivers Association of REALTORS®
    • Heartland REALTORS®
  • Texas Real Estate Research Center Executive Director Pamela Canon provided a brief history of the center’s 50-plus years and spoke about plans to create new types of helpful information by overlaying datasets and using new analytical tools.
  • Attendees heard updates from association staff on legislative wins, upcoming forms changes, and the Bring It Home consumer advertising campaign.
  • Three local association staff were recognized for earning the REALTOR® Association Certified Executive (RCE) certification: Cindy Sherrick, Beaumont; Courtni Ward, Odessa; and Danielle Hammett, Austin.
  • Jeanne Zenner was recognized as she retires after many years of service to the Central Hill Country Board of Realtors including her role as association executive for the past six years. Retiring CEO of the Houston Association of REALTORS® Bob Hale was also honored for 37 years at the helm of HAR and a career spanning more than 50 years with the REALTOR® organization.
  • Brooke Hunt was recognized for receiving NAR’s Distinguished Service Award for her lifetime of leadership, influence, mentoring, engagement.
  • Mary Leidy received accolades for 50 years (and counting) serving the Collin County Association of REALTORS®.

Board of Directors Actions

  • Passed a motion to amend the bylaws to provide better representation on the Executive Board and Board of Directors when local associations merged.
  • Passed $10 Legal Fund and $30 Issues Mobilization/Political Advocacy Fund (IM/PAF) assessments. Both amounts are unchanged from last year.

Congratulations to the Winners of the Shaping Texas Challenge!

Over 400 attendees played the Shaping Texas Challenge game in the conference app. Congratulations to the three prize winners. Each earned the maximum total points and received a $150 Amazon gift card.

  • David Hall, Fort Hood
  • Patrick Stuckwish, Houston
  • Fatema Husain, Houston.

Look for a recap with photos in the upcoming September/October Texas REALTOR® magazine—and plan to attend the 2026 conference, August 26-30 in San Antonio.