WASHINGTON (May 16, 2018) – (RealEstateRama) — Jerry Giovaniello, long-time senior vice president and chief lobbyist at the National Association of Realtors® will retire at the end of this year.
Giovaniello is among Washington’s most well-respected lobbyists, and for 37 years he has successfully advocated vital legislative and regulatory issues before Congress, the White House and federal agencies for the nation’s largest trade association and its 1.3 million members.
Giovaniello joined NAR in 1981 from Capitol Hill, where he was chief of staff for two members of Congress from California. He was named NAR’s chief lobbyist in 2001, and is a fixture in the halls of Congress; Giovaniello has developed long-standing relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle and a reputation for ensuring Realtors®’ voices are heard on important policy issues.
“Jerry has had a distinguished nearly four-decade career at NAR, protecting the interests of Realtors®, the real estate industry, and current and future property owners. NAR’s advocacy efforts have greatly expanded and grown in influence in recent decades, and Jerry has contributed greatly to those efforts,” said NAR CEO Bob Goldberg. “On behalf of NAR’s leadership, staff, and a million-plus members, I thank Jerry for his dedication and hard work, which will have a lasting and meaningful impact, and I congratulate him on his retirement.”
Under Giovaniello’s direction, NAR achieved numerous legislative and regulatory accomplishments. He led fights to oppose a flat tax proposal in the late ’90s, to permanently prohibit banks from entering real estate brokerage, and to persuade Congress to pass mortgage debt relief and a first-time homebuyer tax credit during very challenging times for the housing market and economy after the financial collapse. His leadership helped secure the continuation of the National Flood Insurance Program, and most recently he successfully led efforts to persuade policymakers against slashing homeowner tax benefits, like the mortgage interest and property tax deductions.
Giovaniello has been broadly recognized for his leadership; he was named a top lobbyist by CEO Update, The Hill, and others, and he has been identified among the most influential in real estate by the Swanepoel Power 200 and Inman News.
“As a sixth-generation Realtor®, I am extremely proud of what Jerry has accomplished for the Realtor® family. For the past 40 years the association and its members have been positively impacted by Jerry’s incredible work, and he has contributed so much to our success,” NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a Realtor® from Columbia, Missouri and CEO of RE/MAX Boone Realty.
With so much going on in Washington that bears significant weight on the real estate industry, Giovaniello will stay on until a successor is named and will be instrumental in a smooth and successful transition, which is expected before the end of the year. A national search for a new chief lobbyist will begin later this month and be overseen by NAR Senior Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Bill Malkasian. Additional details will be posted at www.nar.realtor/jobs.
The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Media Contact: Sara Wiskerchen 202-383-1013
