NAR names new chief marketing and communications officer

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has a new chief marketing and communications officer. The trade group announced Tuesday that Suzanne Bouhia would lead NAR’s marketing and communications group starting Dec. 11.

Bouhia is joining NAR’s senior vice president team, which is responsible for supporting NAR’s CEO.

“It is my privilege to help shape NAR’s perspective and amplify the voice of its 1.5 million members within the real estate industry and beyond. I look forward to building upon NAR’s strong legacy of empowering its members,” Bouhia said in a statement.

With more than 25 years of experience, Bouhia is a marketing and communications veteran. She joined Ernst & Young two decades ago and most recently served as their chief communications officer for the Americas and co-led its brand marketing communications function. She previously served as Ernst & Young’s America’s Internal Communications and People Engagement Leader.

Earlier in her career, Bouhia was the national director of marketing and communications for Reznick Group, which is now known as CohnReznick.

“As NAR moves into its next chapter, Suzanne will play a critical role overseeing these essential functions within our organization,” Nykia Wright, NAR’s interim CEO, said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with Suzanne to continue to communicate NAR’s perspective with key audiences, maintain our role as a positive force in the real estate industry, and empower our members who are working every day to help their clients.”

Bouhia is joining NAR during a challenging period for the trade group as it faces multiple class-action antitrust lawsuits dealing with how real estate agents are compensated. The commission lawsuits take aim at NAR’s Participation Rule, which requires listing agents to make a blanket offer of compensation to the buyer’s agent in order to list the property on the MLS.

The trade group also had its fair share of drama earlier this year, when a New York Times story revealed several complaints of alleged sexual harassment against then-NAR president Kenny Parcell. The allegations led to Parcell’s resignation in late August, resulting in Tracy Kasper taking the helm nearly three months earlier than planned.