Convention Speakers

A former undercover police officer and federal prosecutor, Pamela Barnum uses her decades of experience to help people crack the code on building trust and improving professional relationships. Years spent undercover and in a courtroom helped her perfect techniques. Barnum has spoken in front of audiences ranging from 50 to 12,000 in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Her recent TEDx Talk, “What Drug Dealers Taught Me About Trust” was viewed more than 200,000 times in the first six months.

Originally licensed as a Realtor in 1998, Sean Carpenter is the former agent development director for the Ohio NRT companies. Carpenter’s most popular sessions focus on creating memorable customer experiences, maximizing social and digital media, business planning, leadership and sales. He lives by his philosophy: Build relationships, solve problems and have fun.

Georgia Realtor Karin Carr, BombBomb’s No. 1 real estate video influencer of 2019, gets more than 70% of her business from YouTube. She’s also the author of the Amazon bestseller YouTube for Real Estate Agents - Learn how to get FREE real estate leads and never cold call again.

After 18 years selling real estate in Orange Beach, Alabama, Ricky Carruth lost everything in the real-estate crash of the late 2000s. Beating all odds, he fought his way back to become the top RE/MAX agent in the state several years in a row. The way he did it was by building his entire business as a single agent focused on relationships over transactions.

With 13 years in the real estate business, Jef Conn has become one of the top agents in his market, dominating in lead generation. Though Conn specializes in commercial/industrial properties, his tips on lead generation apply to both commercial and residential agents and all experience levels. He consistently ranks in the top brokers city-wide and has been the top industrial broker for five of the past seven years. Conn, a 2019 graduate of the National Association of Realtors Leadership Academy, was president of his local Texas board in 2017.

Bryan Flannery, president of Foresight Security Consulting, served over 22 years in the military and in law enforcement. A dynamic speaker, he regularly presents to national audiences on personal safety and security, threat assessment, and targeted violence detection and response. Flannery serves as president of the board of the Northwest Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

Founder and chairman of Telephone Doctor, customer service expert Nancy Friedman offers fun, fast-paced sessions that focus on boosting customer satisfaction and enhancing workplace respect and effectiveness through “soft skills” training. Her no-podium, no-Powerpoint presentations are designed to engage and entertain the audience. She has led numerous sessions for the National Association of Realtors as well as for many state Realtor associations.

Anthony Huey’s career includes tenures as a news reporter, magazine senior editor, crisis management specialist, media relations consultant and executive speech coach. He has delivered nearly 2,000 presentations and has developed a wide range of advertising, public relations and communications initiatives for hundreds of trade associations and companies, including Nike and Procter & Gamble. His goal is to offer actionable tips and techniques that attendees can use immediately.

Phil M Jones has made it his life’s work to demystify the decision-making process, reframe what it is to “sell” and help audiences to learn new skills that empower confidence, overcome fears and instantaneous impact bottom line results. He’s a master of influence and persuasion as the author of the best-selling “Exactly” book series (over $500,000 in sales) and producer of the “Most Listened To” Audiobook of 2018. An entrepreneur since the age of 14, formerly the youngest sales leader of a major fashion retailer who also worked with a host of Premier League Football Clubs, Jones’ “Magic Words” give leaders more impact, sales teams improved conversions, and team members more influence in their daily conversations.

Marki Lemons-Ryhal opened her first real estate company in 2003, and by 2004 she was in the top 10% of Realtors in Chicago. She served on the Board of Directors for the third-largest real estate board in the country, worked as a licensed real estate Instructor and has spoken at the National Association of Realtors Conference & Expo. In 2010, she was the youngest woman to be named Illinois Real Estate Educator of the Year. With over 25 years of marketing experience and 300,000 students trained, Lemons-Ryhal has established herself as an award-winning social media speaker and course author. She travels the country teaching social media courses for NAR, REBAC, ASI, and others.

Time-management expert Allyson Lewis, whose books have sold more than130,000 copies, works with companies and entrepreneurs sharing groundbreaking strategies that revolutionize corporate profitability, engagement and happiness. Lewis understands that people want life to matter, and they want to work with commitment, clarity, conviction, determination and excitement. Her passion is reigniting productivity and purpose in the workplace.

Realtor Tim Macy collaborates with real estate professionals across the country, sharing specific content that can work for any agent. He also teaches higher-level concepts that agents and brokers can use to formulate their own video marketing strategy. He’s co-founder of RE TV, host of the RE TV Podcast and is known for taking the fluff out of video and getting down to the things that work.

Maj Gen (ret) Lawrence M. Martin, Jr served over 32 years and held leadership assignments across the Air Force. A command pilot with more than 3,700 hours, he oversaw Air Force international matters including a foreign military sales portfolio worth $187 billion dollars. As a Senior Consultant for Two Blue Aces Consulting, he specializes in strategic planning, leadership development and international relations

Stephen Menendian, assistant director at the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC-Berkeley, is an expert in fair housing law and author of many law review articles and scholarly publications. Stephen has trained policymakers, businesses, and other institutions on diversity, inclusion, and affirmative action practices, policies, and compliance.

Using laughter, passion and experience, Oates helps his audiences identify global real estate opportunities, create action plans for implementation and leave equipped for success. As a CIPS and CRS designee whose specialty is international clients and global marketing, Neal is uniquely qualified to aid attendees in building a global real estate business that yields results.

An expert in real estate marketing, Todd Sumney uses his 30 plus years of brand management, marketing and advertising experience for clients including Ritz-Carlton, Intel, Dole, Coleman, Realty Executives and HomeSmart International to teach marketing essentials to real estate agents and brokers, focusing on implementing effective marketing tactics to build and grow brands and businesses.

Howard Yager is co-founder of Ylopo, one of the fastest growing tech companies in the real estate industry. His job is to provide Realtors with technologies that help generate more business and better promote their team, brand, and listings across the entire digital landscape. Yager was recently named by RISMedia as one of 2020’s top real estate futurists.

David Wachsmuth is the Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance at McGill University, and one of the world’s leading experts on the affects of short-term rentals on housing markets in the United States and around the world. His research has been featured by The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and dozens of other leading media outlets.

From Aventura to Tallahassee, Chris Westfall has helped Realtors realize new value from powerful communication strategies. Recognized as the U.S. national elevator pitch champion, he has coached clients onto Shark Tank, Dragons Den in Canada and Shark Tank Australia — helping to raise over $100 million for new ventures (and counting)! He’s the publisher of seven books — his latest is Leadership Language — and he regularly writes for Forbes. He focuses on helping real estate pros to leverage tools and technology in a new kind of conversation: creating greater connection, instant engagement and powerful client relationships.