L.E.A.D. Academy

Our Leadership Development Committee believes that Service Leadership is the foundation of our Association.

This in-house program seeks to build our membership to be the LEADERS that our Association and Community need.

L.E.A.D. offers it's participants:

CE Credits
Professional training
Community service opportunities
MUCH MORE!

Applications for the 2027 Class ARE OPEN NOW through December 31st, 2026

Mission Statement

Empowering REALTORS through strategic leadership development to elevate the standard of excellence in the real estate industry.

Purpose

What we believe it takes to LEAD...

Leadership Development: Cultivate leadership skills essential for navigating the complexities of the real estate industry

Ethical Standards: Promote a culture of ethical conduct, professionalism, and social responsibility

Action and Engagement: Encourage real estate leaders to actively contribute to their communities

Diversity: Facilitate meaningful connections and collaborations within a diverse community

Program Breakdown

Participants will join us for 4 class sessions, plus a graduation ceremony at our Annual Installation event. *Participants MUST attend all 4 sessions in order to graduate. If a class is missed, it will need to be made up the following year in order to graduate with that class

There is only room for 15 participants, but the applications are open to All BTVAR members. DON'T WAIT!

Cost is $250 per participant and is non-refundable (Talk to your Broker about sponsorship!)

There's a lot to learn to become a great leader!

Each segment of the Program is supported by qualified instructors and activities that support it's topic and drive home it's importance

Here's what each segment looked like this year:

Leadership Development:

What's your personality color?

Shout out to Dave and Hannah Pollard for speaking to our 1st class of BTVAR's brand-new L.E.A.D. Academy

Our participants and Leadership Committee members that came out early on a rainy Monday morning to become better leaders for this community.

Each had the opportunity to learn their personality color, as well as how to work successfully with people who may have other personality colors.

Chad Pennington over at First Bank & Trust Company brought us some delicious Dunkin Donuts and drinks to kick off our morning with a little boost

Then the fabulous Nicole Evans Bledsoe with Passport Title Forever Home provided scrumptious lunches from Bristol Cafe & Market (I was too busy eating to get a photo apparently

so sorry!!)

Ethical Standards:

Adam J. Smith, PMP, the COO of Virginia Realtors, came to speak with our LEAD Academy participants.

The group started the day by recapping the Leadership books of their own choosing, that they were asked to read for their homework assignments.

Then Adam jumped into Inspirational Leadership and talked about Ethics in working with a board.

We had delicious lunch from Big Guy's Italiano Family Restaurant, and the afternoon wrapped up by working together to begin their group project.

Action and Engagement:

We had a great time on June 8th, getting out, picking up trash, and making a small difference in our community!

Thank you to those who came out and joined us, or volunteered somewhere else. We hope that you received as much as you gave!

Big shout out to Leslie Frazier with Virginia Realtors for joining us and contributing to our efforts

#RealtorsAreGoodNeighbors

#bristoltn #bristolva

Diversity:

Last but most certainly not least, Robert Morris is coming to The Bristol Hotel on Wed, October 7th, to shed light on the increasingly important topic of Diversity!

Check back for more photos after that event!

Check out their Project!

Leadership Academy participants were tasked to engage with local representatives and create a community preparedness plan for natural disasters.

Our rural communities in Southwest VA and surrounding areas were devastatingly impacted by Hurricane Helene in 2024 and are still actively recovering from the widespread crisis which affected thousands.

BTVAR's vision is to help these residents in our rural MLS areas to be well prepared for the next natural disaster.

How Did They Do It?

The project was made possible through a $7,500 Rural Outreach Grant from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), awarded as part of its Community Development Advocacy program, which empowers REALTOR® associations to strengthen their communities through effective advocacy, partnerships, and on-the-ground initiatives.

The project also received an additional $1,000 sponsorship from Anthem, which funded county-specific emergency information magnets that will be distributed to each selected region through the local emergency service agencies and their community events, before those emergency numbers are needed.

Utilizing those generous funds, LEAD Academy participants assembled 200 disaster preparedness backpacks for families in Scott, Lee, Wise, and Dickenson Counties.

The backpacks contain emergency supplies including first-aid items, flashlights, water purification materials, safety whistles, ponchos, hygiene products, and other essentials designed to help families navigate real-time evacuation situations that may arise in future disaster situations.

In addition, participants coordinated resources for local emergency response stations, including batteries, bulk paper products and cleaning wipes, gloves, baby pacifiers and receiving blankets, assorted-strength reading glasses, mobile phone charging stations, and other supplies.