Advocacy Training Speakers
Please refer to the event schedule for eash speaker’s topics, dates/times, and room locations.
Selecting REALTOR® Champions
Panelists: Michael Clark, NAR Director, RPAC Fundraising and RPAC Events
Moderator: Kathryn Garland
Michael Clark is the Director of RPAC Fundraising and Events at the National Association of REALTORS®, where he leads national political fundraising strategy for one of the most successful PACs in the country. He oversees efforts to raise more than $45 million each election cycle, manages major investor and bundling initiatives, and develops innovative national engagement platforms—most recently the Pro-Property Platform—to connect political advocacy with grassroots momentum. Previously, Michael served as PAC Manager at AIPAC PAC, where he launched the AIPAC Political Portal and built the infrastructure to deliver more than $60 million to candidates over two election cycles.
Before transitioning to national political strategy, Michael served as Chief of Staff and later as Senior Advisor and Director of Strategic Engagement for Massachusetts State Senator Eric P. Lesser. He began his public service career in local government, becoming the youngest elected official in Longmeadow, Massachusetts history when he joined the School Committee at age 21. He went on to serve as Chairman of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee and Massachusetts Democratic State Committee. Michael is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Selecting REALTOR® Champions
Panelists: Michael Clark, NAR Director, RPAC Fundraising and RPAC Events
Moderator: Kathryn Garland
Fundraising: Laws that Impact RPAC
Panelists: Addison Russell, Tennessee REALTORS® General Counsel
Michael Clark, NAR Director, RPAC Fundraising and RPAC Events
Moderator: Angela Shields, Tennessee REALTORS® CEO
Pro-Property Platform
Michael Clark, NAR Director, RPAC Fundraising and RPAC Events
Moderator: Angela Shields, Tennessee REALTORS® CEO
2026 Legislative and Political Outlook: Gov. Lee's Final Season
Panelists: Addison Russell, Tennessee REALTORS® General Counsel
Matt Russell, Tennessee REALTORS® Lobbying Team
Moderator: Jonathan Lowe, Tennessee REALTORS® Governmental Affairs Director
Local Government: The Challenges Faced at the Local Level
Panelists: Coming Soon
Moderator: Coming Soon
Value of Advocacy
Speaker
Federal Political Dynamics in the Midterms, Keynote
Joe Harris, Vice President of Government Advocacy for the National Association of REALTORS®
Joe Harris joined the National Association of REALTORS® in September 2015, after serving eight years in senior legislative positions in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
Joe currently serves as Vice President of Government Advocacy, where he guides NAR’s federal legislative and political activity before Congress and the White House. In Congress, he served two years as Counsel to former U.S. Senator and Vice-Presidential nominee, Joe Lieberman (CT), and six years as Legislative Assistant and later as Legislative Counsel to House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (SC). He advised both Senator Lieberman and Congressman Spratt in the areas of tax, financial services, insurance, economic policy, budget, and trade, among other issues.
Joe is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and Davidson College, where he currently serves as a member of the Davidson College Board of Visitors. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at the Kogood School of Business at American University.