Residential real estate is navigating profound disruption driven by litigation, changing business models, evolving consumer expectations, reduced buyer demand, significantly less inventory, artificial intelligence, and growing competitive pressure. During times like these, strong leadership is not simply helpful. It is essential.

Our industry needs leaders who are prepared to listen, build trust, make difficult decisions, bring people together, and help organizations continually reinvent themselves. Just as importantly, real estate needs a stronger and more diverse pipeline of professionals who are ready to step forward when leadership opportunities arise.

Women’s Council of REALTORS® has been preparing women to meet that challenge for generations. WAV Group was honored to work with the Women’s Council leadership team and interview an impressive group of candidates who shared a genuine passion for helping women succeed. The group ultimately chose Tripti Kasal as its new Chief Executive Officer. Tripti stood out for her brokerage experience, entrepreneurial thinking, relationship-building skills, and lifelong commitment to developing others.

The Right Leader for the Next Era

Tripti Kasal is the ideal leader to help Women’s Council build on its legacy while bringing a new era of entrepreneurial energy to the organization.

Tripti is a proven brokerage executive, business builder, mentor, and relationship-driven leader. Throughout her career, she has coached and mentored hundreds of real estate professionals, helped agents and managers grow their businesses, strengthened organizations, expanded educational programming, and brought people together around shared goals.

She also understands the Women’s Council experience personally. Tripti played an important role in helping rebuild and reinvigorate the organization’s Chicago network, giving her firsthand knowledge of the passion, dedication, and commitment that make Women’s Council so valuable. Her career reflects nearly every important dimension of residential real estate leadership needed to drive growth for Women’s Council.

She has launched and expanded brokerage operations, owned her own brokerage, recruited and developed agents, coached managers, strengthened luxury marketing programs, built business development initiatives, and helped independent brokerage leaders connect with education, technology, marketing, relocation, and other critical resources.

Tripti combines entrepreneurial instincts with an infectious passion for helping others succeed. She knows how to engage leaders, strengthen relationships, attract participation, expand programming, and translate ambitious ideas into practical action. Those capabilities will be essential as Women’s Council enters its next chapter.

Preparing More Women to Lead

Tripti has been charged with significantly expanding the number of women who are prepared to lead throughout residential real estate. Women have represented the majority of REALTORS® for decades, yet they remain underrepresented in many senior leadership roles across brokerages, associations, MLSs, technology companies, advocacy organizations, and other influential industry institutions.

There has never been a more important time to prepare women to step forward in a bigger way.

Our industry needs leaders who can help organizations respond to disruption without losing sight of their purpose. It needs leaders who understand how to balance innovation with risk management, advocate for customers, develop sustainable business models, and inspire people to embrace change.

Women’s Council has the platform, history, network, and educational resources to help meet that need. Under Tripti’s leadership, the organization has an opportunity to expand participation, increase engagement, strengthen local and state networks, broaden its leadership curriculum, grow PMN, deepen industry partnerships, and make its referral community even more valuable and profitable for its members.

The goal is not simply to help women secure leadership titles. It is to ensure they are prepared to succeed once they get there.

A Proven Leadership Incubator

Women’s Council is much more than a professional networking organization. It is one of the residential real estate industry’s most proven leadership development platforms.

Through local and state networks, national conferences, volunteer leadership positions, mentoring, professional education, and its Performance Management Network, or PMN, designation, Women’s Council gives its members practical opportunities to develop and demonstrate leadership skills.

The PMN program helps participants strengthen their capabilities in leadership, negotiation, business planning, networking, team management, and professional performance. Members are then able to put those skills to work by leading networks, building programs, managing volunteers, developing partnerships, and advocating for their profession and communities.

Many of the industry’s most accomplished brokerage, association, MLS, advocacy, and community leaders developed their confidence and leadership skills through Women’s Council.

The organization consistently attracts some of the best, brightest, and most passionate professionals in residential real estate. These are people who care deeply about their businesses, companies, communities, clients, and the future of the profession.

That commitment is also one of the reasons the Women’s Council referral network is so effective. Its members are not simply exchanging names. They are building business relationships with trusted professionals who share a commitment to service, professionalism, leadership, and results.

At a time when residential real estate must continue to evolve, Women’s Council has selected a leader who knows how to inspire people, build momentum, and turn opportunity into meaningful impact.

Welcome, Tripti. The industry needs the leadership Women’s Council develops, and we look forward to seeing the organization reach even greater heights under your direction!

The press release follows.

Tripti Kasal Named CEO to Expand Women’s Council of REALTORS® Leadership Impact Amid Industry Disruption

CHICAGO, Ill. — July 14, 2026 — Women’s Council of REALTORS® has named Tripti Kasal as its new Chief Executive Officer, selecting a respected residential real estate executive and relationship-driven leader to guide the 9,000-member organization into its next era of growth and industry impact.

Kasal will lead Women’s Council’s efforts to prepare and support more women for senior leadership roles in brokerages, Associations and MLSs, technology companies, advocacy initiatives, entrepreneurship, and community development.

Women have represented the majority of REALTORS® since 1978 and today account for 62% of the profession. Yet women remain underrepresented in executive roles. At a time when organized real estate is confronting existential threats from ongoing litigation, intensifying competitive conflict, changing consumer needs, and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, strengthening the industry’s leadership pipeline has never been more important.

“Real estate needs well-prepared leaders who can build consensus, make difficult decisions, advocate effectively, and guide organizations through profound change,” said Cheryl Keller, 2026 National President of Women’s Council of REALTORS®. “Women’s Council has been preparing women to meet that challenge for generations, and Tripti is uniquely qualified to help us expand that impact.”

Founded in 1938, Women’s Council has become an important leadership development platform for residential real estate. Through its local and state networks, national conferences, volunteer leadership opportunities, professional education, mentoring, and nationwide referral community, the organization helps members build the skills, confidence, and relationships needed to lead.

Its highly effective Performance Management Network, or PMN, designation provides advanced education in leadership, negotiation, business planning, networking, and professional performance. Members also gain practical experience by leading networks, managing teams, developing programs, and building partnerships.

Kasal brings more than 25 years of residential real estate experience spanning brokerage operations, market expansion, recruiting, coaching, marketing, business development, and member engagement.

Early in her career, she helped launch and grow the Chicago operation of a pioneering internet-based residential brokerage, expanding its sales team from five to more than 40 agents in less than a year. She later owned a boutique brokerage in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Kasal spent 10 years in senior leadership with Baird & Warner, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for the Chicago metropolitan area. She supported managers and agents through recruiting, coaching, training, productivity programs, and business development while also helping strengthen the company’s luxury marketing and agent value proposition.

Most recently, Kasal served as Senior Vice President of Member Engagement for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, where she led the U.S. membership services team and helped independent brokerages connect with education, technology, marketing, relocation, and business-development resources.

“Tripti understands residential real estate from nearly every angle,” Keller said. “Her senior-level brokerage experience and ability to launch businesses, attract engagement, and inspire women will be invaluable as we grow membership, elevate our leadership training, strengthen our networks, and make the Women’s Council referral community even more valuable and profitable for our members.”

As CEO, Kasal will focus on expanding membership and engagement, strengthening local and state networks, broadening leadership education, increasing participation in PMN, deepening partnerships with brokerages and organized real estate, and growing the business value of Women’s Council’s nationwide referral network.

“I am passionate about the future of residential real estate and the role well-trained, well-supported leaders must play in shaping it,” Kasal said. “Our industry needs leaders who are prepared to listen, build trust, advocate effectively, and help others navigate change with confidence.”

“Women’s Council combines relevant leadership education with local networks, national conferences, ongoing professional development, mentoring, and a trusted referral community,” Kasal continued. “Whether a woman is raising her hand for the first time or preparing to lead a brokerage, association, MLS, advocacy effort, or community initiative, Women’s Council should be there to help her succeed.”

Keller said Kasal’s appointment reflects Women’s Council’s commitment to increasing its relevance and impact throughout residential real estate.

“Leaders are not simply found when a position becomes available,” Keller said. “They are identified, encouraged, trained, supported, and given opportunities to grow. With Tripti’s leadership, the Women’s Council is ready to prepare even more women to guide their companies, professional organizations, communities, and the residential real estate industry.”

About Women’s Council of REALTORS®

Women’s Council of REALTORS® is a nationwide network of successful real estate professionals advancing women as business leaders in the industry and in the communities they serve. Founded in 1938, the organization provides leadership development, professional education, business referrals, mentoring, and practical opportunities to lead through its national organization and network of local and state groups. To learn more, please visit www.wcr.org.