Reflections on the RISMedia 2026 Newsmakers
The past year asked a lot of this industry. Shifting markets, changing expectations, and a constant need to adapt forced leaders to get clearer, sharper, and more intentional about how they show up.
RISMedia’s 2026 Newsmakers reflect that reality. This recognition highlights professionals across roles and organizations who didn’t let market conditions dictate the story, but instead chose to lead through it.
What follows isn’t a full recap of every honoree. It’s a personal snapshot of leaders we respect and admire, and the company we’re grateful to keep this year.
Trailblazers
Before the categories even mattered, a pattern started to emerge.
The leaders who stood out weren’t waiting for ideal conditions. They were already in motion. Building, adjusting, testing, and moving again. That’s what makes the Trailblazers category feel less like a label and more like a reflection of how progress actually happens in real estate.
This group below represents leaders redefining scale, systems, and what sustainable growth looks like in a changing market.
PRITESH DAMANI
Real
DANNY HERNANDEZ
Realty ONE Group
MATT WIDDOWS
HomeSmart
DEAN DETONNANCOURT
HomeSmart Professionals Real Estate
BEN CABALLERO
HomesUSA.com
CORY VASQUEZ
Realty ONE Group
AMANDA CLINE
United Real Estate
LAUREN HENSS
FirstTeam®
JOHN FINN
United Real Estate Richmond
Influencers
Momentum doesn’t travel on its own.
It needs voices that can translate complexity into clarity and ideas into confidence.
Leaders like Nicole Rideout and Matthew Ferrara exemplify this in different but equally meaningful ways. Their influence is grounded in credibility, experience, and a long-standing commitment to helping others think more clearly about their businesses and the decisions in front of them.
The leaders below prove that influence shows up, not as volume, but as trust earned over time.
CHRISTINA PAPPAS
The Keyes Company
ANNIE ENGEL
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
DUFFY HANNA
Howard Hanna Financial Services
RICH LA RUE
HomeSmart
TODD SUMNEY
HomeSmart
MATTHEW FERRARA
The Learning Network, LLC
NICOLE RIDEOUT HARTWICK
Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty
Hall of Fame
The names on this list prompt a different kind of pause.
Longevity.
In an industry that moves fast and reinvents itself constantly, there’s something grounding about leaders whose impact spans decades. Not because they resisted change, but because they adapted without losing their core.
A very special shout out to the kind of leadership quietly sets the bar.
MIKE HICKMAN
Seven Gables Real Estate
Luminaries
From there, the scale of responsibility shifts.
Luminaries carry influence that reaches across markets and models. Their decisions shape not just organizations, but how leadership itself is understood in the industry.
What stands out isn’t size. It’s intentionality.
These leaders listed below display a willingness to lead with conviction and clarity, even when the path forward isn’t obvious.
ANTHONY LAMACCHIA
Lamacchia Companies, LLC
HOWARD “HOBY” HANNA
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
TAMIR POLEG
Real
MIKE CLEAR
Realty ONE Group
RICK HAASE
United Real Estate; United Real Estate Group
MICHAEL VALDES
LPT International
DAN KRUSE
CENTURY 21 Affiliated
KUBA JEWGIENIEW
Realty ONE Group
ALEXIS BOLIN
Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast
MAYI & DANIEL DE LA VEGA
ONE Sotheby’s International Realty
PHILLIP CANTRELL
Benchmark Realty & United Real Estate
NELSON ZIDE
ERA Key Realty Services
DAN DUFFY
United Real Estate
MICHAEL NOURMAND
Nourmand & Associates
STUART SIEGEL
Engel & Völkers
STEVE BELLOUMINI
Corcoran Icon Properties
ROBERT BAILEY
Bailey Properties, Inc.
Futurists
Some leaders aren’t focused on maintaining what exists. They’re asking harder questions. Challenging assumptions. Building systems that anticipate what’s coming next instead of reacting to it. Leaders like Matt Leone represent this mindset well, grounded in strong brands while actively shaping what the next chapter can become.
The winners in this category don’t get caught up in predictions, instead they are focused on innovative & reliable construction.
TOMMY DUNBAR
Old Colony, REALTORS®
CHIP MURPHY
Michael Saunders & Company
CHRIS COX
Keller Williams Realty LLC
ERIC FITE
Century 21 Judge Fite Company
RICHARD SULLIVAN
Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty
FRANK DERONJA JR.
Corcoran DeRonja Real Estate
DAPHNA FIELDS
Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty
STEPHEN MEADOWS
Coldwell Banker Premier
MATTHEW LEONE
Brown Harris Stevens
Achievers
By the time we reached the Achievers, the through-line was clear.
Achievement here isn’t about flash or acceleration alone.
Leaders like Mor Zucker embody that balance, pairing performance with perspective in a way that feels sustainable and earned. Success with substance tends to last. And it shows.
The leaders listed below reflect discipline, focus, and the ability to deliver meaningful results while staying grounded in values.
ANGEL NICOLAS
SERHANT
MARIA DAOU
Coldwell Banker Warburg
BETH DICKERSON
Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty
JOHN CELLA
Coldwell Banker Warburg
LEIGH ANN BOGRAN
United Real Estate
STEVE DUBRUELER
Coldwell Banker Premier
SAMANTHA GIUGGIO
Fathom Holdings, Inc.
ASHLEY CONLON
CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company
SMOKEY GARRETT
Keller Williams GO Network
MICAH SMITH
TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
MOR ZUCKER
LIV Sotheby’s International Realty
The Common Thread
Recognition like this is easy to scroll past. Harder to contextualize.
This list reflects a kind of leadership rooted in consistency, proximity, and intention. Leaders who show up in the work, contribute thoughtfully, and build with a long view in mind.
We at Cloze are grateful to RISMedia for continuing to spotlight leadership that moves the industry forward, and for the opportunity to stand alongside people doing meaningful, steady work.
Sometimes recognition simply confirms you’re in good company.
