Haggerty to Leave HGAR at Year's End To Take Over Leadership of OneKey MLS

HGAR Chief Executive Officer Richard Haggerty

WHITE PLAINS—Richard Haggerty, who has been serving the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors and its predecessor organizations for nearly four decades, informed the HGAR Board of Directors earlier this month that he will be leaving the organization at the end of this year to take over as Chief Executive Officer of its subsidiary organization, OneKey MLS, beginning on Jan. 1, 2023.

Haggerty who has served as CEO of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors since 2012, will take over the CEO position at OneKey MLS from the retiring Jim Speer. OneKey MLS officially announced Haggerty’s appointment on Sept. 20.

Since OneKey MLS’s inception, Haggerty has served as OneKey MLS’s President and Chief Strategic Growth Officer. Along with Speer, Haggerty was instrumental in the creation of OneKey MLS, the New York metro area’s first regional multiple listing service. Launched with the Long Island Board of Realtors in 2018, OneKey MLS has more than 45,000 subscribers and serves Manhattan, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

In his letter to the HGAR Board of Directors on Sept. 12, Haggerty said, “It is with very mixed feelings that I advise you that I will be transitioning to a new position on Jan. 1, 2023, and will become the CEO of HGAR’s subsidiary organization, OneKey MLS, LLP. I don’t make this decision lightly. I have had the privilege of working for HGAR and its predecessor organizations since 1984 and have forged countless friendships and lasting relationships over those 38 years. However, I also recognize that the MLS is the lifeblood in the daily lives of our member Realtors, and I believe I can be truly impactful in this new position, making a difference for all Participants and Subscribers of OneKey MLS.” Haggerty said that he would work with the HGAR Board in its search for his successor.

In his Gateway Perspectives column in Real Estate In-Depth, Haggerty noted, “I have thought long and hard about how I can best serve the members, and where I could be most impactful, and I decided that path was OneKey MLS, which is the lifeblood in the daily lives of our members. Approximately four years ago we came together with the Long Island Board of Realtors to leverage the incredible geography of New York City and the greater suburban areas to create something that will really benefit our members and also benefit our consumers. We have accomplished much in the last four years, and there is much more to do to achieve our goals.”

HGAR President Anthony Domathoti said, “Richard Haggerty has led HGAR for the past 30 + glorious years. Starting with the 2009 merger and creation of the Westchester/Putnam Association of Realtors, the birth of HGAR and his appointment as CEO in 2011, the merger with the Rockland Board of Realtors and the Orange County Association of Realtors in 2012, the 2016 merger with the Manhattan Association of Realtors, and the 2020 merger with the Bronx/Manhattan Realtors, Richard continually strengthened HGAR and forged HGAR into far reaching communities in the Hudson Valley, Bronx, and Manhattan.”

He continued, “Although I am sad to see Richard Haggerty leave HGAR, I’m excited about his leadership with OneKey MLS and there are more goals for him to accomplish there. Richard has been integral to the all-round growth of our association, our members and affiliates creating and setting course for the first-ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in 2021. A leader like Richard doesn’t come around every day. His ability to make every team member feel valued is an irreplaceable quality. He is one of the pillars that held HGAR up. I’m fortunate to have been able to work with him, and I wish him all the very best in the future. I thank him for everything…He will be missed.”

Domathoti in an e-mail message to HGAR members on Sept. 20, said, “I wanted to let our members know that your Executive Team has taken immediate action to establish both a CEO Search Committee and a succession process to ensure the smooth and successful transition of our association leadership.”

During his tenure as HGAR CEO, Haggerty led the organization to significantly grow its geographic reach throughout the northern suburbs and into the Bronx as well as initiatives geared at promoting Diversity Equity, and Inclusion at HGAR.

After the Westchester County Board of Realtors merger with the Putnam County Association of Realtors in 2009 that created the Westchester/Putnam Association of Realtors, he oversaw WPAR’s merger with the Rockland County Board of Realtors and the Orange County Association of Realtors that created the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors in 2012. In January 2017, HGAR merged with the Manhattan Association of Realtors, creating an HGAR Manhattan Chapter, and in 2020 HGAR merged with the Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors to create the Bronx Chapter of HGAR.

The veteran Realtor executive first worked at the then Westchester County Board of Realtors in 1984 as a temporary employee. After three weeks he was offered a job as the Director of Membership Administration and over the years he worked in other departments including Professional Standards and Multiple Listing Service. He was appointed Deputy Executive Officer in 2004.

Haggerty is a national expert in Professional Standards administration and training. He is a Certified Administrator and frequent speaker at training programs of the Association Executives Institute of the National Association of Realtors. He holds a BA in English from the University of New Hampshire.

He has been an active instructor for the National and New York State Association of Realtors and over the years has also been an instructor for the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon and U.S. Virgin Islands Associations of Realtors. He has served on numerous committees, including the Professional Standards Committee and the Association Executives Committee of the National Association of Realtors, as well as numerous committees of the New York State Association of Realtors. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire.

“After completing a comprehensive search process for Jim’s replacement, we were pleased to have determined Richard to be the best individual to assume the leadership of OneKey MLS,” said Linda Lugo, chairperson of the OneKey MLS Board of Managers. “From its inception, Richard’s unwavering commitment to the success of our organization and his understanding of the vital role the MLS plays in real estate, makes him uniquely qualified to lead OneKey MLS through the next phase of our development that is centered around growth.”

OneKey’s Speer added, “Richard is a remarkable leader who has been responsible for a big part of our organization’s success over a short period of time. I am confident that Richard will ensure that OneKey MLS will continue to evolve under his direction.”

Speer Announces Retirement

On Sept. 14, OneKey MLS announced that CEO Speer will retire at the end of this year. Speer has been at the helm of OneKey MLS from its inception, guiding one of the largest Multiple Listing Services in the country to its continued success.

For more than the past 30 years he served as the Senior Vice President of Operations for the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. For the last three years he was named to the Swanepoel Power 200 list, the definitive ranking of the residential real estate industry’s 200 most powerful and influential leaders throughout the country, in addition to receiving other prestigious industry awards.

Lugo, Chairperson of the OneKey MLS Board of Managers, said, “Like many of my colleagues I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Jim on so many endeavors that have resulted in friendship. I will miss Jim and feel continued gratitude for his tireless efforts.”

“Jim was part of the vision of OneKey from the very beginning, and he did a tremendous job launching OneKey MLS during one of the most challenging times in our history when COVID was overwhelming our region,” said Haggerty. “He is one of the most highly-respected MLS executives in the country and he leaves very big shoes to fill, to put it mildly. I look forward to leading OneKey MLS in the next chapter of its growth.”