Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Girard.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve grown up professionally inside this organization, but my path here started in policy- not sales. I began my tenure at the Austin Board of REALTORSⓇ as Director of Public and Government Affairs, where I worked on housing affordability campaigns and advocated for the private property rights of homeowners. That work grounded me in the “why” behind real estate and helped me learn that home isn’t just an asset, it’s a foundation for people’s lives.
After a few years with the Texas Association of REALTORSⓇ as a Field Representative, I returned to ABoR in 2012 and stepped into a series of leadership roles. First, again in public affairs and then as Chief Operating Officer in 2015. As COO, I helped guide the organization through a major strategic planning process and rebrand, which included launching a more accessible, member-focused website. It was one of the first times I saw how intentional change could breathe new energy into a legacy institution.
In early 2018, I was asked to step in as Interim CEO amid a challenging moment when the organization needed stability and direction. Within a few months, we regained trust, improved communication, and grew our membership. Three months later, I was officially named the first female and youngest CEO of ABoR and Unlock MLS.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I stepped into the CEO role just a few years before the pandemic hit, and those early days were all about holding space for our staff, our members, and the community in a moment when everything felt uncertain. It taught me that leadership isn’t about having every answer; it’s about providing steadiness, clarity, and empathy when things are hard.
In the years since, the challenges in our business have only grown more complex. Our industry has been navigating a high-stakes litigation environment, shifting compensation models, and a real estate market that looks very different from the one most of our members and subscribers built their careers in. Leading through all of that requires an unusual mix of courage and humility. I have found the courage to make hard calls and the humility to say, “we don’t know yet, but we’ll figure it out together.”
What’s kept me grounded through each of those seasons is focusing on trust and transparency. You can’t control the market or the lawsuits, but you can control how you show up and how you help agents navigate these big changes. For me, that means being honest with my team and our members about what we know, what we don’t, and what we’re doing to move forward. That’s been the throughline in leading our people through change with honesty and care.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Austin Board of Realtors?
The Austin Board of REALTORS® and Unlock MLS sit at the heart of Central Texas real estate. Unlock MLS, which is owned by ABoR, powers more than 18,000 real estate professionals across 18 counties with the data, tools, and insights they need to help Texans buy, sell, and lease homes every day.
But what we really do goes beyond technology or transactions. We connect people to communities. We give REALTORS® the information and confidence to guide their clients well, and we help consumers make smarter, more confident decisions about one of the biggest investments of their lives.
What sets up apart is how deeply we’re rooted in the Central Texas community. Through ABoR’s advocacy work, we champion housing affordability, property rights, and thoughtful land-use policies that impact current and future property owners across Central Texas. Our ABoR Foundation supports local housing, education, and disaster-relief efforts, while our global network connects Austin REALTORS® and their clients to opportunities all over the world.
I’m most proud that our organization has evolved into something much bigger than a data marketplace. We’ve become a connector, a community partner, and a catalyst for progress in Central Texas. Everything we do at ABoR and Unlock MLS is driven by the same belief: that when REALTORS® are empowered, our communities thrive.
What were you like growing up?
I come from a family where civic engagement was the family business, even if no one called it that. My parents met at a political fundraiser as children, following in the footsteps of their own parents, who were deeply involved in public service and organizing. My paternal grandfather was a labor lawyer, and my grandmother was a steady moral compass who taught us right from wrong in the plainest, truest way. On my mom’s side, my grandfather worked for Southwestern Bell and helped organize for the union, while my grandmother juggled political organizing with raising three daughters. Growing up around that kind of passion for community could have made me cynical, but it didn’t- it made me deeply aware of how policy and people are connected. I saw early on how community organizing, when it works, can change lives. That understanding shapes the way I lead today, building and growing a community of REALTORS® that thrives on cooperation, trust, and shared purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.unlockmls.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abor_realtors/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AustinBoardofRealtors/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/austin-board-of-realtors/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilychenevert/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/AustinBoardofRealtors
