Sturtevant to leave Virginia Realtors for Bright MLS

Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist for Glen Allen-based Virginia Realtors, will join Bright MLS in May, Virginia Realtors announced earlier this month.

Sturtevant has served as chief economist for the statewide Realtor organization since January 2020 and will continue consulting when she begins her new role.

Rockville, Maryland-based Bright MLS is a multiple listing service that serves Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,  Washington, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia for a total of about 40,000 square miles and 20 million consumers. Sturtevant will help expand the company’s research and analytics capabilities.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Lisa and also for our association,” said Virginia Realtors CEO Terrie Suit in a statement. “Bright MLS is our largest MLS partner, and having Lisa on board will open new doors for closer collaboration and partnership. She will continue consulting with our research team as she transitions into her new role.”

Sturtevant’s deputy, Ryan Price, will become Virginia Realtors’ new chief economist. He has more than a decade of experience as deputy chief economist, and he previously was president of research consulting firm LSA Planning, an urban planner for the city of Alexandria, and part of the research team at George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis.

Price has a bachelor’s degree in finance from James Madison University and a master’s degree in urban planning from Virginia Tech.

“I am eager for this opportunity to serve Virginia’s largest trade association as chief economist,” Price said in a statement. “In this role, I will provide leadership to continue producing the valuable resources we currently provide, while always seeking new ways our team can serve our members and benefit our industry.”

Virginia Realtors has also hired two new research associates: Dominique Fair, a University of Mary Washington graduate, and Abel Opoku-Adjei, who has an economics degree from Radford University.