As a Nareit member, you have the opportunity to join committees, subcommittees and councils to receive the latest updates and news relevant to your interest. Through your participation, you can help shape policy and programs relating to REITs and publicly traded real estate.
Learn about the different committees and councils below. Already a member? Reach out to the contact associated with each committee to start receiving updates. Not a member yet? Learn about Nareit’s membership options.
Accounting Committee and Best Financial Practices Council: The Accounting Committee, as well as the Best Financial Practices Council (BFPC), are long standing bodies which examine all standards and rules proposed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, International Accounting Standards Board, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and Securities and Exchange Commission that may affect the accounting and financial reporting of real estate companies. The BFPC is the operative body of the committee that formulates recommendations on real estate accounting and communicates with the regulators, industry participants, auditors, analysts and investors. As a committee or council member, you’ll receive regular updates of financial standards developments through publications issued by Nareit staff. Members are urged to participate on committee task forces that are regularly formed to address specific standards proposals. These task forces participate in the development of Nareit comment letters submitted to standards setters and other policymakers. The committee meets at Nareit’s REITwise: Law, Accounting & Finance Conference.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Council: The CFO Council is an advisory council that helps to ensure Nareit’s leadership is well informed about and effectively addresses key issues tied to capital flows, investment matters, taxation, and more. The CFO Council held meeting during REITweek 2023 and plans to meet Nov. 16 in conjunction with REITworld 2023.
Communications Council: The Communications Council, formed in November 2021, brings together communications professionals from Nareit corporate member companies. The council supports networking among REIT communications leaders and provides a forum to discuss emerging trends, channels, and opportunities in support of REITs’ communications objectives. The council holds three virtual meetings in the spring, summer, and fall.
Interested in joining the Communications Council? Contact Nareit Senior Vice President, Communications, Katie Feldman at kfeldman@nareit.com.
Corporate Governance Council: The Corporate Governance Council (CGC) was founded in 2020 and it operates to focus on corporate governance policy matters that affect U.S. public REITs and to provide important input and perspective to Nareit’s leadership with respect to Nareit’s corporate governance agenda and strategy in behalf of the REIT and publicly traded real estate community. Nareit believes that robust REIT governance and effective shareholder engagement coupled with active oversight by diverse and independent boards benefit REIT shareholders, workforces, and the communities that they serve. Nareit supports corporate governance policies that promote these aims and that foster transparent, efficient, and diverse U.S. capital markets. The CGC also helps to inform the content of Nareit educational programs as well as the content on reit.com and REIT Magazine and serves as another important forum for Nareit corporate members to share information with each other regarding REIT corporate governance practices, compliance matters, and related market concerns.
One representative from each of Nareit’s corporate members is welcome to serve on the CGC. For most REITs, the general counsel or chief financial officer is likely the most appropriate member for the CGC. The CGC generally holds in-person or virtual meetings at least twice annually to discuss important corporate governance developments; and may also convene at other times, on an as-needed basis.
Interested in joining the Corporate Governance Council? Contact Nareit Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Deputy General Counsel, Victoria Rostow at vrostow@nareit.com.
Dividends Through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DDEI) CEO Council: In 2020, Nareit established the DDEI CEO Council to provide thought leadership and recommendations for industry-wide progress in DEI, at the highest level. The CEO Council is made up of 26 REIT CEOs, who collectively represent every segment of the REIT industry. The DDEI CEO Council crafted and approved Nareit’s DEI strategic mission, to increase the publicly listed REIT industry’s visibility and appeal to diverse talent and businesses by focusing on people, partnerships, and philanthropy. With that objective, the CEO Council launched three committees that developed initiatives and recommendations for each pillar of the DEI strategic plan which were adopted by the broader DDEI CEO Council and approved by Nareit’s Executive Board in 2022.
Interested in learning more about the Dividends Through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion CEO Council? Contact Nareit Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility & Global Initiatives, Ayris Scales at ascales@nareit.com.
Government Relations Committee: This committee evaluates legislative and regulatory issues affecting REITs and commercial real estate, with a focus on federal income tax and securities laws issues. Members may participate on task forces formed to address specific issues that often result in formal submissions to policymakers. Members meet at Nareit’s REITwise: Law, Accounting & Finance Conference, and receive Nareit Alerts describing legislative and regulatory developments.
Interested in joining the Government Relations Committee? Contact Nareit Executive Vice President, Policy & Public Affairs & General Counsel, Cathy Barré at cbarre@nareit.com.
Insurance Committee: The longstanding Insurance Committee meets each year in conjunction with REITwise: Nareit’s Law, Accounting & Finance Conference, to discuss market developments impacting insurance issues, particularly as it relates to REITs and real estate companies. In addition, the Committee serves as a sounding board to Nareit staff and Corporate Members to provide guidance on Nareit group insurance programs that are available, or could be made available, to Corporate Members. This includes regularly revisiting Nareit’s Directors & Officers insurance program to evaluate potential modifications or enhancements that could enhance or improve existing terms and conditions relative to similar policies in the competitive marketplace.
Interested in joining the Insurance Committee? Contact Nareit Executive Vice President,
Finance & Fiscal Management, Roberto Diaz at rdiaz@nareit.com.
mREIT Council: Nareit created the mREIT (mortgage REIT) Council in 2009 to serve as an advisory body to Nareit’s Executive Board and senior staff on membership, policy and investment-related issues.
Members of the council are CEOs and other senior executives from each of Nareit’s corporate members that operate as mREITs. Nareit staff updates council members on current issues through emails, conference calls, publications and annual face-to-face meetings, and members are invited to participate on task forces to help develop Nareit’s positions on various issues. If appropriate, the council files written submissions to regulatory authorities in response to regulatory rulemakings or to highlight important developments in the industry and also arranges meetings with council leaders and top regulators and legislators.
Since its formation, the council has worked on numerous issues of interest to the industry, stemming from proposed regulations and statements from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the Treasury Department and its Office of Financial Research, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs), the Financial Stability Oversight Council and other regulatory and legislative bodies. More recently these issues have related to FHLB membership, GSE reform, credit risk transfer securities and the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Contact Nareit Senior Vice President, Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Victoria Rostow at vrostow@nareit.com.
Public Non-Listed REIT Council: Nareit formed its Public Non-Listed REIT Council in July 2011 to serve as an advisory body to Nareit’s Executive Board on matters of interest to Public Non-listed REITs (PNLRs).
The council includes the CEOs and senior executives of all Nareit corporate members that conduct business through REITs whose securities are offered to the public but are not listed on an established stock exchange. The council is overseen by an Executive Committee of PNLR CEOs. The PNLR Council has worked for years on numerous issues of interest to the industry stemming from proposed regulations from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Labor (DOL), the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and other regulatory and legislative bodies.
Contact Nareit Senior Vice President, Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Victoria Rostow at vrostow@nareit.com.
Real Estate Investment Advisory Council: Nareit’s longstanding Real Estate Investment Advisory Council (REIAC) consists of leading institutional investors, analysts, academics and other industry professionals in the REIT and publicly traded real estate industry. The council serves as an advisory body to Nareit’s leadership and staff and provides insights and feedback on the organization’s Research & Investor Outreach program. The REIAC also provides a venue for Nareit to communicate new research results to industry practitioners and highlight key Nareit investor outreach initiatives.
Chaired by the Second Vice Chair of Nareit, the council includes approximately 40 investment professionals from the leading active and passive REIT investment funds and 10 academic affiliates with expertise in the public real estate market.
The council meets regularly with Nareit’s Advisory Board of Governors and convenes at Nareit’s REITweek, REITworld and CEO Forum events.
Real Estate Sustainability Council: Nareit’s Real Estate Sustainability Council (RESC) was created in 2016 to help guide Nareit's environmental stewardship and sustainability related efforts and priorities. The RESC currently consists of more than 100 actively participating Nareit corporate member sustainability business leaders – representing all REIT sectors – with a mission to help shape and lead the REIT Industry as it continues to address a variety of complex sustainability issues. Up to two employees of Nareit corporate members are welcome to represent their organizations as RESC members. Most RESC members hold sustainability titles, however, operations, legal, public relations and investment relations professionals are also RESC members. The RESC typically meets quarterly, both virtually and in person. During RESC meetings, members discuss ESG priorities in the REIT industry, ESG reporting, sustainability trends, technologies and best practices. RESC members may convene periodically throughout the year as needed to discuss in depth topics, sector specific issues and provide feedback on regulatory matters and environmental standards and frameworks that may impact REIT environmental reporting, targets or real estate operations.
The RESC complements the ESG-related activities of Nareit’s Corporate Governance Council (CGC) and its Social Responsibility Council (SRC).
Regulatory Law Subcommittee (part of the Government Relations Committee): This subcommittee examines all relevant legislation, regulation, rules and guidance proposed by Congress, the Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and relevant foreign regulatory authorities such as the European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA). The subcommittee focuses on issues that affect the regulation of equity, debt and other capital market products issued or utilized by Nareit members. The subcommittee also examines relevant legislation and rules relating to the associated corporate governance standards applicable to REIT issuers, and the regulation and structure of the markets and exchanges upon which REIT capital products trade. Members of this subcommittee receive Nareit Alerts and invitations to participate in task forces formed to develop Nareit positions on various issues. When appropriate, the subcommittee drafts written submissions to regulatory authorities, often in response to formal regulatory rulemakings.
Interested in joining the Regulatory Law Subcommittee? Contact Nareit Senior Vice President, Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Victoria Rostow at vrostow@nareit.com.
Social Responsibility Council: The Social Responsibility Council (SRC) was founded in 2021 and is a cross-disciplinary group representing Nareit’s corporate membership. The SRC advises Nareit regarding the broad range of social responsibility initiatives Nareit should undertake on the industry’s behalf and those that corporate members should consider undertaking. These initiatives include social responsibility operations and disclosures generally, as well as specific issues tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), health and wellness, DEI aspects of supply chain management, employee engagement programs, community involvement, philanthropy and volunteerism, and other social programs, policies and initiatives.
Employees of each Nareit corporate member who are HR, Admin, D&I/DEI, ESG, sustainability and/or other executives working with social responsibility issues are welcome to join the SRC. If appropriate, these employees may be members of other Nareit councils, including the RESC and the CGC. The SRC generally holds in-person or virtual meetings at least twice annually. Additional meetings may be held at other times as needed.
The SRC complements the ESG-related activities of Nareit’s Real Estate Sustainability Council (RESC) and its Corporate Governance Council (CGC).
Interested in joining the Social Responsibility Council? Contact Nareit Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility & Global Initiatives, Ayris Scales at ascales@nareit.com.
Tax Committee: Members of the Tax Committee (which incorporates the former Nareit Government Relations Committee and its Federal Tax Subcommittee and the State & Local Tax Subcommittee) have the opportunity to receive alerts related to Nareit submissions to policy makers and on selected federal and state tax-related regulatory and legislative developments. Tax Committee members are urged to participate on committee task forces that are regularly formed to address specific legislative or regulatory proposals. These task forces participate in the development of Nareit comment letters and proposals for submission to Congress, the Treasury Department, other Federal regulatory agencies and the Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation on a variety of issues. Task Forces of the Committee meet as needed to discuss and evaluate current developments and projects in process. A Washington Update panel, as well as a full program of tax and other regulatory panels, including state tax panels as appropriate, cover topics of interest to committee members at Nareit’s REITwise: Law, Accounting & Finance Conference.
Interested in joining the Tax Committee? Contact Nareit Senior Vice President & Tax Counsel, Dara Bernstein at dbernstein@nareit.com.
Unless otherwise noted, any employee of a Nareit corporate member or any individual member can join one or more of the groups listed above by contacting Nareit Member Services at member@nareit.com