Bright MLS, a leading multiple listing service representing 95,000 real estate professionals in the Mid-Atlantic U.S., has announced Brian Donnellan as its President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Donnellan had been serving as CEO on an interim basis since February 2019.
Prior to his elevation to interim CEO, he was Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Bright MLS, which formed in 2017 when nine REALTOR® Association-owned MLS services from Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia merged to offer a superior resource for real estate professionals in the region. Earlier, Donnellan was COO of MRIS, one of the MLS services which became part of Bright MLS.
“It is a tremendous honor for me to be chosen to lead an organization that I hold in such high regard,” said Donnellan. “Over the past several months, the Bright team and I have worked extensively to establish a culture of accountability, innovation and customer service that is completely focused on our subscribers and the consumers they represent. In this era of great change in the real estate industry, it is my goal to make Bright MLS the definitive destination for best-in-class data and tools; both for today and tomorrow.”
In his role, Donnellan is responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction to Bright MLS, which supported more than $100 billion in real estate transactions throughout its geographic footprint in 2018. Donnellan is charged with advancing and protecting the company’s mission and vision while promoting increased revenue, profitability and growth. He also is responsible for working closely with Bright’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors and 43 Shareholder Associations. Donnellan will oversee and collaborate with Bright’s management team to prioritize and implement long-range goals, strategies, plans, and policies.
“After a rigorous national search involving a number of exemplary candidates, the selection committee and the Board of Directors believe the optimal individual for the position is Brian Donnellan.,” said Jon Coile, Chairman of Bright MLS. “The progress that Brian has engineered in these last six months is remarkable. He’s inspired the Bright staff to take their performance to the next level while bringing in top talent from both inside and outside the industry to supercharge the senior management team. Bright MLS is now absolutely positioned for great success with Brian at the helm.”
“As soon as Brian was named interim CEO, he identified every challenge that Bright was experiencing and quickly created a plan to resolve them,” said Anne Marie Matteo, CEO of the Suburban West REALTORS® Association (SWRA), one of Bright’s 43 Shareholder Associations. “Brian personally visited Association after Association, and connected with countless subscribers to hear first-hand what they needed from their MLS. Now he and his team are putting those words into action by developing the best MLS in the industry.”
The executive search process was managed by Corporate Management Advisors, Inc.
Donnellan came to MRIS in 2006 from Teaching Strategies, Inc., an education technology and curriculum company where he served as chief financial officer. Since 2015, he has been a member of Board of Directors for the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO). Donnellan received a Master of Business Administration specializing in Strategic Management and Public Policy from George Washington University. He earned a B.S. in Accounting and Information Systems from the University of Maryland, College Park. An avid musician and sports fan, Donnellan lives with his family in Annapolis, MD.
For more information, please visit brightmls.com.
