Shelby Hansard
Principle Broker, REALTOR®
Candidate for Director
Affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway Home Service
shelby.hansard@penfedrealty.com
(931) 503-8000
How long have you been a member of CAR?
I have been a member of the Clarksville Association of REALTORS® for 12 years, since May 2014.
In the past 3 years, what have you done to improve your skills as a real estate professional?
Over the past three years, I have made professional development a priority, completing 157 hours of continuing education in Tennessee and 86 hours in Kentucky. During that time, I upgraded my Kentucky Sales Associate license to a Broker license and earned my Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) designation.
I routinely attend Tennessee REALTORS®, National Association of REALTORS®, and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices conferences and educational events to stay informed on industry changes, leadership practices, technology, compliance, and issues affecting our profession.
I also graduated from the Tennessee REALTORS® A.R.E.A. leadership program, Class of 2023, and the Clarksville Association of REALTORS® Leadership Academy, Class of 2026.
As a Principal Broker and Regional Vice President, continuing to develop my own knowledge and leadership skills is especially important to me. I have a responsibility not only to stay educated for myself, but also to help the agents and staff I lead grow, stay compliant, and better serve their clients.
What is your history of service to the association and its members (committees, events, etc.)?
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to serve CAR and its members through several committees and task forces, including the Nominating Committee, Government Affairs Committee, Professional Development Committee, Down Payment Assistance Task Force, and Certified Local Expert (CLE) Task Force.
These opportunities have allowed me to serve the association from several different perspectives—from professional development and leadership to advocacy, community involvement, and programs designed to strengthen both our members and the clients we serve. I have also consistently supported and participated in CAR events, educational opportunities, and association initiatives.
Why do you serve at the association?
I serve at the association because I believe being a REALTOR® is about more than selling real estate. We have a responsibility to continue learning, to protect and strengthen our profession, and to support the people who work alongside us.
Education and professional development have always been important to me. As my career has grown and I have moved into leadership, I have become even more passionate about helping other agents grow, understand the industry, and become better at what they do. I believe CAR plays an important role in giving our members the education, resources, relationships, and voice they need to be successful.
I also believe that if I want our association and our industry to continue getting better, involvement is key. It is easy to have an opinion from the sidelines. I would rather show up, listen, ask questions, do the work, and be part of finding solutions.
CAR has invested in me throughout my career, and serving is one way I can give some of that back while helping make sure the association continues to be valuable to the REALTORS® who come behind me.
Why do you want to be Director?
I feel like this is the right time in my career to take the next step in serving CAR. Over the last several years, both my professional responsibilities and my involvement with the association have grown significantly. I have had opportunities to learn from some great leaders, serve on committees and task forces, and better understand how much work happens behind the scenes to make our association successful.
Professionally, moving into brokerage leadership has also changed my perspective. I am responsible for making decisions every day that don’t just affect me—they affect agents, employees, clients, our company, and sometimes our industry. I have learned that good leadership isn’t always about having the answer. Sometimes it is about asking the right questions, listening to different perspectives, being willing to have difficult conversations, and then making a decision and standing behind it.
I want to serve as a Director because I believe I can bring that professionalism, experience and a fresh perspective to the Board. I see it as an opportunity to grow, serve, and to have a meaningful part in where CAR goes next.
After 12 years as a member, I have benefited tremendously from this association. I am ready to take on more responsibility for helping make sure the members coming behind me have those same opportunities—and hopefully even more.
What do you feel are your strongest attributes that you will bring to the table if elected?
I think one of my strongest attributes is that I am a problem solver. When something isn’t working, my instinct is to figure out why and what we can do differently. I am willing to ask questions, have difficult conversations, and challenge the way we have always done something if I believe there may be a better way.
At the same time, I have learned that leadership requires being able to see beyond your own perspective. In my professional role, I regularly have to consider the needs of agents, employees, clients, the company, and the requirements of our industry. They don’t always align, and there isn’t always an answer that makes everyone happy. I am comfortable listening to different viewpoints, working through the issue, and making the best decision possible with the information available.
I also believe strongly in accountability. If I say I am going to do something, I take that responsibility seriously. I am not afraid of hard work, and I don’t want to simply have a seat at the table—I want to contribute while I am there.
Finally, I bring curiosity. Even after more than 12 years in this business, I still want to learn. I ask a lot of questions, I want to understand the “why” behind things, and I am always looking for ways we can improve. I think that combination of experience, curiosity, accountability, and willingness to speak up would allow me to bring a valuable perspective to the Board.
What are your leadership goals you bring to CAR if you win your position?
My biggest leadership goal is to educate, empower, and develop. I believe education creates confidence, confidence creates stronger leaders, and strong leaders strengthen our entire association and our profession.
I want CAR to continue providing education that reaches everyone—from the brand-new agent trying to build a foundation to the experienced REALTOR® or Broker who has been in the business for decades. Our industry changes constantly, and none of us ever reach a point where there is nothing left to learn. I want our members to see CAR as a place where they can continually grow professionally and personally.
I am equally passionate about empowering the leaders we already have and intentionally developing the leaders who will come next. Leadership isn’t limited to a title, a committee chair, or a seat on the Board. Sometimes people simply need someone to recognize their potential, invite them to get involved, give them an opportunity, and then trust them enough to lead.
I am a product of people doing that for me. I have had leaders who encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, pursue education, get involved, and take on responsibilities I wasn’t always sure I was ready for. I want to help create that same opportunity for others.
If elected, I want to help build a culture within CAR where we are constantly asking: Who can we educate? Who can we empower? And who are we developing to lead next? If we do those three things well, I believe we leave our association stronger than we found it.
Any additional statement or information:
I don’t believe leadership is about having the loudest voice in the room or having all the answers. To me, leadership is about being willing to show up, listen, learn, ask questions, make difficult decisions when necessary, and then take responsibility for those decisions.
I am incredibly grateful for what this profession and this association have given me over the last 12 years. I didn’t get where I am today by myself. I have had people who taught me, challenged me, encouraged me, opened doors for me, and sometimes saw leadership potential in me before I saw it in myself.
That is a big part of why I want to serve.
If elected, I will bring my experience to the Board, but I will also bring an open mind and a willingness to learn. I will ask questions. I will speak up when I believe something needs to be said. I will listen when someone sees an issue differently than I do. And when there is work to be done, I will do my part.
Most importantly, I want my time in leadership to create opportunities for other people. If I can help educate our members, empower someone to use their voice, or encourage a future leader to take their first step into involvement, then I believe I will have served CAR well.
I don’t simply want to hold a position. I want to leave the position—and the association—stronger than I found it.
