Brokerage

EXIT Realty names Bonnell co-chair, appoints new CEO

Tami Bonnell appointed co-chair of EXIT Realty International. Craig Witt named CEO of company's U.S. organization.

Tami Bonnell, EXIT Realty International CEO, has now been appointed co-chair. Craig Witt has been appointed CEO of the company’s U.S. organization. Witt has been with EXIT Realty since 2004. He owned and operated multiple EXIT Realty franchises, rapidly rising through the ranks, and in 2017 he assumed the role of president of the company’s U.S. Division. Witt works with all levels of the organization to expand EXIT’s footprint across the U.S.

Bonnell joined EXIT Realty in 1999 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2012. She is a 40-year veteran of the real estate industry and is an internationally renowned and respected leader. Bonnell has been recognized as one of the 200 most powerful and influential people in residential real estate and among the top 10 women leaders. RealTrends interviewed Bonnell in December 2020 about her work on the National Diversity Leadership Inclusion Council, which is part of the National Association of Women in the Real Estate Business.

“We have 10 leadership principles that [we aired] on a Facebook Live. We invited everyone from students to people in every diverse group you can possibly think of. There are people in real estate and people in mortgages on it, but there are also people that are serving in the military and that are leaders in other organizations. And I think that’s definitely having an impact, but I’ve focused on this for a really long time.”

In continuing the theme of women in leadership, several key positions were announced. Lori Muller has been appointed president, U.S. Division. Joining the company in 2007, until recently Muller was the owner of three EXIT Realty brokerages in Wisconsin and was appointed vice president of the company’s U.S. Division in 2020. She has a passion for growing people and has served the National Association of Realtors and Women’s Council of Realtors in a leadership capacity both locally and nationally. 

Joyce Paron has been appointed CEO of the company’s Canadian organization. Paron joined EXIT Realty in 1997 within months of the company’s launch as a district owner selling franchises in Ontario. Her entrepreneurial drive, along with a background in land development and business management were the precursors to her being named President of the Canadian Division for EXIT in 2001.