As Associate General Counsel for Virginia REALTORS®, Jon is involved in every aspect of the association’s legal responsibilities. He works with the rest of the legal team to teach, create podcasts and legal videos, and draft legal briefs for the Supreme Court of Virginia. Jon graduated from the College of William and Mary and the University of Richmond School of Law, then clerked for a judge before starting at a large claims administration law firm. After spending several years with Virginia REALTORS®, he worked at a settlement company in the Fredericksburg area and gained valuable experience before coming back to VAR. He likes to cook and play music in his spare time, which is a rare commodity with two sons running around his house. He and his wife, Mandy, reside with their boys in Mechanicsville.

Santiago brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Virginia REALTORS®. Before going to law school, he served in the Army and in various roles in the financial industry and engineering and technology industries. After graduating from American University Washington College of Law, he took his experience and worked as a solo practitioner as well as other roles with engineering firms. He then joined as Staff Counsel for Virginia REALTORS®. As Staff Counsel, Santiago contributes to the Caveat REALTOR® podcast, creates legal resources for members, and serves on the Standard Forms Committee.

Ryan is a graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Virginia and Washington, DC. He has a background working as an attorney in private practice, volunteering for legal organizations such as Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Legal Aid Society of San Diego, and Animal Legal Defense Fund, as well as experience in the private sector in a variety of non-legal fields. When he is not working as Staff Counsel for Virginia REALTORS®, Ryan works as an adjunct professor of political science at Brightpoint Community College.

Marc Cunningham is the president and owner of Grace Property Management & Real Estate. Grace Property Management & Real Estate aims to help real estate owners and investors locate, buy, lease and manage investment real estate. Our mission since 1978: To improve the lives of real estate investors and residents through Property Management solutions. 

National speaker and educator on the topics of property management, real estate, business systems, and leadership. Marc helps people across the country develop and implement successful strategies to improve their business success.

For more than a decade, Ryan has honed his knowledge of Virginia’s housing market. Before stepping into his current role of Virginia REALTORS^® Chief Economist, Ryan served as the association’s Deputy Chief Economist. Prior to joining our team, he served as the President of research consulting firm LSA Planning, as an Urban Planner for the City of Alexandria, and as part of the research team at the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University. Even before joining VAR full time, Ryan spent years contributing to our research, including the monthly Virginia Home Sales Report and our quarterly regional market reports. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from James Madison University and a master’s degree in urban planning from Virginia Tech.

Prior to joining Virginia REALTORS^® as the Deputy Chief Economist, Sejal worked as an economist at the US Securities and Exchange Commission. She has also contributed to economic research and analysis at the American Bankers Association, Freddie Mac, and The Advisory Board Company. She graduated with a master’s degree in Finance from the University of California San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from George Mason University.

Donna Austin, an experienced Virginia Real Estate Broker since 1985, presently operates her own company specializing in sales and consulting. She has managed two referral companies, sold residential and commercial properties, and was a licensed broker in twelve states while employed by a national firm. Donna trains throughout the Commonwealth in advanced designation courses including the Accredited Buyer Representative Course, Senior Real Estate Specialist, Seller Representative Specialist and Graduate REALTOR® Institute for the National Association and the Virginia REALTORS®. She has taught Broker Law and Continuing Education as a well as Pre and Post Licensing Courses throughout the Commonwealth. She is the past recipient of VAR’s Educator of the Year Award and the Ethics Leadership Award.