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.

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.

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.

Barrie B. Bowers is an attorney with in-house experience for a major apartment real estate investment trust who understands the needs of property management and other real estate companies. She has extensive experience in a full range of property management issues, real estate transactions, outdoor advertising, and landlord-tenant and fair housing laws—including representing clients before the Virginia Real Estate and Fair Housing Boards. 

Barrie provides in-house training on a broad range of property management legal issues and has expertise in the negotiation of contracts with providers of voice, data, and video including cable and telephone companies. For real estate clients, Barrie regularly handles sales, acquisition, and other property transactions, ranging from easements to single asset purchases to portfolio transactions. Barrie’s diligent approach from the beginning to the end of any project helps maintain a focus on the finish line while anticipating and attending to the details of the project along the way. 

Michael Guthrie is the CEO and Managing Broker of Roy Wheeler Realty in Charlottesville, VA. He joined the company in November of 2005 after being a REALTOR® in Northern Virginia since 1983. Since taking over Roy Wheeler, the company has expanded from 1 to 6 offices and now has more than 135 REALTORS® running their businesses under the Roy Wheeler corporate structure. Michael was named Charlottesville’s REALTOR® of the year in 2009, the Charlottesville Chamber’s Small Business person of the year in 2010, and was the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics Award recipient in 2014. Michael currently hosts his weekly radio show, Real Estate Matters on WINA every Saturday morning. He has taught DPOR approved courses in Charlottesville and throughout Virginia.