06/11/2025
11 am PT / 12 pm MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET
*approximate length: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presenters:
Dawn Carpenter, CPM®, 2025 IREM President
Congressman Mark Alford (R-MO-4)
Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY-17)
Ted Thurn, Senior Director, Government Affairs, IREM
Hillary Vrba, Government Affairs Liaison, IREM
Get ready for an engaging, interactive experience where your voice matters! Register for our Virtual Town Hall where you will be able to connect directly with the policymakers shaping your community.
Please join our esteemed speakers:
- Congressman Mark Alford (MO-4), who is a member of the Real Estate Caucus, and previously an owner of a small real estate business, will provide members updates on key issues, upcoming legislation, and his priorities.
- Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District and is a cosponsor of the Choice in Affordable Housing Act (H.R. 1981), which would provide $500 million to create a Housing Partnership Fund.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and learn about the legislators’ views on various issues affecting the industry.
What to Expect:
- Hear the Latest Updates: Stay informed on key issues and upcoming legislation. Legislators will provide updates on their work and priorities, giving your insight into what’s happening in your community and beyond.
- Direct Access: Ask your questions, share your concerns, and get real-time responses from the leaders who represent you.
- Real-time Interaction: No need to leave your home—join from the comfort of your own space and be part of the conversation! Ask questions and engage with fellow members virtually!
Your Voice Matters: Whether it’s local issues, statewide initiatives, or national policy changes, this is your opportunity to be heard and to influence decisions that impact you and your business.
Why Attend?
- Get Answers: Have your most pressing questions answered by the legislators directly responsible for creating the laws that affect your everyday life.
- Stay Informed: Gain insight into upcoming policies, projects, and plans for your community.
- Build Community: Engage with like-minded individuals who care about the same issues you do.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to make your voice heard!
Sign up now and mark your calendar for a chance to connect, learn, and make an impact.
Congressman Mark Alford
Mark Alford is a husband, father, former small business owner and former TV news anchor, and proudly represents Missouri’s 4th District in Congress. Alford spent 25 years anchoring Kansas City’s #1 morning news show prior to his time in Congress.
His time covering Missouri’s top news stories connected him to thousands of Missourian families of all walks of life, providing insight into the issues most important to Missouri families, and the struggles most common to them. It also offered the opportunity to hone his God-given talents as a professional communicator, enhancing his voice to inform, influence, and inspire millions of people across Missouri.
Alford’s experience behind the news desk gave him a front row view to the constant attacks against our nation’s founding principles from an increasingly liberal, progressive ideology that threatens to undermine our country’s values of faith, family, hard work, and individual liberty.
Alford’s serves as a megaphone to each and every Missourian in the 4th district, magnifying their voices and their values in Washington, D.C.
Over the years, Alford’s voice helped raise millions of dollars for charities both locally and nationally, and served dozens of boards, foundations, churches, civic organizations, families, and strangers. Alford and his wife Leslie have been married 33 years and share three grown children.
After being sworn into the 118th Congress as a freshman member, Alford was selected to the House Armed Services Committee, House Agriculture committee, and House Small Business committee.
For the 119th Congress, Congressman Alford was selected to sit on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where he serves as Missouri’s voice on critical issues like agriculture, national defense, and small business development. Alford also continues his service on the Small Business Committee this Congress, where he chairs its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
Congressman Mike Lawler
Congressman Mike Lawler proudly represents New York’s 17th Congressional District which includes Rockland County, Putnam County and portions of Westchester and Dutchess counties. Prior to serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Mike Lawler represented New York’s 97th District in the State Assembly where he served on the Committees on Aging, Banks, Education, Housing, and as the Ranking Member on Governmental Operations.
In the State Assembly, Mike passed more bills than any other member of his conference, a testament to his bipartisan, pragmatic approach to government. In just one term, he was able to successfully pass legislation that included additional funding for law enforcement and first responders, tax relief for middle class families, and historic funding increases for our schools in the Hudson Valley.
Mike has a long history of public service. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, he served as the Deputy Town Supervisor in Orangetown and was a Senior Advisor to the Westchester County Executive.
Mike also served as Executive Director of the State Republican Party and previously founded his own government affairs and public relations firm. He graduated from Manhattan College with degrees in Accounting and Finance and was Valedictorian of his graduating class.
In Congress, Mike Lawler serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He also serves on nearly 50 congressional caucuses, including as Co-Chair of the Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, Appalachian National Scenic Trails Caucus, and the Moldova Caucus. He also serves on the bipartisan SALT Caucus and the Problem Solvers Caucus.
Mike is a lifelong Hudson Valley resident. He grew up in Rockland County and graduated from Suffern High School. Mike lives in Pearl River with his wife, Doina, and their daughter Julianna.
Dawn M. Carpenter, CPM®
Dawn Carpenter, CPM®, is the 2025 IREM President. She’s broker-owner of Dawning Real Estate Inc. AMO®, in Staten Island, NY.
A CPM® since 2002 and a REALTOR® for more than 20 years, Carpenter is actively involved in IREM and served on its 2018 Legislative Policy Committee and Federal Housing Advisory Board. She’s a past chair of the Ethics Inquiry Board and Ethics Committee. Carpenter’s a past president of the IREM Greater New York chapter and was their CPM® of the Year in 2008.
In addition, Carpenter’s a past president of the Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR), and past chair of the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service. She’s served on, or chaired, numerous local board committees and served on the SIBOR board of directors for many years. She was recognized as SIBOR's REALTOR® of the Year in 2008.
At the state level, Carpenter was the 2017 president of the New York Association of Realtors®; the first CPM® to serve New York State in that capacity. She chaired the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) Trustees, and the Organizational Planning Committee. She’s served on numerous other NYSAR committees including legal action, legislative policy and professional standards steering. Carpenter has also served on the NYSAR Board of Directors and executive committee for several years. She was named the association's REALTOR® of the Year in 2011.
At the national level, Carpenter has served as a National Association of REALTORS® director and as a member of the Commercial Committee and the Federal Technology Policy Advisory Board. She served as chair of the Property Management Forum, Federal Technology Policy Committee and the Real Property Operations Committee which manages the real estate holdings owned by NAR, reporting directly to the NAR President. She’s a regular attendee of the NAR's national conference and a Golden R RPAC Hall of Fame member.
Active in her community, Carpenter has volunteered with the March of Dimes and American Cancer Society as well as the Columbia-Greene and Richmond County Special Olympics and is a current Board Member for New York Health & Hospitals: Sea View Community Advisory Board.
Carpenter is a member of the IREM Greater New York chapter.
Ted Thurn is IREM’s Senior Director of Government Affairs.
Ted Thurn has worked in the association field for over 20 years. During his time in government affairs, Ted has led all aspects of federal and state legislative advocacy efforts and has served as a key advisor on emerging federal and state legislative agendas. At IREM, Ted is responsible for a number of government affairs initiatives and provides strategic support and recommendation of actions to executive leadership.
Ted holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Saint Xavier University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from DePaul University.
Hillary Vrba is IREM’s Government Affairs Liaison, Government Affairs
Hillary Vrba is IREM’s Government Affairs Liaison and is responsible for supporting the Senior Director in the successful execution of all advocacy-based initiatives and chapter services. Before joining the IREM team, Hillary worked in constituent services for an Illinois state Senator and as a senior staff member on several political campaigns.
Hillary has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University and a Master of Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.