Meet the President & CEO

René Galvan serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Association of REALTORS®. Galvan has been a key member of HAR’s leadership team since 1996 and has served as Executive Vice President since 1998, playing a central role in shaping the association’s strategic direction, operational discipline and strong member-focused culture.

During his nearly three decades at HAR, Galvan has helped guide the association’s growth into one of the most respected and influential REALTOR® organizations in the country. Today, HAR is the largest trade association in Houston and the second largest local REALTOR® association in the nation, representing more than 50,000 residential and commercial members.

Early in his career, he worked alongside Bob Hale—who served as HAR President and CEO for 37 years—to help shape the original concept for HAR.com, laying the foundation for what would become one of the most successful consumer real estate websites in the country. HAR.com covers the entire state of Texas, which provides even more exposure for member listings.

The following numbers speak to HAR.com’s successful market exposure:

• 8.1 million: the average number of visitor sessions to HAR.com and the HAR.com mobile app each month.
• 40 million: the number of times member listings are viewed on HAR.com and the HAR.com mobile app each month.
• 25: HAR.com is the only local site that is regularly listed among the 25 most frequently visited real estate websites in the country, according to comScore Media Metrix.
• 1: the rank of the HAR.com app within the Apple App Store for real estate apps in Houston.

The Houston Association of REALTORS® is far more than a traditional trade association. It is a cutting-edge Multiple Listing Service, a commercial division hosting CommGate, an NAR-award-winning Global program, a REALTOR® Supercenter and a Technology Department which has developed not only hundreds of member tools, but also HAR.com. In the top 100 markets across the country, Zillow is the No. 1 real estate site in 99 of these, with the exception of Houston due to the success of HAR.com with consumers.

Galvan holds a degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified public accountant. He is a Swanepoel 200 Watchlist honoree, a member of the TREPAC 50K Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, serving on the Ticket Services Committee. Galvan previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Association Executives, the Finance Committee of the National Association of REALTORS® and the Public Policy Taxation Committee of Texas REALTORS®.

Industry Achievements and Recognitions:

• 2026 – Swanepoel 200 Watchlist
• 2025 – Swanepoel 200 Watchlist
• 2024 – Swanepoel 200 Watchlist