Looking Ahead: A Message from NARI’s New President

Dear NARI Members,

Jonathan Kelly Swearing In
Jonathan Kelly, CRA, is sworn in as NARI President for 2026-2027 at the Annual Conference House of Delegates meeting on April 22, 2026.

As I begin my term as President of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, I want to thank each of you for the trust, support, and commitment you bring to this association and our industry every day.

During my acceptance remarks at the Annual Conference, I reflected on lessons I learned long before entering the remodeling industry—lessons from the baseball field that continue to shape how I view leadership, teamwork, and success.

One of the most important lessons was this: teams succeed when individuals understand their roles, support one another, communicate effectively, and stay focused on a shared goal. Success is rarely about a single big moment. It’s about consistently showing up, executing the fundamentals, and working together, inning by inning.

That mindset applies directly to NARI and the remodeling industry as a whole.

Our association is strongest when we collaborate, stay flexible, respect different perspectives, and remain committed to the mission we share. Real progress happens when people come together with humility, a willingness to listen, and a desire to build something bigger than themselves.

We are fortunate to stand on a strong foundation built by the leaders who came before us. Their dedication and stewardship have positioned NARI for continued growth and opportunity. Thanks to their work, we can confidently focus on the future—strengthening membership, engaging the next generation of professionals, increasing conference participation, and continuing to elevate the value and impact of NARI membership across the industry.

One of the moments that reinforced this for me happened during the conference, when I saw board members from different chapters discussing their collaboration on the Certified Remodeling Designer (CRD) certification program. It was a reminder of what makes this association special: people working together across markets and backgrounds, and experiences to improve our industry for everyone.

As we move forward together, my goal is simple: to continue building an association that supports its members, strengthens the remodeling profession, and creates meaningful progress for the future.

When we gather again next year, I hope we can all look back and say we moved NARI forward—together.

Thank you again for the incredible honor of serving as your President. I look forward to the work ahead and to connecting with even more of our members in the coming year.

Let’s get to work.

Jonathan Kelly, CRA
NARI President

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