Jay Papasan to step down as Keller Williams executive

Longtime Keller Williams executive Jay Papasan announced his decision to step down from his role as vice president of strategic content in a post on LinkedIn on Tuesday. 

Papasan has been with Keller Williams since September of 2000. He said his decision to step down comes from a desire to focus on family businesses, writing and coaching. Papasan’s last official day as a Keller Williams executive will be August 1. 

“It’s been a wild ride,” he wrote. “My first day was September 5, 2000. Back then, there were only 27 employees serving less than 7,000 associates. During my time, we grew to be the largest real estate franchise by agent count in the world.” 

Papasan’s first role at the firm was writing a newsletter for the technology team. From there he has gone on to work 26 Family Reunions and 25 MegaCamps, write books with Keller Williams executives including co-founder Gary Keller and lead several company branches and initiatives, including KWU, Research, Publishing, KW Video and Marketing.

“I’m incredibly grateful for all I’ve learned and the incredible people I’ve gotten to work with,” Papasan wrote. 

In an email sent to Keller Williams leaders and agents last week and obtained by HousingWire, the firm’s executive chairman Gary Keller wrote that for over 26 years Papasan has been “my dear friend, my writing partner, my business partner and one of the finest thinkers I’ve ever had the privilege to know.”

Through the countless hours they have spent together Keller said he has realized that Papasan “possesses a rare gift.”

“He sees things that others miss,” Keller said. “More importantly, he has the remarkable ability to take complicated ideas about life, relationships, leadership and business and express them in ways that are both significant and memorable. That’s one of the hardest things a writer can do, and Jay does it as well as anyone I’ve ever met.” 

As for Papasan’s decision to step down from this day-to-day leadership role at Keller Williams, Keller said he “couldn’t be happier for him.”

“This isn’t an ending,” Keller wrote. “It’s simply giving himself the opportunity to take his life and those he can help to a higher level.” 

According to both Papasan and Keller, Papasan will continue working on Keller Williams book projects, hosting The ONE Thing podcast, leading The ONE Thing training and coaching team and supporting agents in the Austin-based Papasan Properties Group.

“Jay has dedicated his life to helping others live their best lives both personally and professionally. I’ve had a front-row seat to that journey for more than two decades, and I can tell you without hesitation that the best is still ahead of him,” Keller wrote. “The journey we’ve shared has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I can’t wait to see where our next chapter takes us.” 

Keller Williams did not wish to comment on its plans to fill Papasan’s vacated role.