Legal & Economic Symposium / In-person Roanoke / June 09, 2026

As Associate General Counsel for Virginia REALTORS®, Jon is involved in every aspect of the association’s legal responsibilities. He works with the rest of the legal team to teach, create podcasts and legal videos, and draft legal briefs for the Supreme Court of Virginia. Jon graduated from the College of William and Mary and the University of Richmond School of Law, then clerked for a judge before starting at a large claims administration law firm. After spending several years with Virginia REALTORS®, he worked at a settlement company in the Fredericksburg area and gained valuable experience before coming back to VAR. He likes to cook and play music in his spare time, which is a rare commodity with two sons running around his house. He and his wife, Mandy, reside with their boys in Mechanicsville.

Santiago brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Virginia REALTORS®. Before going to law school, he served in the Army and in various roles in the Financial Industry and Engineering and Technology Industries. After graduating from American University Washington College of Law, he took his experience and worked as a solo practitioner as well as other roles with Engineering firms. He then joined as Staff Counsel for Virginia REALTORS®. As Staff Counsel, Santiago contributes to the Caveat REALTOR® podcast, creates legal resources for members, and serves on the Standard Forms Committee.

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.