Lee & Associates Atlanta to Appoint New CEO in January
Clients should prepare for potential strategic shifts as the brokerage firm undergoes a leadership transition on January 1.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in People
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Lee & Associates Atlanta will appoint Dan Wagner as CEO, effective January 1, 2027. Wagner, who joined the firm in 2022, replaces current president Dave Howard, who will move into a consulting role.
Why it matters
The leadership change arrives after Dave Howard grew the Atlanta brokerage office by 60% during his tenure since 2020. This transition signals a pivot in firm leadership as it looks to maintain local market momentum.
Dave Howard oversaw a 60% expansion of the Atlanta brokerage office since 2020. Incoming CEO Dan Wagner brings more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience to the role.
The players
Dan Wagner
Incoming CEO with over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate sector.
Dave Howard
Outgoing president who expanded the Atlanta brokerage office by 60% since 2020.
Lee & Associates
A national commercial real estate brokerage firm providing local advisory services.
The details
Dan Wagner will oversee firm operations as he assumes the president and CEO title, transitioning from his previous post as chief data officer. Dave Howard will shift his focus to advising other Lee & Associates offices on their respective growth strategies. The change marks a turnover in the Atlanta office leadership structure as the firm moves to leverage Wagner's multi-decade industry background.
Timeline
2020: Dave Howard began leading the Atlanta office.
2022: Dan Wagner joined Lee & Associates.
January 1, 2027: Dan Wagner assumes the CEO role.
Market Landscape
This transition marks a departure from the 2020 leadership succession of the Atlanta office. The move reflects a broader industry trend of brokerage firms rotating data-focused veterans into top executive roles.
Operators in the Atlanta commercial real estate market should monitor whether the firm shifts its brokerage growth strategy under new data-centric leadership. Clients should verify if their current service engagement remains unaffected by the January 1 transition.
The takeaway
Leadership transitions in specialized brokerage firms often precede shifts in client focus or expansion priorities. Operators should track the firm's next quarterly service strategy to identify if the internal focus on data will influence future local market activity.
Further reading
For more on shifts in local executive roles, see Atlanta People.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bisnow.
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