Leaving the beaches of Cape Cod for the mountains of Utah, Jennifer Armandi arrived in town this fall ready to bring her years of experience to her new position as CEO of the Park City Board of Realtors.
Armandi was appointed to the position in October when former CEO Jamie Johnson stepped down in July after her seven-year tenure. Armandi said her first priority is to listen to the board’s members and work to understand the association’s members and the community she serves.
While the Massachusetts beach town Armandi spent her career navigating may seem like the opposite of a ski town, the new CEO said the communities have many similarities.
“You wouldn’t necessarily think of Cape Cod and Park City in the same sentence,” she said. “They look different. Our states are different, our laws are different, but the tenet of what is required of leadership at a local association like Park City was something I was very familiar and very comfortable with.”
Armandi earned her real estate license in 2005 with ambitions of becoming a top agent on Cape Cod, but she pivoted to banking and lending, working her way up to branch management, after the 2008 mortgage crisis.
She later returned to real estate. Armandi managed one of the most productive brokerage offices in her region and led nearly 50 agents. Through volunteer committee work, she then moved into her previous role as vice president of programs and engagement for the Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors. Armandi said the skills she developed on the East Coast now directly support her leadership work in Park City, which she’s been serving in for three months.
As she began to search for more leadership roles in the real estate industry, she found the Park City Board of Realtors. Though the idea of leaving Massachusetts and her family on the Cape was difficult, Armandi said she knew she could make a great impact in Utah.
“When I met with the hiring committee, it literally felt like we had been working together for years already,” Armandi said. “There was a very strong shared vision of what we want going forward.”
Armandi said her first order of action has been to build trust and absorb as much about the place as she can, rather than rushing to put her stamp on the Board of Realtors.
“There’s been a lot of change lately,” she said. “So what we need to do is execute what we can do very well, and do it thoughtfully.”
One of Armandi’s main goals is to rebuild the Board of Realtors’ committee structure. She sees that as the primary way for members to stay involved in day-to-day operations and develop into future leaders.
“Associations don’t run without volunteer leaders,” she said. “They’re the heartbeat of what we do.”
Armandi aims to give Board of Realtors members clearer pathways to engage in committee work that meaningfully impacts the community. By focusing first on committees that are essential and realistic to execute well, she and board leadership plan to strengthen advocacy efforts, with housing affordability as a central focus.
“Whatever we build has to be able to carry forward,” she said. “No matter who the CEO is, no matter who’s on the board.”
For Armandi, these committees provide the structure to turn realtors’ existing market knowledge into coordinated advocacy and policy input efforts.
Armandi said the strain shows up through the entire community in towns like Park City, where teachers, firefighters and hospitality staff can’t afford to live in the same place as they work.
“If we don’t have people that work at all levels living in our community, the very nature of our tourism economy goes down the drain,” Armandi said.
She points to examples from Cape Cod, where staffing shortages forced businesses to close during irregular hours and limit essential services. It’s a cautionary lesson she keeps in mind as Park City continues to grow.
Armandi said the Board of Realtors may not be able to solve housing affordability on its own, but members can still work to help shape policy, elevate local voices and support pathways to homeownership at every level.
“The average age of a first-time homebuyer is now 40,” she said. “That’s years of wealth you’re no longer building. Homeownership shouldn’t just be a dream for people with deep pockets.”
For Armandi, strong organizations are built slowly, through strong relationships, trust and shared responsibility. Volunteer leaders, staff and members all play a role, and she hopes to strengthen their network and their impact in Park City one step at a time.
Armandi is finding her rhythm in town, attending broker meetings and association ski days, and spending time outdoors when she can. She said the family is navigating a bi-coastal routine as she settles into life in Park City while her husband, a teacher and football coach, and their son remain in Cape Cod for the school year.
She described the transition as both an adjustment and an adventure, balancing professional responsibilities with learning the ropes — and the slopes — of her new mountain town home.
“I love anything that’s adventurous,” Armandi said. “I’m an adrenaline person, so I’m looking forward to doing anything and everything this place has to offer.”