The Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission is entrusted with overseeing the State’s realtors and various divisions of the real estate industry, guided by the Commissioner as they oversee and enforce state law upon them.

Kyle Sampson is the first African American and Muslim to hold office as Real Estate Commissioner of Pennsylvania. He was nominated to Commissioner by Governor Tom Wolf in October 2022, and was later confirmed by the state Senate in 2023 for a five-year term.

As Commissioner, Sampson works with a team to process the functions of the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission as it conducts itself across the State in appraising, educating, and licensing real estate professionals working in Pennsylvania.

The PA Real Estate Commission consists of multiple representatives from both private and public sectors, with a total of 11 members comprising the Commission.

There is at least one representative from the cemetery industry, the real estate industry, and the broker industry each. Three other members are public members, who are unaffiliated with any real estate aspect, and the last is a consumer protection representative and the Commissioner.

The Commission oversees the issuing of 25 different license classes, choosing who can operate as a salesperson, or as a broker, or role related to the real estate industry. It administers and enforces the laws regarding licensed real estate activities, such as cemeteries, campgrounds, and proportional property.

In cases where a real estate owner, such as a broker or a landlord, breaks the law, the Commission is what handles whether or not their license should be revoked or suspended. If need be, the Commission has authority to take out disciplinary actions, such as undergoing an education program to properly understand their duties and responsibilities.

As of Dec. 31, 2021, there were over 71,000 active licensees overseen by the Commission.

Politics in Person

Ever since a young age, Sampson has taken an interest in politics and in taking an active role.

His drive for politics led him to work as a political intern for the late Philadelphia Councilman John C. Anderson, the first Black gay man to serve on the council, where he would witness the passage of Philadelphia’s Minority Set Aside Laws.

In another internship, he would learn from late U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip William H. Gray, III; the first African-American to serve as Majority Whip. As a legislative intern, Sampson saw the internals of the national debate surrounding Anti-Apartheid laws, and the process of their passage.

Sampson has held a long friendship with State Senator Anthony H. Williams, the one who cut through the political conflicts that had been delaying Sampson's nomination process. 

Having known each other for more than 30 years, the two met when they competed for a seat in the State House, of which Williams would take. Despite being in opposition for the State House seat, the competition would bring them together and form a bond between them.

“One of the great things about him is that he embraces young leaders and tries to encourage them, and mold them into becoming elected officials,” Sampson explained in an interview with AL DÍA.

“That vacancy was there, and I was going to go for the seat. Tony obviously got it, and he's been a political mentor since then.”

During his youth, Sampson served as the President of the Young Democrats of Philadelphia — the official youth group of the Democratic Party — from 1986 through 1989. He made his first bid for public office in 1987, becoming the youngest ever member of the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee; elected by the 8th Senatorial district.

Here, Sampson would serve two terms before departing from politics to travel abroad, not returning to political office until his re-election in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

Going abroad

Sampson studied at St. Joseph's University and earned his Bachelor's degree at Southern Connecticut State University, and his Masters in Educational Leadership at Fordham University.

It would be his two Fellowships that would bring him out of the country to study abroad in the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, and Qatar University in Doha, Qatar. He would spend three years studying in Egypt, and one in Qatar.

In 2001, Sampson was invited by the U.S. Department of State to begin a series of lectures at institutions in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, bringing a passion for constructive conversations and promotion of tolerance among nations, continuing to this day.

With support of the U.S. Department of State, Sampson has also begun conducting moderation training programs for American Imams, holding training in the United Arab Emirates.

Recently, Sampson has worked with the Embassy of the UAE and members of the House of Representatives to create a pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi as for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, allowing passengers heading to the U.S. to undergo all necessary customs, immigrations, and agriculture inspections in Abu Dhabi before departure to the United States.

“I think the fact that having an international experience, [then] coming back to Philadelphia, which is a city I tremendously love… and being able to utilize that international experience and to try to make Philadelphia and the Commonwealth a better place; that's what I want to do with this real estate commission,” Sampson said.

A goal for the future

Sampson wants to bring more light to the Commission, showing what they do, and try to protect the interests of consumers. 

This means continuing to prosecute and hold realtors to a high standard, providing real estate education to realtors to ensure they know what they need to know. The curriculum taught is decided by an education committee, of which Sampson sits on, helping find the best resources to provide to new and current realtors alike.

Leveraging his position as Commissioner, Sampson has begun personally encouraging the predominantly Black universities of Lincoln and Cheyney to adopt real estate courses. Sampson has seen that while universities like Temple University and University of Pennsylvania have real estate courses, there are no such avenues for these predominantly Black universities.

“I've written a letter to the presidents of Lincoln and Cheyney… encouraging them to have a real estate school or institute that will cater to Black and Brown students; African Americans, Latino Americans,” Sampson said.

“They need to be able to get to these doors of generational wealth,” he concluded.