Dale Stinton was named executive vice president and CEO of the National Association of Realtors on Wednesday. Stinton, NAR’s chief financial officer and chief information officer, will take the reins of the influential trade association on Nov. 1, succeeding the retiring Terry McDermott.[IMGCAP(1)]

Stinton joined the association 24 years ago and became CFO in 1991. He served as acting CEO and executive vice president in 1996 and became CFO and CIO in 1998. In that role his duties include oversight of the association’s finances, including its political action committee and its Web site. The association represents more than 1 million members.

Gulf Coast Caucus. In an attempt to examine the economic effects of Hurricane Katrina and begin plans to rebuild along the Gulf Coast, Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) is set to host a planning meeting of the Congressional Gulf of Mexico Caucus today.

“Such planning is vital to a rapid economic recovery, and critical to ensuring that the lives and livelihoods of our citizens and communities experience minimal disruption,” Harris said in a letter to her Gulf-area colleagues.

The meeting will focus on the Gulf of Mexico Trade Corridor Transportation Study, which looks at the issues surrounding economic development among the five U.S. and six Mexican states that are part of the cooperative agreement known as the Gulf of Mexico States Accord Secretariat.

“This study will provide members with a long-term blueprint of how the Gulf of Mexico border can best cultivate a plan for future economic and infrastructure development,” Harris wrote.

Gary Springer, president of the Gulf of Mexico States Partnership, the business counterpart of the accord, also will be on hand.

Harris is the chairwoman and founder of the caucus, which formed last year and focuses on issues of economic development, homeland security and environmental protection in the Gulf region.

The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. in Room 122 of the Cannon House Office Building.

— Louis Jacobson and Elizabeth Brotherton