Event Coverage
2021 & 2022 Leadership Academy Graduates Recognized
Congratulations, 2021 and 2022 SILVAR Leadership Academy graduates!
The 2021 and 2022 SILVAR Leadership Academy graduates were recognized at a reception at SILVAR on Tuesday. The event was a culmination of the past two years when SILVAR revived the prestigious Academy whose goal is to inform members about the value of getting involved in organized real estate at the local, state, and national level. Due to the Covid situation, the 2021 and 2022 classes were held online and spanned several months.
SILVAR CEO Paul Cardus welcomed members to the special event and praised them for their achievement, as the leadership classes were intense and required many hours of commitment. Topics included the structure of organized real estate at the local, state, and national level, how being actively involved at SILVAR helps members and their business, communicating effectively, building consensus, fair housing and implicit bias in real estate. The graduates also took the National Association of REALTORS® L.E.A.D. Vision course, which focused on creating a vision, team building, leadership styles, active listening, and more.
Among the prominent speakers who spoke to both groups were U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo, California Association of REALTORS® officials CEO John Sebree, Chief Lobbyist Sanjay Wagle, Manager of Public Policy John Scribner, Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Farah Wilder, 2023 SILVAR President Jim Hamilton, and founding chairman and Director Emeritus of the Asian Real Estate Association of America Allen Okamoto.
It was also the first time the graduates were able to personally meet the Leadership Academy Planning Committee. The committee included facilitator and 2021 Leadership Academy chair Suzanne Yost, 2022 chair Joanne Fraser, and Denise Welsh and Tracey McNeely, who also were Academy graduates. All are SILVAR board directors.
Also in attendance were SILVAR board directors and committee chairs. They spoke on their roles and what inspired them to take on their respective leadership posts. Some said they joined because they felt that "you're never too old to learn something new." Another noted, "How can you lead if you don't know." Another said, "I wanted to be part of something that helps me and my business grow, and felt we can do it together and still have fun!" Yet another said he wanted "to work together with a big group to achieve a higher standard and success. With great power comes great responsibility."
2023 SILVAR President Jim Hamilton congratulated the graduates and thanked board and committee chairs. He mentioned some graduates have already stepped up and taken on leadership roles.
"You've taken the first step to change your lives. It will open doors for you," Hamilton told the graduates. "What this gives you is confidence not just in real estate but also in life."
Hamilton stressed REALTORS® have a strong voice. "What makes your business stronger is all of us - not SILVAR, not C.A.R., not NAR. If we decide as REALTORS® to take on an issue no one will ever stop us ever. You distinguish yourselves from everybody else. Take the journey with me; you'll never regret it."
The 2021 and 2022 SILVAR Leadership Academy graduates are Adriane Alston, Lovinda L. Beal, Anni Chui-Chen Chu, Elizabeth Doyle, Katherine Frey, Mary Kay Groth, Christina Hood, Jennifer Chen Chao Horton, Ketan Jashapara, Jimmy Kang, Anjali Kausar, Dmitriy Kruglyak, Wendy Marioni, James Mauldwin, Tracey McNeely, Chika Mori, Navneet Parmar, Tammie Peters, Patricia Robison, Mohsen Salehi, Sarah Sanusi, Sudeshna Sen Gupta, Son Hoai Vu, Denise Welsh, Lucy Woo, Annie Yamashita, and Barbara Zuckerwise.
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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.