Event Coverage
2015 SILVAR President, Leadership Team Installed
SILVAR's 2015 leadership team was installed Wednesday night at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton. California Association of REALTORS® 2013 President Don Faught administered the oath of office to SILVAR's new president and board of directors. C.A.R. 2005 President Jim Hamilton and SILVAR Region 9 Chair Carolyn Miller, the evening's emcees, welcomed about 180 members and guests at the special event. National Association of REALTORS® Director John Tripp led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Wendy McPherson, branch manager for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Menlo Park, Woodside and Portola Valley offices, delivered the inspiration message.
Chris Isaacson, a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Woodside, was installed as 2015 President; Karen Trolan, a REALTOR® with Alain Pinel Realtors, Los Gatos, President-elect; and Phyllis Carmichael, a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Los Altos, Treasurer.
Joining the three lead officers as this year's board directors are David Tonna (Alain Pinel Realtors), past president; Carolyn Miller (RE/MAX Real Estate Services), Region 9 Chair; Davena Gentry (Sereno Group), Menlo Park/Atherton District Chair; Robert Reid (Keller Williams Realty), Palo Alto District Chair; Katherine Frey (Alain Pinel Realtors), Los Altos/Mountain View District Chair; Mark Burns (Referral Realty), Cupertino/Sunnyvale District Chair; Alan Barbic (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Los Gatos/Saratoga District Chair; John Tripp (Foundation Trust), NAR Director; Jeff Bell (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Eileen Giorgi (Keller Williams Bay Area Estates), Gene Lentz (Oliver Luxury Real Estate), Cassie Maas (Alain Pinel Realtors), Bill Moody (Referral Realty), Directors At-large; and Clayton Nelson (Clayton Nelson & Associates), Affiliate Chair.
Isaacson got involved in organized real estate by joining SILVAR soon after he received his real estate license in 2006. He is past chair of the Menlo Park/Atherton District, and has chaired the district's RSVP (REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program) committee. He has served on SILVAR's board as a Director At-large and as a California Association of REALTORS® Region 9 Director.
In his address to members, Isaacson noted the business of real estate has undergone many changes, especially within the last decade. He encouraged members to turn these changes into opportunities that will allow them to grow personally and professionally. What hasn't changed, said Isaacson, is the value REALTORS® bring to their clients, and their adherence to the REALTOR® Code of Ethics.
Isaacson said SILVAR will continue to support its over 4,500 members and look for ways to make adapting to change easier for members, so that they will be positioned to react positively when the next big change comes along and turn that change into another opportunity.
Special guests at the installation dinner included representatives from neighboring associations and public officials. In attendance were Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone.
With SILVAR entering its 20th year as an Association of REALTORS®, there was a special tribute to all past SILVAR presidents, most of whom were present at the dinner and asked to remain standing while their names were called. Past presidents of SILVAR include Pat Pipkin (1995), Phyllis Carmichael (1996), David Hobson (1997), the late John Lazar (1998), Nina Yamaguchi (1999), David Barca (2000), Jeff Barnett (2001), Alicia Nuzzo (2002), Judy Jarvis Ellis (2003), Ronald Gates (2004), Willi Kraus (2005), John Tripp (2006), Mark Burns (2007), Leannah Hunt (2008), Julia Truesdale Keady (2009), Jeff Bell (2010), Gene Lentz (2011), Suzanne Yost (2012), Carolyn Miller (2013) and David Tonna (2014).
The following Installation Sponsors were also acknowledged for their generous support in making the evening a success. Thank you Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; Sereno Group; Supra; MLSListings Inc; SILVAR's Menlo Park/Atherton, Palo Alto, Los Altos/Mountain View, Cupertino/Sunnyvale and Los Gatos/Saratoga districts; HSBC – Kenneth Chan; Princeton Capital; Alain Pinel Realtors – Los Gatos; and HomeFolio – Kirk Bailey.
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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.