Event Coverage
Members See, Hear Faces & Voices of Leadership in Real Estate
Left to right from top to bottom are Mony Nop, Otto Lee, Ryan Carrigan, Chika Mori, Dexter Lat, Hilda Ramirez, Mark Taylan, Ketan Jashapara, Paige Nguyen, Atsuko Yube, Joanne Fraser and Jimmy Kang.
Faces & Voices of Leadership in Real Estate" held last Friday featured Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee and East Bay REALTOR® Mony Nop, as key speakers, and a panel of leaders from Silicon Valley multicultural real estate associations. They included Chika Mori, 2021 president of the Asian Real Estate Association of America; Mark Taylan, 2021 president of the Filipino American Real Estate Professional Association; Dexter Lat, past president of the Chinese American Real Estate Association; Hilda Ramirez, co-founder of the National Hispanic Organization of Real Estate Associates; Paige Nguyen, 2021 president of the Vietnamese National Association of Real Estate Professionals; and Ketan Jashapara, 2021 president of the Residential Real Estate Council.
The panelists, featured first, discussed their respective leadership roles and views and experiences with diversity and inclusion in real estate. Nguyen said as a leader she has learned "when everyone comes together for the same purpose, we can do great things."
Taylan said the biggest challenge for all leaders is devoting time to volunteer, but indicated it is worth it. Mori said she is able to meet many amazing real estate professionals, which has helped her be a better REALTOR® and leader.
Lat said leadership has opened many opportunities for his business. Ramirez added it is not enough to get involved with one organization, that being involved with many opens more doors. She said leadership is time consuming, but emphasized, "You get double what you put into it."
"Real estate professionals from diverse backgrounds have more in common with each other than they realize. Leadership roles develop professional skills, professional networks, enable us to represent our communities, have a voice and, above all, make a difference," said Jashapara.
The panelists said while leaders from different ethnicities may have to overcome cultural difficulties at the start, they learn to grow. When program participants were polled on whether they felt excluded in association events because of their race or ethnicity, 3 percent said yes and 97 percent said no.
Nop and Lee, both immigrants who came from troubled countries, were able to adapt and succeed in America. A survivor of Cambodia's Killing Fields, Nop related how he would root through dumpsters at the age of six eating rats and other animals to keep from starving.
"You name it, I've eaten it," said Nop.
Arriving in California from a refugee camp in the Philippines, Nop soon thrived. He served 17 years as a Livermore police officer, then became a REALTOR® and community leader. He is a recipient of the National Association of REALTORS® Good Neighbor award.
Nop told REALTORS®, "When you learn more, you connect more, you get more referrals and meet more people at a higher level."
Originally from Hong Kong, Lee and his family fled to California when he was 15 due to rising political upheavals there. Like his grandfather, Lee joined the US Navy and was awarded the Bronze Star and later the Meritorious Service Medal for 28 years of honorable service. Active since the first day he moved to Sunnyvale nearly 30 years ago, Lee was the city's first Chinese American mayor and now serves on the board of supervisors in a county of two million people of which 30 percent are Asian Americans.
Lee stressed early engagement with neighbors is important. He, too, noted REALTORS® from diverse backgrounds can make a difference in their local association, in local government, and in their community. Their involvement is the best way to ensure all groups in the community are represented.
"The more we know about each other, the more we learn," said Lee.
A break-out session that asked members and guests what REALTOR® associations can do to make their members feel welcome yielded many good suggestions. These suggestions will be forwarded to SILVAR leadership. SILVAR President Joanne Fraser thanked the speakers, panelists and all who attended the program. She said the program is part of a Diversity & Inclusion grant which SILVAR has received from NAR. Fraser explained although inclusion of all real estate professionals means all people of color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community, due to limited time and tight schedule in this program the Global Business Council which coordinated the event chose to focus on our multicultural real estate groups.
"Our goal is to have a leadership that is representative of our diverse membership and includes all groups. We look forward to your participation in our upcoming SILVAR Leadership Academy, which is the second part of SILVAR's NAR grant," said Fraser.
Thank you to SILVAR Global Business Council for coordinating the program, including GBC Chair Atsuko Yube, who served as emcee and GBC member Jimmy Kang, who served as the moderator for the panel, and SILVAR Government Affairs Director Ryan Carrigan, who relayed questions from members to the keynote speakers.
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 contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.