October 20, 2017

Contact: Kim Walker, 704-940-3149

Pictured left to right: Dot Munson, 2007-2008 Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association/CarolinaMLS Past President; Roger Parham, 2017 Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association/CarolinaMLS President; Anne Marie DeCatsye, Esq., Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association/CarolinaMLS CEO

CHARLOTTE –   More than 125 Realtors® gathered at the eXtravaganza Depot Thurs., Oct. 19 to recognize and celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association’s Diversity Council.  The Association’s Diversity Council was created in 2007 as a top initiative of past-president Dot Munson to foster more opportunities for the association’s diverse members to serve in leadership positions for the association, Carolina Multiple Listing Services, Inc. (CarolinaMLS) and the Housing Opportunity Foundation, which serves as the association’s charitable arm.  The masquerade-themed event included dancing, entertainment and awards recognizing Realtors® who have supported and helped grow the council.

2017 Association/CarolinaMLS President Roger Parham received the Leading with Diversity award for his service in growing the council.  2007-2008 Association/CarolinaMLS President Dot Munson received the Trailblazer Award for her vision and support during her tenure, and Association/CarolinaMLS CEO Anne Marie DeCatsye, Esq. received the Champion for Diversity award for commitment to diversity in leadership.

2017 Diversity Chair Marbelia Murillo said, “As America becomes more diverse, Realtors® are aware that the number one goal of immigrants is to own their own home. We know that as we help diverse constituents reach their goal of homeownership, that in order to create understanding, dialogue and inclusivity, our own organizations and firms must reflect today’s multicultural real estate market.  I’m proud of the intentional work our association has done over the past 10 years to connect with diverse members and assist our association, MLS and Foundation board leadership in becoming more reflective of homebuyers in our local and national markets.”

The Diversity Council has more than 700 members in three sub-councils (African-American, Latin-American and Asian-American) and works in tandem with the association’s Education Advisory Group to create programs and education for the association’s membership. Along with expanding diversity in association leadership, the Diversity Council’s overarching goals and strategies also include promoting diversity and fair housing “best practices,” building and enhancing alliances with other minority real estate organizations, and increasing the relevance of the association and its members in minority communities through coalition building and other activities.

For more information about the Charlotte Regional Realtor^® Association, visit the association’s website at www.CarolinaHome.com.

The Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association is a trade association that provides its more than 10,000 Realtor® members with the resources and services they need to conduct ethical, professional, successful and profitable businesses. The association is dedicated to being the region's primary resource for residential real estate information. The association operates the Carolina Multiple Listing Services, Inc. (CarolinaMLS), which has more than 11,500 Subscribers and is the private cooperative Realtors® use for access to tens of thousands of residential listings in a multicounty service area, including Charlotte, the Piedmont area of North Carolina and South Carolina, and beyond.

Original Publish Date: 10/20/2017