In January 2022, we invited all interested REALTOR® members and board or association staff to submit their online application to join one of our many volunteer committees and were happy to see so many qualified applicants put themselves forward.
We appreciate the importance of bringing diverse backgrounds and experiences to our committees, as we want the composition of our committees (and our Board of Directors) to reflect the wonderful diversity of our membership. Now that our 2022-2023 committees have been formed, it’s time to meet some of the people who’ll be lending us their expertise, and perspective.
If you’re new around here, or simply haven’t been involved with any of our committees in the past, here’s a quick overview to get you acquainted:
Association Executives Committee
Chair: Larry Westergard, Executive Officer, Central Alberta REALTORS® Association
Purpose of the committee: To be a resource to the CREA CEO in promoting and encouraging the highest standards among Association Executives Network (AEN) affiliates and the organizations they administer.
Members:
Angela Boudreau • Jennifer Lynch • Allan Font • Jason Yochim • Ashley Sauve • Luke Moffett • Wendy Giroux
Audit and Risk Management Committee
Chair: Phil Moore, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Crest Realty and CREA Director-at-Large
Purpose of the committee: Based on the board goals for a governing year, develop and implement an annual work plan to appoint an external auditor and oversee the audit process.
Members:
Ashif Kalyan • Michael Barrett • Tim Otitoju • Alexandra Goseltine • Steven Bobiash • Pavish Kumar
Broker/Manager Committee
Chair: Valérie Paquin, REALTOR®, broker, and co-owner of the Via Capitale Partenaires brokerage and CREA Director-at-Large
Purpose of the committee: To be a resource and sounding board for services and support targeted to the brokerage community.
Members:
Shirley Przybyl • Reza Ashkevari • Angelique Hansen • Kimberly Fairley • Janice Briffett Butt • Edwin Kwok Yu Yan • Matthew Honsberger
Environmental, Social, and Governance Committee (Formerly the REALTORS Care® Committee)
Chair: Darcy McLeod, REALTOR®, eXp Realty, CREA Regional Director British Columbia and Yukon
Purpose of the committee: This new committee will act as a resource to CREA’s Board of Directors on environmental, social and governance (ESG) related matters, providing strategic direction on policies, practices and programs and identifying opportunities to enhance the resiliency of our association, membership, and communities.
Members:
Zabrina Steffler • Roderick Doris • Jennie Boivin • Felicia Jones • Maya Day • Pauline Aunger • Winson Chan • Brian Santos • Cliff Stevenson • Marina James • Jason Stephen
Federal Affairs Committee
Chair: Larry Cerqua, REALTOR® and broker/manager of RE/MAX Ultimate Realty Inc., CREA Chair-Elect
Purpose of the committee: To provide strategic direction on federal policy, programs and initiatives that promotes ownership and investment in real estate and protect the interests of homebuyers, property owners and REALTORS®.
Members:
Darin Germyn • Kimberly French • Kevin Crigger • Jenn Aunger‑Ritchie • William MacDougall • Dianne Usher • Tony Joe • Sylvain Girard • Jennifer Lucas • Valérie Paquin
Finance Committee
Chair: Steven Bobiash, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Saskatoon, CREA Regional Director, Saskatchewan
Purpose of the committee: Based on the Board goals for a governing year, develop and implement an annual work plan to review, monitor and provide guidance and/or recommendations to the Board of Directors, related to the financial stewardship of CREA.
Members:
Larry Cerqua • Logan Morse • Gopal Sahota • Lacey Sheng • Cherie Kirkby • Colette Gerber • Mike Turner • Nillanjana Hazarika
Governance and Bylaws Committee
Chair: James Mabey, REALTOR® and broker, Century 21 Masters, CREA Vice Chair
Purpose of the committee: Based on the Board goals for a governing year, develop and implement an annual work plan for the improvement of the Board of Directors’ good governance policies and practices.
Members:
Michael Barrett • Kimberly French • Garry Bhaura • Phil Moore • Barb Sukkau • John Dempster • Anthony Bastiaanssen • Kristi Kruger • Linda McCallum • Michael Collins • Lori Roberts
Marketing and Communications Committee
Chair: Chris Peters, REALTOR®, Royal Lepage Atlantic, CREA Regional Director, Atlantic
Purpose of the committee: To provide high level strategic direction and feedback to CREA’s marketing and communications activities in support of achieving this mission. The committee helps ensure that CREAs communication products address the needs of audiences who are strategically important to CREA and that CREAs marketing and advertising strategically addresses the needs of members.
Members:
James Mabey (Past-Chair) • Paul Czan • Roger Boutilier • Mike Lalonde • Angie Tsai • Nene Akintan • Trevor Koot • Crystal Henderson • Eileen Stewart
REALTOR® Code Committee
Chair: Georges Gaucher, REALTOR®, broker, CREA Regional Director, Quebec
Purpose of the committee: To monitor the implementation, organization and application of the REALTOR® Code across the country, and to make recommendations to ensure the continuing relevance of the REALTOR® Code and the strength of the REALTOR® trademark.
Members:
Laura Leyser • Madeline Sarafinchan • Tim Ayres • Tim Syrianos • Kari McBride • Costa Poulopoulos • Janice Myers
Technology Committee
Chair: Cliff Stevenson, REALTOR®, broker, and part owner of RE/MAX First, Calgary, Alberta, CREA Immediate Past Chair
Purpose of the committee: To be a resource to the CREA CEO in matters related to technology initiatives.
Members:
Matthew Dauphinee • Tolga Nizam • Chris Guérette • Ray Chan • Bill Duce • Mani Ayatollahi • Kristi Mercier • Melissa Hynes • Jennifer Pearce • Katrin Newel • Sam DeBord (external advisor)
To learn more about any of our volunteer committees, and find out where your knowledge, expertise, and experience would fit best, visit CREA.ca and stay tuned later this year, when the application process re-opens.
We also encourage you to share this with those you think might be interested and can add their voice to the conversation.
