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New leaders for the newyear
With the beginning of a New Year, the Santa Fe Association of Realtors (SFAR) welcomes a new team of leaders voted in through the use of a new, online electronic system. Here are some highlights of our 2019 officers and directors.
Beth Stephens with Sotheby’s International Realty will serve as president of the association. Beth has served as a member of the Board of Directors, the Grievance Committee, and as a member of the Santa Fe Specialist Designation Group, which is planned to launch the new designation in 2019. Beth has most recently chaired the Government Affairs Committee where she indicated a desire to find ways to improve water quality in the region. Beth has been an associate broker at Sotheby’s International Realty, formerly French & French Fine Properties, since 2002 and has been a Realtor in the Santa Fe area for 14 years. As part of her outreach to members during the election, she acknowledged the invaluable work of the Affiliates Committee (“A” Team), SFAR’s experienced, committed staff and promised to work tirelessly to make the association the best that it can be for our beloved Santa Fe and members.
Susan Orth will serve as president-elect in 2019 and is the owner and qualifying broker for City Different Realty. Susan currently serves on the SFAR Board of Directors as first vice president and is chair of the Multiple Listing Service Committee. She has been a member of the state Realtors’ association Forms Committee for many years, and in 2016 served as chair of the committee. Susan has been a licensed Realtor for over 30 years. She has a B.S. degree in psychology and an MBA, plus has earned the Certified Residential Specialist and e-Pro designations from the National Association of Realtors. She enjoys and utilizes the latest technology to serve her customers. Susan was awarded the 2017 SFAR Realtor of the Year.
In 2019, Roger Carson, who is affiliated with KellerWilliams Realty, will serve as first vice president. He currently serves on the SFAR Board ofDirectors and as a member of the Grievance Committee. Other board experience includes three terms as the valuation expert on the Santa Fe County Tax Protest Valuation Board which resolves property tax valuation disputes between Santa Fe County homeowners and the Santa Fe Assessor. He is also an active board bember on the Vista Encantada Neighborhood Association. For the last 10 years he has been a contributing writer for the “Spouses Selling Houses” column in the Home/Santa Fe Real Estate Guide magazine and the Santa New Mexican covering a wide variety of topics that affect homeowners and real-estate professionals.
The Santa Fe Association of Realtors welcomes three new board members in 2019. Born in Chicago, Katherine Blagden, a broker with Sotheby’s International Real Estate, has been in the real estate business for six years. She has a B.A. in communications from the University of Colorado and has been very involved as an education activist and fundraiser for both public and private schools. Katherine has used her organizational, multitasking, negotiating and people skills to raise over $300,000 in contributions for the benefit of Santa Fe school children.
Matt Desmond is a licensed Realtor and has been a member of SFAR since 2005. Matt worked with several brokerages in Santa Fe and is currently the co-team leader and qualifying broker at KellerWilliams Realty in Santa Fe. In addition to selling residential real estate, Matt has had several unique opportunities to broaden his knowledge in the profession. He worked as a project development manager in the energy industry, building utility-scale wind and solar projects. Matt has a B.A. in Biology and completed a year of exercise physiology research.
Born and raised in Santa Fe, Joshua Maes is a broker with Sotheby’s International Real Estate. He launched his career at the age of 18 with the opening of a downtown restaurant, Mucho Gourmet. Four years later, he sold the restaurant and moved to California. Over the next eight years, he honed his skills in management, negotiation and sales, being recognized as “Rookie of the Year” while working atWindemere Exclusive Properties. Joshua attributes his drive and strong work ethic to the example set by his mother, Supreme Court Justice Petra Jimenez Maes, the first Hispanic woman in U.S. history to serve as chief justice of a state supreme court.
Paco Arguello is chief executive of the Santa Fe Association of Realtors. Contact him at 982-8385 or paco@sfar.com.