News From SFAR

As the New Year rolls in, the Santa Fe Association of Realtors (SFAR) welcomes a new team of leaders. Barbara Blackwell, affiliated with KellerWilliams, will serve as SFAR’s president. Barbara’s colleagues recognized her as the Realtor of the Year in 2012 for her service to the industry and community. At SFAR, Barbara has served as a member of the board of directors, chaired the Community Services Committee, and served on numerous other association committees. She views herself as a service-oriented Realtor who has been with the same core real-estate agency since 2003 through several name changes or acquisitions.

Before becoming a Realtor, Barbara worked at IBMfor over 30 years in a number of project-management roles. She has a degree in business administration from the University of Nevada. Barbara hails from Pennsylvania but moved west, to Nevada, at the age of seven with her family. She has traveled extensively through her work and for pleasure. Barba- ra would like for the Santa Fe community to encourage international clientele to come, visit and stay. She believes Santa Fe is a wonderful place to live, especially for active adults.

Realtor Gary Bobolsky with Sotheby’s International Real Estate will serve as president-elect in 2015. Gary has been inspired by serving as first vice president for the association, gaining personal and professional insight, as well as maintaining level-headedness through all transitions and interactions that serve his peers and colleagues. He is excited to participate as a “voice” for his peers and an advocate for the local community, ultimately backed by his experience in all aspects of real estate. A native of Virginia and a graduate from Clemson University, Gary has been a recognized Realtor in Santa Fe for over 20 years.

Melissa Pippin-Carson, a Realtor with KellerWilliams, will take the helm as first vice president. Licensed since 2001, Melissa has been a very active SFAR volunteer, serving in several leadership roles including chair of the Membership Committee, Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Committee, and Government Affairs Committee. Shewas a key player in the implementation of the MLS Green Features, which has been a growing trend and a key component of today’s building industry, even foreshadowing the city’s green-building code. Her concerns for the future of the association deal with the health of the membership and service to brokers in the evolving housing market and how best to educate the membership about ongoing technology changes.

The Santa Fe Association of Realtors welcomes three new board members in 2015. Julia Gelbart with Santa Fe Properties has been in real estate for over 17 years, including selling real estate in Connecticut. She has been a past chair and is currently active on SFAR’s Professional Standards Committee. Andrea Lucero, a native of Santa Fe affiliated with Barker Realty, has been in real estate for 14 years. Her passion for the business originated as she observed her father, Rudy Fernandez, help so many people buy and sell real estate. Beth Stephens of Sotheby’s International Realty has been in real estate since 2002. She brings a B.S. in psychology, the larger portion of an MBA, to her new role as a director.

Paco Arguello is chief executive of the Santa Fe Association of Realtors. Contact him at 982-8385 or paco@sfar.com.