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GCAAR

Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors®

Committees

About committees

Committees are critical to the success of GCAAR’s members, and we deeply appreciate those who volunteer their time and professional expertise to the real estate community.  

The committee description and focus of work, as well as membership requirements and time commitment, can be found below.   

GCAAR encourages all committee members to be GCAAR D&I Champions (that is, to have completed At Home with Diversity (AHWD), Fairhaven, and NAR’s Implicit-Bias training – learn more).   

  • Beginning with the 2022 board nomination process and selection of committee chairs and vice-chairs, preference should be given to applicants who have completed the AHWD class.  Those who have not completed AHWD shall complete the course during their term.  
  • Beginning with the 2023 board nomination process and selection of committee members, applicants are required to be D&I Champions.   

Applications open each year in the fall; appointments are made only once each year.  Thank you for your interest in serving on a GCAAR committee!  

Community Service
The Community Service Committee identifies and plans community service activities with GCAAR’s strategic charitable partners and other non-profits that fall within GCAAR’s charitable priorities.  The committee also nominates the annual GCAAR Good Neighbor Award winner.   

Membership

Committee members should demonstrate a commitment to community service.  Members attend monthly meetings and attend or lead at least one community service activity per year. This committee meets the second Wednesday of every month from 1-2pm. 

2022 focus

  • Support the work of our strategic charitable partners and identify volunteer opportunities with both our partners and other non-profits.  
  • Increase participation and awareness of community service events among the general GCAAR membership.   
  • Raise awareness of the GCAAR Good Neighbor Award.   

 

Contact staff liaison: Barbara Seldes
Board liaison: Sam Medvene
Chair: Dan Cumberland, Jr.
Vice Chair: Maria R. Garcia

Diversity & Inclusion
The mission of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee is to identify opportunities for conversation and education, establish expectations of diversity and promote the practice of inclusion within our membership base and industry. 

Discrimination has no home here. 

The committee focuses its efforts in these areas: 

Personal growth:

  • GCAAR will create safe spaces for education and conversation centered around diversity and inclusion. 
  • Continue the History and Power of Real Estate webinar series. 
  • Provide resources to navigate and best engage in challenging conversations. 
  • Support, promote and collaborate with NAR multicultural groups to strengthen resources and opportunities for our members.

Business development:

  • Demonstrate that diversity is good for business and establish expectations. 
  • Promote and offer the At Home with Diversity certification to our members. 
  • Raise awareness about paths to homeownership for traditionally excluded communities. 
  • Seek opportunities to partner with governmental and non-governmental organizations supporting homeownership programs for traditionally excluded communities.

Membership

Members should demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  They should also be GCAAR D&I Champions.  Members attend monthly meetings and work between meetings individually or in subcommittees.   

2022 focus

  • Building educational and business resources that can be shared with the membership through a communication campaign, website, or other channel.   
  • Identifying and advising staff on ways that diversity, equity, and inclusion can be a thru-line in GCAAR’s daily work.   
  • Identifying History and Power of Real Estate webinar topics and speakers. 

Contact staff liaisons:  Katherine Gordon, Shiesha McNeil and Zac Trupp
Board liaison: Christopher Suranna
Chair: Maurice Mckinney
Vice Chair: Ileann Jimenez-Sepulveda

Forms
The mission of the Forms Committee is to review the association's current forms and make recommendations for revisions. Forms can be reviewed in response to legislative or regulatory requirements, and/or significant changes to either market conditions or industry best practices.

Membership

REALTOR® members must demonstrate extensive experience with GCAAR forms as evidenced by transaction counts over the past three years, or in the case of the broker/manager or team leader/trainer, the number of transactions processed in the office or by the team. Prior experience on another GCAAR committee is preferred, but not required.

Members must attend monthly meetings, which occur on the second Wednesday of each month. "Homework" between meetings includes extensive reading, proofing and/or editing forms. 

Contact staff liaison: Zac Trupp
Board liaison: Daniel Schuler
Chair: Susan Ader
Vice Chair: Marjorie Rosner

Grievance

The Grievance Committee is the Grand Jury for ethics complaints, arbitration requests, and SentriLock violations. The committee reviews filed documents and determines whether to forward cases to the Professional Standards Committee for hearings.

Membership

Members are appointed for three-year terms and should have a deep understanding of and commitment to the Code of Ethics (COE). Members attend 2-hour monthly meetings. "Homework" between meetings includes reading and analyzing cases filed and attending the professional standards training seminar in January.

2022 focus

  • Grow the number of trained ombuds people and increase the utilization of ombuds services to promote dispute resolution between parties
  • Promote member awareness/education regarding their ethical obligations and understanding of the grievance process (i.e., ethics, arbitration, SentriLock).
  • Increase training opportunities for the committee to further their COE education.

Contact staff liaison: Shiesha McNeil
Board liaison: Mark Butterfield
Chair: Andrew Hill (2021 - 2022)
Vice Chair: Bryan Waters (2019 - 2022)

Political and Campaign Affairs (Montgomery County)
The Political and Campaign Affairs Committee will be charged primarily with planning and executing fundraising efforts to collect investments in the REALTOR® party (REALTORS® Political Action Committee/RPAC) for Montgomery County. They will work to further empower GCAAR members to broadly disseminate messaging surrounding the importance of RPAC and ensure that all members of GCAAR know the value of investing in their industry.

The committee will also have a key role in the use of REALTOR® Party resources during upcoming election years in Montgomery County and will be preparing to secure increased RPAC investments for those election cycles.

Membership

Members must attend quarterly meetings and participate in and promote REALTOR® Party fundraising efforts with GCAAR members. Members may also be asked or invited to attend political events in the community.

2022 focus

Members will be focused on meeting our RPAC fundraising goals so we have the resources to be active participants in the various 2022 Montgomery County elections. Committee members will also review candidates for Montgomery County Council, County Executive, and other offices for possible endorsement and/or independent campaign efforts on behalf of GCAAR in the 2022 election cycle. 

Contact staff liaison:  Scott Reiter
Board liaison: Christopher Suranna
Chair: Christopher Suranna

Professional Standards

Professional Standards Committee members sit on hearing panels for cases involving Code of Ethics complaints, arbitration requests, and SentriLock violations.

Membership

Members must attend quarterly training meetings focusing on case studies and exercises from the NAR Code of Ethics and Arbitration Manual and serve on hearing panels, as necessary (up to three hearings per month). In order to serve on the Professional Standards Committee, a member must have served on the Grievance Committee for three (3) years. "Homework" for this committee includes analyzing assigned case files prior to each hearing as well as drafting hearing panel decisions.

2022 focus

  • Grow the number of trained chairpersons for ethics and arbitration hearings.
  • Promote REALTORS®' professionalism in the practice of real estate.
  • Increase the number of training opportunities for committee members.

Contact staff liaison: Shiesha McNeil
Board liaison: James T. Kim
Chair: Leslie Dembinski
Vice Chair: James Higgins

Property Management
The Property Management Committee is for members who want to make a positive impression on the rental property community.  This committee comprises local leaders who review and make amendments to applicable GCAAR/DCAR property forms.  A second core function is reviewing and making recommendations to the Public Policy Committee on housing provider-tenant legislation. Moreover, the committee creates new forms as needed (determined by market conditions and changing regulations and standards). 

The committee also helps set the standard for best practices and protocols in the property management space. The aim is to enhance members’ businesses with an emphasis on community stewardship.  

Membership

Members must attend monthly meetings. Members must be ready (or willing to learn) to actively contribute toward conversations surrounding forms and public policy affecting housing providers. Assignments between meetings may include reading, proofing and/or editing forms and legislation. 

2022 focus

The pandemic placed the rental housing community in the limelight. This past year, the Property Management Committee has taken a more active role in monitoring and reviewing legislation affecting housing providers, and we expect this to continue. As always, the committee will continue to focus on improving forms for members.  

Contact staff liaison: TBD
Board liaison: Marilyn Emery
Chair: Scott Sachs
Vice Chair: Risha Williams

Public Policy (Montgomery County)

GCAAR’s Public Policy Committee discusses the impact of proposed legislative and regulatory changes on real estate business and the housing market and decides whether to take a position on those proposals. The committee focuses its advocacy efforts on those issues of greatest and most direct impact to the REALTOR® community.  

Membership

Members must attend monthly meetings, participate in county or state task forces and attend hearings.

2022 focus

In 2022, the committee will likely review proposed zoning changes being considered by the Montgomery County Planning Board and County Council, intended to spur new ‘smart growth’ development.  

Contact staff liaison: Zac Trupp
Board liaison: Craig Rosenfeld
Chair: Barbara Nalls
Vice Chair: Villy Iranpur

Young Professionals Network (YPN)
YPN helps young or young-to-the-industry real estate professionals excel in their careers by giving them the tools and encouragement they need to become involved in four core areas:
  • REALTOR® association. Attend REALTOR® conferences and pursue leadership roles within their local, state and national associations. 

  • Real estate industry. Take an active role in policy discussions and advocacy issues; be informed about the latest industry news and trends. 

  • Peers. Network and learn from one another by attending events, participating in online communication, and seeking out mentoring opportunities.  

  • Community. Become exceptional members of their community by setting a high level of REALTOR® professionalism and volunteering for causes they feel passionate about. 

Membership

Members must attend quarterly in-person meetings, monthly call-in meetings, and GCAAR YPN-related events.

2022 focus

See what YPN is up to on their webpage.

Contact staff liaison: Kaya Roberts & Barbara Seldes
Board liaison: Molly Branson
Chair: Paul Basto
Vice Chair: Kameron Kang