May 24, 2005
Joel Singer
California Association of REALTORS
525 South Virgil Avenue
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Dear Joel:
I am writing to request that you submit the following recommendation to NAR from me for Deb Howard as Vice Chair for the NAR Resort Committee:
Deb Howard became a REALTOR® member of the South Tahoe Association of REALTORS® on February 9, 1982. In 1991 she started on the leadership path and volunteered to serve as Vice President. As President-Elect in 1992, she also chaired the MLS Committee. She ascended to the Presidency in 1993. After her term as President, she offered her knowledge, wisdom and experience in the capacity of a Director of the Board by agreeing to serve another three-year term. In 1994 she chaired both the Bylaws and Orientation Committees. In 1995 she was presented with the Community Service Award.
After six years in leadership roles in the Association, she expanded her involvement into the community and served on the Boards and as President for both the Lake Tahoe Visitor’s Authority and South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce. In 2002 she returned to the Association to serve on both the Nominating and Awards Committees. When our state Association President made housing affordability one of her initiatives in 2003, Deb stepped up to the plate and volunteered to form a committee and chair it. As she had remained involved in the Chamber of Commerce, and joined in the efforts of a fledgling non-profit called Tahoe Tomorrow tasked with stewardship of our community’s future, she was instrumental in merging the duplicative efforts of the three agencies into one Workforce Housing Committee. This is now her third year chairing this committee and she continues to press forward to make potential workforce housing projects a reality in our area.
Deb was also extremely engaged in our efforts to preserve a homeowner’s right to vacation rent their home when it was threatened in 2003. We were successful in preserving vacation rentals in our area, and for her efforts, Deb was awarded the prestigious REALTOR® of the Year Award.
Deb Howard is not one to rest on her laurels. For the past two years she has sat on a Community Planning Team and put in inordinate amounts of time and energy working with the group to formulate recommendations for improvements of the area to our local City Council.
As you can see, Deb has given years of selfless service to the Association. She is full of energy, dedicated and passionate about causes she believes in. She persists in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and doesn’t take no for an answer. She is well versed in the challenges and opportunities of a resort community, and is not afraid to break new ground. She is a force to be reckoned with, and is an asset to the profession. I feel that she is a prime candidate for the Vice Chair of the National Association of REALTORS® Resort Committee. Please feel free to contact me if I can provide any further information to assist in making a decision.
Sincerely,
Sharon Kerrigan
Executive Vice President
South Tahoe Association of Realtors
