Derek Barksdale was US Naval Officer and has three decades of experience in facilitating the success of others in the military, real estate, management, training and development that he brings into his classroom setting with an evident passion to "advance REALTOR® professionalism and knowledge.”

As a licensed real estate Broker and Realtor®, Derek Barksdale attained his Bachelor's Degree in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and served in multiple Training Director positions, overseeing training responsibilities for over 10,000 personnel! Derek is commonly known as not only "the expert," but "the expert who trains the experts!" 

As an active member of six different NAR affiliated real estate associations, Derek is frequently sought after for his sage advice throughout the nation. As an instructor, he teaches subjects areas such as Military Relocation Professional (MRP), Advanced Negotiations, New Home Construction (NHC), Small Claims in Real Estate, and more. 

As the Founder of Military Mutual®, he directs a nationwide brokerage with offices that span from Hawaii to Florida, and a network that reaches into nearly every city with a military installation. Derek states "my motivation for doing all that I possibly can in this industry is based on the sole purpose of giving back to those who serve and those who provide the knowledge for others to make informed real estate decisions!"

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Paul Benec - Paul has been a Realtor® for over 12 years and is presently a branch manager for Berkshire Hathaway Home services and currently leads and coaches over 125 agents in 5 locations in the prestigious communities of Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Carmel Valley and Olivenhain.  The winner of the first-ever Top Agent intensive luxury real estate competition, Paul Benec truly is one of the nation’s most talented real estate professionals. For over a decade, Paul focused his efforts on the representation of discerning buyers and premier properties along the coast in Orange County from Newport Beach to San Clemente.  
Having spent the first decade of his career working for a ... Fortune 500 company, Paul has vast experience in negotiation, training and development, customer service, lending and sales. Working in the state of California for a mortgage company, Paul assisted his clients in reaching their sales goals that exceeded $300 million annually. Paul has a passion for helping people and possesses strong business acumen. This is reflective of his education with a BS in psychology from John Carroll University and a MBA from Duquesne University

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Robert Bloom joined the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® in 2004 and is now Senior Counsel. At C.A.R, he divides his time between writing articles for the California Real Estate Magazine, writing and editing the Legal Q&A’s, delivering presentations and teaching continuing education courses. Additionally, Robert advises REALTORS® through the “Hotline” on all aspects of real estate law. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and a Juris Doctorate from The Law School at The University of Chicago. In a previous life he taught English as a Second Language in Japan and Korea where he lived for over four years. 

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Bette Curtis is an experienced REALTOR®/Broker for over 34 years, having represented hundreds of buyers and sellers and based her success on continuing education. Bette is the Broker/Owner of Curtis Real Estate Professionals located in San Marcos, Ca.  
Bette has served on many CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’ committees, including Professional Standards, Risk Management, MLS, Chair of the Education Advisory Committee, CAR Certified RPA Trainer, CAR Certified Professional Standards Trainer and a Trained Mediator from Pepperdine School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolutions. 

Presently, her time is split between managing her office and as an Instructor of Ethics, a DRE Required course, contract and risk management courses for the California and local Associations of REALTORS. Over the years, Bette has also served on various Professional Standard Committees, including as an Instructor, Mediator, Arbitrator and Expert Witness in real estate litigation.  Bette’s hope is for our members to increase their knowledge of our Code of Ethics and bring awareness to the public of our high standards. Bette feels strongly that both Education and Professional Standards are the key to Professionalism in Real Estate

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Curtis "The Boss" Doss is the CEO and broker owner of Canear Real Estate. He is also a former Marine. As a Marine, he learned leadership skills that he later used as a civilian to catapult his real estate career to success. He is a Graduate of the REALTOR® Institute (GRI), proving that he is not only willing to go the extra mile in his continuing education requirement mandated by the California Bureau of Real Estate (CalBRE), but also demonstrating that he is dedicated to staying on top of the current changes and trends in the real estate industry. He is also a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE®) and Shortsale Foreclosure Resource (SFR®). In addition to his duties as a REALTOR®, Curtis is also Director at the Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS®, Grievance Committee Chair at the Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS®, the 2013 President for the Women's Council of REALTORS® Southwest Riverside Chapter, and a CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) state director.

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Renier Dresser is first and foremost an active REALTOR® engaging in sales transactions in the Central Coast region of California from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo and into Monterey Counties.

From the ripe young age of 15 he was groomed for the real estate business and as a second generation REALTOR® has participated in over 60 million dollars in sales transactions. At 31 years old his experience in the industry is unique and incredibly thorough. In addition to his sales experience Renier has served as an associate director and Secretary Treasurer for multiple boards of REALTORS®, is a technology instructor for CAR (CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®), and a private consultant for Real Estate professionals and numerous other companies such as Sothebys International, Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Berkshire Hathway HS, & Keller Williams. 

His unique approach has allowed him to assist thousands of agents learn how better to utilize and leverage today's technologies to create sustainable and profitable sales businesses throughout California.

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Genia Engelstad is Co-Owner and Vice President of Elite Escrow Services of San Diego.  She supervises the company’s daily business, and she oversees the management of the three branch offices Elite has in San Diego County. Her duties include working with clients, supervising personnel, business development and directing the practice of good, sound escrow procedures. And of course, Genia is an Escrow Officer.

Genia has worked in the escrow profession since 1979 and has performed every duty of the escrow business from receptionist to escrow officer.  Just being in the escrow business is an ongoing education! But nevertheless, Genia has completed many real estate courses, escrow classes and continues her education through the Escrow Institute of California and the California Escrow Association. As a past president of the Escrow Institute of California and a current board member, Genia keeps up with the latest trends and legislation affecting the Real Estate Industry. Genia currently serves on the Board of the San Diego County Escrow Association, the California Escrow Association and is the past AEA Director to the American Escrow Association representing California on a National level.  She currently teaches a class for the California Association of Realtors, Transaction Talk and is active in many community organizations.

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John D. "Skip" Frenzel, GRI, CRS, SRES® is the 2013 recipient of Society of Certified Senior Advisor® Service to Seniors Award in Community Citizen category and also received the 2013 Senior Real Estate Specialist® Outstanding Service Award.  Since Skip's main focus is the Senior Market, the SRES® course is the only course he teaches and he approaches the training from the standpoint of working with our aging population.  He is uniquely qualified to teach the class since he is a REALTOR® and a Certified Senior Advisor® and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).  He "super-sizes" his class by drawing from his experiences in dealing with Seniors and his many related activities.  In addition to the normal course material, he teaches Age Friendly Cities, health care reform, how the economy affects Seniors, new regulations, trends, housing, programs, plans, restrictions, retirement, multigenerational housing, and more.  This class teaches how to deal with problems in the real world.  Skip became a REALTOR® in 1976, broker in 1979, and is a member of the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS®.  He also belongs to and is active in several financial planning and long term care associations, organizations, advocacy and volunteer groups, and guilds. He has been licensed to sell securities with the Series 7 & 63 licenses, and is licensed to sell Long Term Care Insurance as well as the CA Partnership for Long Term Care Insurance.

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Valerie Garcia:  Valerie is truly passionate about helping others embrace change. As an international Real Estate speaker and consultant, she is known for delivering encouragement and truth with her signature straightforward style and sense of humor. By focusing on the importance of overcoming fear, adapting to new ideas, and putting the customer first, Valerie’s sessions speak to the very heart of our industry. 

Valerie has had the privilege of working with Real Estate brands such as RE/MAX, Century 21, Royal LePage, and others in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, and has spent over 18 years educating and teaching Real Estate professionals.  Valerie now runs her own speaking & consulting firm, working with companies across North America to organize events, provide education, and improve their marketing. 

Named as both an Inman Top 100 Influencer, as well as a Top 20 Social Influencer on the Swanepoel Power 200, Valerie is considered to be a key voice in the Real Estate industry.  

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Jana Gardner is Senior Counsel with the California Association of REALTORS®.  Since joining C.A.R. in 2014, she has primarily focused on advising members through the Legal Hotline as well as presenting legal update outreaches and teaching classes on disclosures and the RPA. Additionally, Jana prepares legal resources such as the Legal Q&As and Quick Guides, and also co-hosts C.A.R.'s Legal Matters Podcast.

Prior to joining C.A.R she practiced commercial real estate law focusing on the acquisition, financing, and leasing of commercial properties. Jana received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from San Diego State University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California.

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Annette V. Graw M.A., GRI, CRS, ABR, SRES®, is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and founder of South Bay Brokers, Inc.  Her office is in Manhattan Beach, California, specializing in residential real estate.  She has been an active Realtor since 1974, and has management experience dating to 1979.

Graw has received the California Association of Realtors Distinguished Realtor Award (2003), Honorary Director for Life for the California Association of Realtors (1990), and was named Realtor of the Year in 1981 for the South Bay Board of Realtors.   She maintains a very active involvement in the real estate industry through her service to clients, her local Board (as President in 1980 and 1981), and the California Association of Realtors (as a Regional Vice President in 1987).   In 1984, she served as the President of the Los Angeles County Boards of Real Estate (LACBOR), which served the 39 Boards of Real Estate in Los Angeles County.  Graw has served C.A.R. as a Director since 1976; as a member of the Executive Committee twice; as Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee, the Local Government Relations Committee, and the CREPAC Trustees; two terms as Vice-Chairman of the Long-Range Planning Committee; and has also served on the state Housing Policy Task Force and numerous other committee and special task forces.  She also served for four years as a Director for the National Association of Realtors.  Graw served for five years as a Trustee of the Legal Action Committee for CAR, as Vice Chairman in 2000, and Chairman in 2001.  She served as the Vice Chairman for the Legal Affairs Forum, and in 2005 was a committee Liaison for the Executive Committee. In 2008, she served as the Chair of the Strategic Defense Advisory Committee and the Chaired the Public Policy Task Force for C.A.R. in 2009. She recently served as the Vice Chairman of the Affordable Workforce Housing Task Force for CAR; as Vice Chair of Legal Affairs Forum, and as a member of the Board of Directors for zipLogix.

She has held numerous teaching assignments as a member of the CAR faculty, and is rated as a Master Instructor, having been approved by the California Bureau of Real Estate (CalBRE) to teach continuing education course work.  She was appointed by Jim Antt, Jr., Commissioner of Real Estate, to the California Community Colleges Real Estate Education Advancement Endowment Fund Advisory Committee in 1996 and served until 2003. Graw has earned the certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation from the Realtors National Marketing Institute, a graduate of The Realtors Institute (GRI) in 1977, Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), and is an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR). 

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Gov Hutchinson is Assistant General Counsel of the California Association of REALTORS®.  Gov has been with C.A.R. since 1985 and manages C.A.R.'s Member Legal Services Program in Los Angeles. Gov advises REALTORS® through the "Hotline" on all aspects of real estate law and he trains and supervises other "Hotline" attorneys.  Gov received his Bachelor's Degree in History from Princeton University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.

He has written for CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE magazine, co-authored C.A.R. continuing education courses and is a master instructor for the Education Division of C.A.R. with certification from the California Bureau of Real Estate (CalBRE). He also regularly speaks to Associations/Boards of REALTORS®, affiliated trade associations, city and county bar associations and major real estate firms.

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Neil D. Kalin  joined the California Association of REALTORS® in 1987 and is now Assistant General Counsel.  He is the senior legal advisor to C.A.R.'s Standard Forms Committee, provides advice to C.A.R. members on the Legal Hotline, and writes many of C.A.R.'s Appellate Court Briefs.  Neil is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and has served as a Judge Pro Tem and a volunteer mediator and arbitrator for the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Neil has earned his CIPS designation (Certified International Property Specialist) from N.A.R. in 2001.  In 1982, Neil received his Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the University of Illinois.  Also in 1982, he received his Certificate of Public Accountancy (CPA).  Neil was graduated from UCLA School of Law in 1985. 

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George Lawrence has over four decades of professional real estate, finance and sales management experience which he brings to his classroom in helping to advance today's REALTORs®' professionalism and knowledge. He began his career as a territory sales manager for national franchise retailer, Western Auto Supply Company of Kansas City. His skills acquired in the evaluation of prospective franchisees, market sites and communities led him to a full-time real estate career in 1979. Over the years he has represented buyers and sellers in the purchase and sale of residential, commercial, apartment and agricultural properties. He has owned and operated a property management services company and has structured and sold investment property syndication private placement offerings. George entered the lending industry in 1996 and is experienced in both residential and commercial loan origination. He presently owns and operates a commercial real estate mortgage company with a specialty in SBA business and real estate financing.

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Rana Linka has been licensed in California for 37 years, a Salesperson since 1976, and a Broker since 1982.  She owned Century 21 Rana Linka & Co. for 13 years and has managed since then for Fred Sands, Coldwell Banker, and ReMax OTB and currently for Century 21 Hilltop as both Director of Career Development and Director of Compliance.  She has taught Ethics for the Simi Moorpark Association of Realtors and has been a Master Instructor for Southland Regional Association of Realtors for 25 years. She is currently a Director at SRAR. She is under contract with the California Association of Realtors as an Instructor, as well as being a Director.

She has been a CAR Director for 15 years, serving on the Standard Forms Advisory Committee for 3 years, which creates Contracts for Real Estate Practitioners in California. She has served 12 years on Common Interest Development Committee and was Chair of that Committee in 2010, providing information, training and legislation for the 46,000 HOAS in California. She was Vice Chair of Education at C.A.R.and was just chosen to be Chair of Education Advisory for 2013.

As a Fund Raiser, Rana has been President of a City of Hope Chapter, raising money for 10 years. She was Easter Seal Chairman for Century 21 Region #4 for 3 years. She was Projects and Events Chair for Simi Valley Moorpark Association of Realtors, raising money for Care and Share (Simi and Moorpark Food Pantries). She has been Chair of Food Drive at Southland Regional Association of Realtors. She has been Publicity Chair, Sponsor Chair and Survivor Chair for Relay for Life/American Cancer Society, now a Consultant for Simi Relay, serving 13 years at Relay.

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Rod McIntyre, Ph.D. is currently the Vice-President of Program Development with the Kansas Association of REALTORS®. He has served as a member of NAR’s Professional Development Committee and as the Chairperson for the State Education Directors Committee.

Rod has been selected as a speaker for the Annual NAR Conference and has also facilitated strategic planning sessions and presented seminars for several state REALTOR® Conventions and leadership academies. He wrote the curriculum and is the instructor for the Kansas Association of REALTORS® Right Track Leadership Academy.

Rod is a Kolbe Certified Consultant with expertise in analyzing the instincts that determine each person's best way to maximize productivity, and he is a partner in FULL VOICE, LLC, a Kansas City-based company specializing in leadership strategies, communication, and relationship-building skills for business professionals.

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Wendi Molina, Independent Transaction Coordinator. Wendi Molina has been in the Real Estate Industry for over 25 years.   Wendi started out working in the Mortgage Industry and for the past and for the past 17 years had been a Transaction Coordinator.  Wendi has been an In-house Coordinator as well as an Independent Transaction Coordinator.   She also assisted in the development of the RealtyAssist Transaction Management Program that was bought by Stewart Title Company (now called Sureclose).  Wendi has been teaching and training Transaction Coordinators for the past 10 years.  In 2006 she sold her Fundamentals of Transaction Coordination class to the California Association of REALTORS® for whom she now teaches the class.  Wendi has helped develop other classes for CAR and advocates Education for all Agents, Assistants, and Transaction Coordinators.  She has resided in San Diego for the past 25 years.       

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Sandee Schumann has been a licensed California REALTOR® since 1987 and has innate leadership ability as an agent and trainer.  She has proven track record as a top performer receiving admittance into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame. In 2000, Re/MAX CA-HI offered her the opportunity to design and create programs to increase real estate agent's performance. As

Co-Founder, Peak Performance Quest was formed to build curriculum-based programs. "SuccessTrax", a performance-based training program, successfully trained over 2500 agents. She has coached over 1200 agents and broker/owners personally over a seven-year period. In addition, she has conducted training programs to RE/MAX broker/owners and agents including buyer representation and Quality Service Certification (QSC) programs.

Sandee is skilled at motivation coaching and training and has the ability to inspire people through inner personal skills and works especially well with top producers and high achievers at management levels. Her client-based philosophy has brought her a reputation as someone who helps her clients identify their needs focusing them on making their dreams come true. She believes that a long-term client relationship is one of the keys to her continued success in the industry.  

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John Shipman is CEO of Energy Efficiency Management, Inc., a full service green and energy efficiency consulting and green energy efficiency solutions corporation.  He is a REALTOR®, CAR instructor for the NAR Green designation and Instructor and Program Coordinator for California State University, Long Beach Continuing Education's Green Building Certificate Program.  In addition to his teaching and corporate activities and many green and energy efficient certifications, he is a certified green building home performance contractor with Energy Star, and a certified HERS rater for home energy audits and analysis, specializing in energy efficient mortgages (EEM's).

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Carl Spiteri strongly believes that financial literacy paves the way to financial success and wants to help students along that road.  He has been answering questions about commercial and residential lending, credit scoring, budgeting and all things money since 1991.  He has faced the same issues, the same goals and the same dreams and has used these experiences to analyze families’ financial situations in order to give them the best possible guidance.

He is a mortgage lender and an adjunct professor at Woodbury University, teaching architects about project finance.  He also teaches the course “Basics of Lending” for the California Dept. of Real Estate and has since broadened his own education and experience in credit and debt management so that he could show his students all of the financial options available to them.  His passion for financial literacy was an outlet in the non-profit partnership with Herocare, an organization committed to educating and supporting community heroes across the nation. 

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May Wan was born in China and lived in Hong Kong before immigrating to Canada where she graduated from the University of British Columbia.  Prior to being a real estate practitioner, May was a senior banking executive specializing in real estate lending.  May is a certified instructor of continuing education.  In addition to having taught her own courses titled: Selling Real Estate in a Multicultural World and FHA Essentials, May has taught numerous NAR courses such as At Home with Diversity, Expand your Market, Risk Reduction: International Business Affecting your Local Markets, and Employer Assisted Housing.  Since 2009, May has conducted CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist) courses in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and New York.  May is the Past President of the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce and a Founding Board Member of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), Greater Seattle Chapter.  A life-long community volunteer, May is the proud recipient of the 2007 Seattle King County Association of REALTORS® Affiliate Community Service Award and the 2010 Cultural Awareness Award.

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Suzanne Yost has been a REALTOR for 36 years, currently with Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Gatos, CA.  She is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Santa Clara University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in California.  In addition to being a real estate broker associate and an expert witness, Suzanne teaches contract and risk management courses for the California and local Associations of REALTORS and Graduate REALTORS Institute as master faculty, as well as being one of 15 facilitators of the NAR REALTOR Leadership Program.  Suzanne is a past President of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®, past Chair of the Bay Area REALTOR Leadership Academy, 2009 graduate of the NAR Leadership Academy, has served in various leadership positions for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Capitola Aptos.