Featured Presenters
Holly Benson
Currently, Holly serves as Florida’s Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration. Part of Secretary Benson’s agenda includes working for better health care for Floridians, finding more affordable insurance for Floridians and reducing the regulatory burden placed on health care providers. Prior to this position, Holly served as Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. More about Secretary Benson.
Chuck Bonamer, CRB, GRI
Chuck Bonamer is president of TRANS-EQUITY, Inc., Realtors®. His brokerage firm renders litigation support and lecture services to the brokerage and law industries. He was awarded the Top Instructor Award for At Home With Diversity (AHWD) by the National Association of Realtors®. Chuck is past-president of the Florida Real Estate Educators Association and has chaired the Professional Standards Committee, Grievance Committee and the Professional Development Committee of the Venice Area Board of Realtors®. More about Chuck Bonamer.
Deborah Boza-Valledor, CIPS, CRB, CRS, GRI, TRC
Deborah is chief operating officer for the Realtor® Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches. Prior to her current position, she owned and managed her real estate brokerage company – specializing in international sales, leasing and marketing. Deborah teaches CIPS, CRS and GRI classes, as well as courses in international sales, Internet marketing and hands-on computer training for real estate professionals. More about Deborah Boza-Valledor.
Bob Caldwell, ABR, CRB, GRI
Bob has spent more than 30 years serving Realtor® associations, including president of the Seminole County Association of Realtors® and chairman of many Orlando Regional Realtor Association task forces. He was named 2008 Realtor of the Year by ORRA and has held director positions at both FAR and NAR. Bob currently serves as an NAR liaison for Habitat for Humanity and was instrumental in constructing a Habitat home during the NAR Realtor® Convention and Expo in Orlando last November. More about Bob Caldwell.
Jorge Cantero, CIPS, CRB, CRS, GRI
Jorge is a broker with EWM Inc. and has taught investment and international real estate courses worldwide. Among his specialties are international marketing, commercial and residential sales, and real estate exchanges. Jorge has received the Realtor® Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches Educational Award and Realtor® of the Year Award. He holds a Master’s of Science degree in International Real Estate from Florida International University and a Master’s degree in chemical engineering. More about Jorge Cantero.
Janet Choynowski
Janet is founder and CEO of Immobel.com. The company provides 13 language MLS and IDX services to more than 600,000 real estate professionals worldwide. Immobel translates property listings using a proprietary system combining technology and expert human translators. More about Janet Choynowski.
Steven David, CRB, CRS, GRI
Steven has been a practicing real estate businessman for 30-plus years and has been sharing his expertise and knowledge with Realtors® for almost as long. He’s broker/owner of Florida Professional Real Estate, Inc. and managing general partner of Florida Professional Property Management in Fort Lauderdale. He received an MBA from Barry University and has been a member of the Realtor® Institute faculty for 20 years. He has authored or co-authored numerous GRI and CE courses. More about Steven David.
Norka Diaz, CIPS, CRB, CRS, PMN
Norka is broker/owner of Norka Realty, Inc. and has worked in the South Florida market for more than 25 years. She serves on numerous local, state, national and international committees, including FAR’s Convention and International committees. More about Norka Diaz.
Kim Dickey
Kim has been a successful salesperson, manager, trainer and speaker for more than 25 years. Her seminars focus on helping Realtors® communicate and demonstrate their value in any market. It’s her goal to turn an average salesperson into a professional real estate consultant who gets results. More about Kim Dickey.
Richard Flint
Since 1980, Richard has been inspiring, motivating and challenging audiences with his research and insights into human behavior. Richard has written 13 books and is a nationally recognized speaker, author and lifestyle coach. It’s his goal to push people to new limits – to “stop repeating and start achieving.” More about Richard Flint.
Richard “Dick” Fryer
Earlier this year, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Dick to the Florida Real Estate Commission. During Dick’s career, he served as president of the Orlando Regional Realtor® Association, REBAC Advisory Board member, RealtyU National Advisory Council member, president of the Real Estate Educators Association (REEA), and director for the National Association of Realtors® and the Florida Association of Realtors. In 2002, he was named FAR’s Educator of the Year. Under his direction and ownership, IFREC Real Estate School was honored as the No. 1 school in the RealtyU National Network for 2008. More about Dick Fryer.
Keith Garner
Keith Garner is vice president of Information Technology Services at NAR. Prior to NAR, he was a consultant for Strategic Technology Resources in Chicago. He’s an avid blogger, who focuses on Internet technology solutions for real estate professionals. More about Keith Garner.
Richard Giumenta
Ric is broker/owner of EXIT Realty First Choice in Palm Coast and Florida First Choice Mortgage, Inc. He owns The Giumenta School of Real Estate and also writes and instructs many courses for the Florida Association of Realtors® CE Express and the Florida Realtor® Institute. More about Richard Giumenta.
Pat Heydlauff
Pat Heydlauff, president of Energy Design, is a Feng Shui expert, columnist, author, artist and inspirational speaker. She helps clients enrich their lives, homes or offices by creating environments with balance, harmony and a positive flow of energy. She teaches Realtors® how to make their clients’ homes more sellable and turn prospects into buyers. More about Pat Heydlauff.
G. William James
William is one of the nation’s leading trainers on Treo Smartphones and handhelds for real estate professionals. He has addressed numerous NAR conferences since 2004 as the keynote presenter on Treo Smartphones for real estate. More about G. William James.
Patti Ketcham, CRS, e-PRO, GRI
Patti is the 2009 District 8 vice president of the Florida Association of Realtors® and is active in residential and commercial real estate. Patti served as the 2008 president for the Tallahassee Board of Realtors® and has chaired or served on many of the organization’s committees, including Grievance, Standard Forms, MLS and Professional Development committees, along with the New Member Council. She also instructs Graduate Realtor® Institute (GRI) and continuing education courses. Additionally, she is a member of two Georgia real estate boards and the Georgia Association of Realtors®. More about Patti Ketcham.
Daniel Kijner, MBA, CLHMS, CRS, CIPS, GRI
Daniel, of Suncoast International Realty in Sarasota, brings 41 years of expertise to the international real estate profession. He is a licensed Florida Realtor and French broker. He currently serves on FAR’s Communications and International committees. More about Daniel Kijner.
Tim Kinzler, CIPS, CRS, e-Pro, GRI
Tim served with past-NAR/FAR President Cathy Whatley in creating Real Estate Industry Solutions, a for-profit company of the Florida Association of Realtors that empowers Realtors® with technology tools and services. He’s a member of Allen Hainge Cyberstars – an Elite Group of International Realtors® using technology in business. Tim also is a top producer with Coldwell Banker in Southeast Florida. More about Tim Kinzler.
Frank Kowalski, CRS, GRI
Frank is president of Metro-Dade Realty, Inc. and has actively sold real estate in Miami for more than 30 years. In addition to being a senior instructor for the Council of Residential Specialists, he also served as the president of FAR, president of the Realtor® Association of Miami and the Beaches and CRS president. More about Frank Kowalski.
Sara Lamia
Sara Lamia is president of Building Coach Inc. and holds a Masters degree in education. She is a national speaker and trainer on topics such as: “How to Sell and Support Clients through the New Construction Process” and “Functional Home Design.” She also wrote a column in “Green Builder Magazine” and is author of “Housebirth,” a workbook for consumers thinking about buying a new-construction home. More about Sara Lamia.
Bob Lowe, CIPS
Bob has owned Lowe Realty Corp. for 20 years. The Lowe Family of Companies buys hotel properties, casino properties, foreclosed properties and large tracts of land. He’s also a veteran volunteer with the Florida Association of Realtors® and has served as the vice chair of the International Operations Committee and is an active member of FAR’s Public Policy and Nominating committees. He and his son own Lowes International Realty Plus in Fort Pierce. More about Bob Lowe.
Nancy Macaluso, ABR, CIPS, CRS, GRI, PMN
Nancy Macaluso has been a Realtor® for more than two decades and has consistently been named a Multi-Million Dollar Producer. Her business profile includes residential and international sales. Nancy has held many real estate association offices over the years, including Florida’s president of the Women’s Council of Realtors®, president for the Florida CRS Chapter, Florida Association of Realtors® International Operations chairman, and a director for the Florida Association of Realtors®. More about Nancy Macaluso.
Tony Macaluso, ABR, CIPS, CRB, CRS, GRI
Tony’s company, Tony Macaluso’s Real Estate School, was established in 1981. He teaches classes nationally and globally in countries such as Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Korea and the Republic of Georgia. Tony has been a speaker for the National Association of Realtors® and National Women’s Council of Realtors®. He is a GRI instructor in Florida, Georgia, Washington, Oregon and Wisconsin and a CIPS instructor. With his extensive real estate knowledge, he is often called as an expert witness in court cases. More about Tony Macaluso.
Paul Marek
Paul owns Beacon Financial Group at Suntree in Melbourne and has been active in real estate mortgage financing for nearly four decades. Paul is a certified instructor with the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers (FAMB), and FAR. He is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Mortgage Banking.
Manuel “Manny” Mencia
Manny is senior vice president and chief operating officer of the International Trade and Business Development unit of Enterprise Florida, Inc. – a not-for-profit government business partnership established to guide the development of Florida’s economy. Additionally, he serves on the board of directors of the Florida Export Finance Corp., World Trade Center-Miami, Florida Trade Partners Alliance, Southeast U.S. - Japan and the Florida District Export Council. More about Manuel “Manny” Mencia.
John Mike, CIPS, CRS, GRI, TRC
John has an extensive background in facilitating international transactions. He has worked with customers from Europe, Australia, South America and the Middle East and led trade missions to the United Kingdom. John has held many Realtor® association positions, such as liaison/ambassador to the NAR president to the United Kingdom and FAR’s chairman of the International Operations Committee. More about John Mike.
Steve Moriera, CIPS, CCIM
Steve is president of Magic Financial Services and Magic Properties & Investments. As an industry advocate, he has held many positions including Florida CCIM Chapter president in 2003, CCIM Institute regional vice president and director in 2004, FAR Commercial Alliance chairman in 2005 and Orlando Regional Realtor® Association president in 2008. More about Steve Moriera.
Mark Porter, CRS, e-Pro, GRI, ITI
Mark currently sells real estate for a leading Dallas-area broker while also operating MarkPorter.net, a national real estate training and consulting firm. Throughout his career, he has earned top honors in the Multi-Million Dollar Club. Mark conducts real estate training and technology seminars and is a senior instructor with the Council of Residential Specialists and Graduate Realtor® Institute. More about Mark Porter.
Bernice Ross, Ph.D, CEO
Bernice owns RealEstateCoach.com and ConferenceCallTraining.com. She’s also an author, trainer, coach, columnist and speaker. With more than 30 years of real estate sales experience, she currently heads up the company’s coaching team while also serving as a coach and a consultant to top firms in the real estate industry. Past consulting clients include Coldwell Banker, EXIT, GMAC, Keller Williams, Prudential, Realty Executives, RE/MAX and HomeGain. More about Bernice Ross.
Randy Schwartz, Esq.
Randy joined the Florida Association of Realtors® in 1987 and currently is FAR’s vice president of the Law and Policy department and FAR general counsel. In addition to his duties, he is a member of the Executive Council of the Florida Bar’s Real Property Section. Prior to working for the association, Randy served as legal advisor to the Florida Real Estate Commission and Bureau Chief of the Real Estate Section of the Attorney General’s Office.
Christel Silver, CIPS
Christel currently resides in Delray Beach and specializes in luxury home sales with ocean or golf course access. Christel has worked with clients worldwide. Prior to her real estate career in the U.S., Christel worked for 17 years in Germany’s court system. More about Christel Silver.
Grant Simon, GRI
Grant is a three-time recipient of the Orlando Regional Realtor® Association’s (ORRA) Educator of the Year. He is president of First Florida Home Loans and past president of the Central Florida Mortgage Bankers Association. He was awarded the 2002 Retail Originator of the Year award by the Mortgage Bankers Association of Central Florida, and for the past decade has taught GRI courses. More about Grant Simon.
Dan Thurmon
Dan’s take on life is simple: Success in life is not determined by your circumstances, but by your actions. It’s not what you know but what you do with what you know that has transformative power. When he’s not delivering his motivational programs, he spends lots of time with his family at their Atlanta home or at Motivation Point, their vacation property in Franklin, N.C. He currently plays drums for the contemporary praise band, The Forgiven, at Tucker United Methodist Church. More about Dan Thurmon.
Darity Wesley, Esq.
Darity is a 20-year veteran of the public record and real estate information industry. She is an attorney, California real estate broker, nationally known speaker and founder of Privacy Solutions, Inc. Her company creates privacy information security and data, and technology-licensing options for industries, particularly focused on the public record and real estate industries. Darity’s specialty is to guide information companies, multiple listing services, public record retrievers, trade associations, real estate brokerages and lenders through the maze of today’s privacy and information security issues. More about Darity Wesley.
Chip White
Chip White joined Florida Housing Financial Corp. in January 2007 and is currently the Single Family Programs administrator. Prior to joining Florida Housing’s affordable housing team, Chip was a Realtor® in Tallahassee. Collectively he has worked in the lending and financial services industry in Florida for nearly 30 years. More about Chip White.
Andrew Wooten
Andrew Wooten is president of Safety Awareness Firearms Education (S.A.F.E.). He has conducted more than 6,000 safety-training programs internationally since 1984, and he’s an expert in the fields of safety and security, and crime and loss prevention. He has developed cost effective security programs for numerous small, medium, and large commercial properties, and for many corporations. More about Andrew Wooten.