As I begin my term as President of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, I do so with tremendous gratitude, optimism and an unwavering belief in what this organization can become.
First, I want to thank our past presidents, Tommie Wehrle and Justin Ziegler, for their leadership, friendship and support over this past year. Leadership is rarely easy, particularly during times of transition and change. I am grateful for their service to the Alliance and for their support as I step into this role.
Six years ago, the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance was a brand-new organization with a bold vision and enormous ambition. We grew rapidly, at times burning white hot, as members, chapters and leaders across the country rallied around our mission.
In many ways, our journey has mirrored growing up.
We began as an infant, became a toddler, then a pre-teen and an adolescent. Along the way, we experienced growing pains. We made mistakes. We learned some difficult lessons. And now, I believe the Alliance is entering young adulthood.
There have been challenges, and there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead. Mistakes were made, and mistakes will be made again. My hope is that experience and maturity will make them fewer and farther between and that when they happen, we learn from them, correct them and continue moving forward together.
This is a new Alliance. In many respects, it is a rebirth.
And I could not be more excited about what comes next.
Today, the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance stands as the preeminent LGBTQ+ trade association serving the real estate industry. We have built a national network of professionals, chapters, leaders, partners and allies who share a commitment to equality, fair housing, LGBTQ+ homeownership and professional excellence.
But titles, organizational charts and national programs are not what make the Alliance.
You do.
That is why my theme for 2027 is simple:
WE Are the Alliance.
The Alliance isn't the President. It isn't the Board of Directors. It isn't our staff or any individual chapter.
The Alliance is its membership.
It is the member attending their first chapter event. The volunteer who raises their hand to help. The chapter leader building community in their local market. The member making a referral to another Alliance member across the country. It is our partners and allies standing beside us. It is those who helped build this organization six years ago and those who will join us tomorrow.
Our future success requires getting back to what made the Alliance special in the first place: our members and our relationships with one another.
We have an extraordinary opportunity before us, not simply to rebuild, but to build something even stronger, more sustainable and more connected than before.
There is much work ahead, but there is even more opportunity.
And we will achieve it the same way we have achieved everything since our beginning:
Together.
Every member. Every chapter. Every voice.
WE Are the Alliance.
