ORLANDO (November 16, 2016) – Pat G. Kaplan, a Realtor® from Portland, Oregon has received the National Association of Realtors® 2016 Distinguished Service Award. The honor is presented yearly to no more than two of NAR’s more than 1.2 million members. Winners were recognized at the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida.
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NAR established the DSA in 1979 to honor Realtors® who have made outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and who serve as leaders in their local communities. The award is considered the highest honor an NAR member can receive; recipients must be active at the local, state and national association levels but must not have served as NAR president. NAR President Tom Salomone presented the award to Kaplan.
“Pat Kaplan has been a leader in the Realtor® community for decades. On the local, state and national level, Pat’s commitment and professionalism make her an obvious selection for the Distinguished Service Award,” said Salomone, broker-owner of Real Estate II Inc. in Coral Springs, Florida. “On behalf of the entire Realtor® family, I thank Pat for her inspiring dedication.”
Kaplan, a Realtor® for 36 years, is broker-owner of Kaplan Real Estate Group, specializing in residential real estate and consulting. She holds the professional designations of Graduate, Realtor® Institute; GREEN; Certified International Property Specialist; Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager; as well as the e-PRO and At Home with Diversity certifications.
“I am very honored and thankful to NAR for being named a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. I am proud of be a part of an organization that honors members for giving back to their communities and protecting the rights and privileges of real property ownership,” said Kaplan.
An active NAR member, Kaplan has held many leadership positions throughout the Realtor®organization during her nearly four-decade tenure, including serving as the NAR treasurer from 2001 to 2003, a president’s liaison in 2000, vice president of committees in 2004, and regional vice president for Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington in 1999. She has served on NAR’s Board of Directors since 1993, and currently serves on an advisory group for the Realtors® Federal Credit Union (a division of Northwest Federal Credit Union since 2012), on the Second Century Initiatives board since 2010 and the Sentrilock LLC Board of Directors since 2014.
Kaplan chaired the Finance Committee and Smart Growth Program Advisory Group, as well as held leadership roles on a variety of committees, including Strategic Planning, Risk Management, State and Municipal Legislation, Communications and Political Affairs. She chaired presidential advisory groups on NAR Governance in 1997 and Global in 2014. Kaplan served as the first president of the Realtors® Relief Foundation from 2001 to 2006 and continued on its board until 2008. She is a member of the Realtors® Political Action Committee Hall of Fame, President’s Circle and a Golden R.
At the state level, Kaplan was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Oregon Association of Realtors® in 2012. She was president of OAR in 1996 and the first ever to be honored as Realtor® of the Year while serving as president. Known for her political activism, Kaplan chaired OAR’s Legislative Committee for four years, and chaired the Budget and Finance, Strategic Planning and Executive Committees. Kaplan was the first recipient of OAR’s Realtors® Active in Politics award. She continues to serve on the OAR Board of Directors.
At the local level, Kaplan served as the Washington County Association of Realtors®president in 1991, was named Realtor of the Year in 1993, and served on its board for more than 10 years, including chairing the Budget and Finance, Strategic Planning, Nominating, Realtor® of the Year and RPAC committees. She was given the Distinguished Service Award in 1994. Today, Kaplan continues service on several key Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors® committees, as well as serving as a mediator for Professional Standards. Kaplan has served as director of the Realtor® Multiple Listing Service since 2013.
Active in her community, Kaplan was involved in the Oregon Fair Housing Planning Conference from 1992 to 1994 and served on two state advisory committees: History of Housing Discrimination in Oregon and Oregon Comprehensive Housing Affordability Study Group. Kaplan has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club, Catlin Gable School, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Community College Foundation, Campfire Girls, World Affairs Council, and also served on the board of the Oregon Junior Miss Scholarship Program. She is currently on the board of the International Real Property Foundation and is a partner in the Social Venture Partners of Portland philanthropy.
Kaplan and her husband, Joel, reside in Portland. They have two children.
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