In February, RISMedia named more than 300 real estate professionals as 2023 Real Estate Newsmakers. Each of these individuals—separated into six categories—was either nominated by you, the RISMedia reader or chosen by our editors.
RISMedia Newsmakers also made newsworthy contributions within their own communities or the industry as a whole and have dedicated their lives to improving the real estate process. Here, we highlight eight of the many honorees who were chosen as Newsmakers in the Trailblazers category:
Nicole Beauchamp, Global Real Estate Advisor & Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Engel & Völkers New York Real Estate, LLC
Nicole Beauchamp is the kind of person who thrives in the spotlight. An expert advisor with an unmatched command of the New York luxury real estate market, in 2022 she was elected co-chair of the executive committee overseeing the New York Residential Specialist designation. Overseeing this powerful peer network, Beauchamp solidified her influence and commitment to ethical behavior, professional excellence and advanced education, navigating an incredibly complex and unique region that demands brokers have an expert-level understanding of data and financial analysis as well as the international real estate industry.
Respected and trusted not only in the Big Apple but by clients and peers around the globe, Beauchamp’s star power is maybe starting to outshine the lights of one of the world’s brightest cities.
“It really is all about being a part of someone’s journey towards having a home, and their goals of real estate,” she says.
Dionna Hall, CEO, BeachesMLS and Broward, Palm Beaches and St. Lucie REALTORS®
As the CEO of BeachesMLS and the Broward, Palm Beaches and St. Lucie REALTORS® with 43,000 subscribers and 42,000 members respectively, Dionna Hall’s association is the third largest local REALTOR® association in the country.
Hall’s MLS and association credits her with numerous accomplishments including: facilitating their last two mergers, one of which was the largest association merger in the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) history; seamlessly rebuilding their MLS after their regional MLS dissolved; and implementation of a customer-service program that is recognized industry-wide. In 2022, BeachesMLS was among the first three MLSs to join the REdistribute venture as a partner investor. REdistribute will aggregate data on behalf of participating MLS organizations and brokerages, providing unbiased, up-to-date MLS data and analysis directly to financial institutions in the housing industry.
“BeachesMLS is excited to be the first partner to take an ownership position alongside Bright MLS and CRMLS,” said Hall in a statement. “We look forward to this groundbreaking benefit to help our brokers thrive.”
Christina Pappas, President, The Keyes Company
Christina Pappas, recently promoted to president of The Keyes Company, continues to empower agents by being a trailblazer in her own right. Since joining the company in 2011, she’s moved up the ranks and cemented her place in the South Florida real estate market.
In 2022, Pappas became the youngest president-elect of Florida REALTORS®—a success matched by her charitable spirit. To combat the housing affordability crisis, Pappas successfully lobbied on behalf of Florida REALTORS® for the allocation of $100 million for Hometown Heroes—a program that supports first responders, law enforcement, educators and healthcare workers in purchasing a home in the communities where they work.
“I’d like to prove that women, too, belong in these top leadership positions, and aim to give courage to other up-and-coming business leaders to also have a seat at the table,” Pappas says.
Sajag Patel, Chief Operating Officer, Keller Williams Realty International
Real estate is all about community—as much about your peers as it is about your clients and neighbors.
Sajag Patel did more than almost anyone in 2022 to help real estate agents build empowering and productive relationships with each other, driving a major expansion of Keller Williams’ community-based business alignment and formation efforts in support of recognized and emerging real estate market segments. With more than a decade of experience at KW, Patel understands how expertise and specialized knowledge can be shared to create tremendous success for everyone. From more traditional focuses like luxury to new frontiers like sports or style, Patel was the right person in 2022 to guide thousands of agents toward communities that fit their skills.
“Today’s highly competitive real estate market is becoming more segmented and competitive,” he says. “We’re building and revamping our KW business communities to allow our agents to best focus on business growth with a much larger sense of connection, empowerment and impact.”
Dr. Lisa Sturtevant, Chief Economist, Bright MLS
A real estate business is built on solid, long-term decision-making. And there is no way to effectively make those plans without the most accurate, contextual and up-to-date information—which is exactly what Dr. Lisa Sturtevant provides every day. As the first ever MLS-based economist, Sturtevant spent 2022 putting together a huge variety and volume of vital reports, analyses and hyper-relevant forecasts, creating a road-map for both real estate professionals and consumers to find success.
Perhaps the most groundbreaking task Sturtevant took on in 2022 was the “On MLS Study,” which sifted through 840,000 transactions in order to specifically quantify the enormous benefits of MLS usage in a home sale or purchase.
“Real estate agents will need to complement their local market expertise with thoughtful and forward-looking market insights,” Sturtevant says. “I enjoy playing a role in helping agents better understand market dynamics that not only help them succeed, but also allow others to achieve their dream of homeownership.”
Michael Swope, Chief Revenue Officer, HomeSmart
For Michael Swope, 2022 was a home run. And as a former professional baseball executive, he knows a lot about what it takes to build a championship company. Leading a major acquisition spread across three major cities and running corporate franchises in 17 states, Swope managed his teams to perfection, also developing a brand new onboarding and retention group and launching an education division. And in the spirit of having every aspect of the business working in tandem, he worked hard to integrate all of HomeSmart’s affiliated business to better serve the company’s clients. Although managing a professional sports team is certainly a unique challenge, Swope proved in 2022 that his brand of leadership, hard work and know-how are also perfect for fielding a successful real estate operation.
“Seeing my efforts come to fruition as the HomeSmart Family of Companies continues to grow is what’s most rewarding to me,” he says.
John Wenner, Real Estate Education Manager, Colibri Real Estate
Alongside “location, location, location,” maybe the second most important tenet of real estate should be “education, education, education.” John Wenner has beat that drum for two decades, clocking in 44,000 hours of real estate education for a global audience.
And as real estate professionals needed more than ever to hone their craft in a shifting market last year, Wenner was there and prepared, developing and implementing 10 core instructor development sessions, an instructor evaluation system and collaborating on an instructor development plan, ensuring that Colibri educators will be providing the highest level of service for years to come.
Wenner also received a plethora of awards and recognitions, nominated by his peers to join the Distinguished Real Estate Instructor (DREI) leadership council and selected to chair the DREI Leadership Summit.
“I truly believe teaching is an opportunity to pay forward all of the knowledge that I have acquired from other trailblazers in our profession,” Wenner says.
Jemila Winsey, CEO/CO-FOUNDER, ERA Legacy Living
“Started from the bottom” is a concept so overused that it has become almost meaningless, but that self-made woman moniker couldn’t be more true when applied to Jemila Winsey.
Her passion for real estate is drawn from her own experience of being homeless, and that passion now powers a shooting-star of a business that was recognized in 2022 as one of the fastest growing companies in the country. Winsey herself received awards and recognition from The Houston Business Journal, the Rising Stars Houston Black Real Estate Association, and many others as she led her company to a stellar year of growth—always keeping her roots and her agents top of mind.
“The most rewarding part of my career is seeing my agents win. I approach every situation as a coach/consultant, and my goal is always to get them to see things differently if possible,” Winsey says.
