Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
The 2024 Leadership Team of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) has been installed. Leading the team is C.A.R. President Melanie Barker, a licensed Yosemite REALTOR® for two decades. Serving with Barker are President-elect Heather Ozur, Treasurer Mark Peterson, and Chief Executive Officer John Sebree. The 2024 officers will begin their official term this week at the close of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (N.A.R.) Conference and Expo held in Anaheim, California.
Melanie Barke co-owns Summit Real Estate with her mother, Jan Ramos, in Oakhurst. She is a U.S. Navy veteran, having served as a quartermaster responsible for the ship's navigation duties. Barker has been a C.A.R. Director since 2007, participating in various committees at the state level, including Executive, Legislative, Federal, and Strategic Planning & Finance.
At the national level, Barker has been involved with the National Association of REALTORS®' Board of Directors since 2012 and held the position of Federal Finance Housing Policy Chair in 2021. She began volunteering in organized real estate as the Government Affairs Director of the Yosemite Gateway Association of REALTORS® from 2006-2008. Barker has been recognized for her contributions, being named REALTOR® of the Year in 2006 and 2019, and was inducted into N.A.R.'s RPAC Hall of Fame in 2021.
Outside of real estate, Barker is actively involved in the Mountain Area Youth Organization in Oakhurst, serving on its Board of Directors since 2011 and as its president from 2013 to 2015. She was honored as the 2020 Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year and served as the Chamber's president in 2018.
Heather Ozur, a Palm Springs REALTOR®, currently holds the position of C.A.R. President-elect. With over 20 years of experience as a REALTOR®, she specializes in residential properties with The RECollective in Palm Springs and San Diego communities.
Ozur has been an active and dedicated figure in the REALTOR® community. She was the president of the Women's Council of REALTORS® California in 2014 and has been a Director with the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® since 2008. She has also served on various committees, including Strategic Planning and Finance, Professional Standards, Transaction and Regulatory, Federal, Legislative, and Business Technology Forum, and held the position of Treasurer from 2022 to 2023.
On a national level, Ozur is a Director with the National Association of REALTORS®, involved in the Strategic Planning Committee, Finance Committee, and as an RPAC Major Investor representative. She is a graduate of the N.A.R. Leadership Academy and an RPAC Golden R Presidents Circle Hall of Fame. In 2019, Ozur served as the National President of the Women's Council of REALTORS®.
Locally, Ozur held the position of President of the California Desert Association of REALTORS® in 2010 and 2011 and served as Secretary of the Greater Palm Springs Association of REALTORS® from 2015 to 2018. In 2013, she was honored as the CDAR's REALTOR® of the Year.
Mark Peterson, a REALTOR® in Southern California, has taken on the 2024-2025 Treasurer role for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.). Alongside this responsibility, Peterson is also the broker & C.E.O. at RE/MAX Masters in La Verne, Calif. With 38 years of experience, he is deeply dedicated to providing exceptional service and guidance to his clients. Additionally, Peterson is actively involved in his local, state, and national associations of REALTORS®.
Within the local community, Peterson served as the president of the Citrus Valley Association of REALTORS® in 2004 and contributed to various committees, including Personnel, Budget & Finance, Local Government Affairs, and Board of Directors.
On a state level, Peterson has been a State Director for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® since 2001. He served in several C.A.R. committees, including Federal, Strategic Planning and Finance, Taxation and Government Finance, M.L.S. Policy, Real Estate Business Services, Public Policy, CREPAC Trustees, and Global Real Estate Forum, as well as the Investment Subcommittee. Additionally, he has taken on roles as an Assembly Key Contact and Federal Political Coordinator.
John Sebree became the chief executive officer of C.A.R. in February 2022. Before joining C.A.R., Sebree held the position of chief executive officer at Missouri REALTORS®.
Before his role in Missouri, Sebree spent 11 years as the senior vice president of Public Policy at Florida REALTORS®. Before that, he worked in N.A.R.'s Government Affairs division in Washington, DC, for 13 years.
Sebree also worked as a senior legislative representative, collaborating with the congressional delegations of eight states. Before his time at N.A.R., he worked for two years for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs.
