Fair Housing Champion Award

Bobbi Howe is a 2nd generation real estate professional with over 24 years of experience as an active REALTOR®. She was the 2020 Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® President and currently serves as the Treasurer-Elect for Missouri REALTORS®. She has served on the National Association of REALTORS® Executive Committee, in addition to serving as the Chair of the National Strategic Thinking Advisory Committee and the Young Professionals Network. As a national speaker, she is most passionate when teaching about mental health for those in the real estate industry and fair housing for all.

Bobbi was profoundly affected after learning of practices such as redlining and restrictive covenants that had created racial dividing lines in Kansas City, and became dedicated to using her platform as a past president and national speaker to spread the word about systemic racism in real estate. Bobbi now uses her opportunities as an educator, speaker, and podcast host to advocate for changes that will support fair housing for all. In her business, Bobbi works to expand opportunities for Black real estate investors in the Kansas City area.

Though Rafael Perez became a REALTOR® in 2012, he has been a leader in the real estate industry since 2004, and has extensive experience as a mortgage banker, lender, and educator. Rafael is a past Government Affairs Chair for the Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS®, and served on the association’s Board of Directors, where he led the creation of a Companion Unit Handbook for the City of San Diego. Rafael serves on the Fair Housing Policy Committee for the National Association of REALTORS® and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals San Diego, where he is a past Chapter President. He continues his eight plus years of service as a Commissioner for the City of San Diego on the Citizens’ Equal Opportunity Commission, and is a board member with the Casita Coalition, a California nonprofit committed to small housing as a solution to the ongoing housing crisis. Rafael is also an adjunct faculty member in the Real Estate Department at Cuyamaca College, bringing his expertise in diverse real estate organizations and fair housing opportunities for low-income and minority buyers and sellers.

Rafael experienced housing discrimination firsthand when his parents were discouraged from looking at homes in certain neighborhoods, and today, he is passionate about helping families to create household wealth through homeownership. In his day-to-day business, he helps people in San Diego who have been displaced by development to move back into their old neighborhoods. Rafael also uses his experience as a loan officer to help his clients revitalize communities with innovative housing solutions.