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Fair Housing Champion Award

The National Association of REALTORS® and realtor.com Fair Housing Champion Award honors REALTORS® who have gone above and beyond to advance fair housing and expand homeownership in underserved communities.

The award, which is sponsored by realtor.com, provides a $4,000 prize that winners can dedicate to a housing-related nonprofit organization of their choice.

The Fair Housing Champion Award was launched in 2022, and the first four winners were honored in an online ceremony on April 27.

Read the profiles of the winners below:

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2022 Fair Housing Champion Award Winners

Harrison Beacher headshot

Harrison Beacher

Managing Partner, Coalition Properties Group and
2022 President, Greater Capital Area Association
of REALTORS®

View Harrison's bio and video

A native Washingtonian and washed-up Division I college football player, Harrison Beacher is a Managing Partner of the Coalition Properties group, serving the DC metro area, and affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. Harrison was honored by the National Association of REALTORS® and included in REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 under 30 Class of 2016. Harrison currently serves as 2022 president for the Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS® (GCAAR), and also serves as an at-large director for the DC Association of REALTORS® (DCAR). Harrison is the 2022 Chair for the Broker Engagement Council and a National NAR Director. Harrison is also a national speaker and coach on the topics of young professional development, wealth building, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Giving back is at the core of Harrison’s business philosophy, and he strives every day to address the great disparity in wealth and opportunity in the DC area by helping others achieve homeownership. Many of his clients are first-time buyers, and Harrison helps them succeed by connecting them with down payment assistance and other resources. Harrison seeks to empower his clients and to directly invite more people to step up and become leaders.

Sabrina Brown headshot

Sabrina Brown, ABR, PMN, SRS

Broker-Owner, Brown & Brown Real Estate and
2022 President-Elect, Women’s Council of
REALTORS® California

View Sabrina's bio and video

Sabrina has been in Real Estate for over 15 years as a speaker, trainer, and the Broker-Owner of Brown and Brown Real Estate in Fresno, California. Sabrina is a Director at her local and state associations, the Madera Association of REALTORS and the California Association of REALTORS®. For the National Association of REALTORS®, Sabrina served on the 2021 Diversity Committee and now serves on the Broker Engagement Committee. Sabrina also currently serves as the 2022 National Liaison for Women’s Council of REALTORS® Central Region and the 2022 President-Elect of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® California. Sabrina has been a member of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers since 2016, and in 2019, she was a founding member of her local Realtist of Fresno County Chapter, where she serves as Treasurer.

Sabrina’s commitment to her community shines through in her service and advocacy for fair housing and housing opportunities for all. Sabrina regularly holds homebuyer workshops that connect first-time home buyers with programs to help them achieve homeownership and invest in real estate, with an emphasis on outreach to people of color. She also participates in initiatives with the city of Fresno to advocate for fair housing and housing affordability through legislative roundtables.

Bobbi Howe headshot

Bobbi Howe

REALTOR®, Keller Williams Kansas City North and
Treasurer-Elect, Missouri REALTORS®

View Bobbi's bio and video

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.

Rafael Perez headshot

Rafael Perez

REALTOR®, Adjunct Faculty at Cuyamaca College and
Commissioner, San Diego Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission

View Rafael's bio and video

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.

Being the Change Series

In 2021, as part of its ACT! Fair Housing Initiative, NAR began profiling REALTOR® fair housing leaders who are “being the change” in their businesses and communities. These video profiles continued into 2022 and with the partnership of realtor.com, became the Fair Housing Champion Award.

Being the Change in Tacoma

Video
July 26, 2021
Margeurite Martin uses her platform as a real estate blogger, podcaster, and referral agent to engage with issues of equity and fair housing.

Being the Change in Downtown Durham

Video
July 26, 2021
Courtney James of Urban Durham build her business and invests in the community of downtown Durham by working with first-time homebuyers of color.

Related Fair Housing Content

Fair Housing in your Neighborhood

Video
Learn about actions you can take to advance fair housing, and best practices for approaching local initiatives and spotlight resources.
April 26, 2022