CONSUMER MEDIATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- President - Elect
- Director With the National Association of REALTORS
Palm Springs REALTOR® Heather Ozur serves as C.A.R. President-elect. Ozur has been a REALTOR® with over two decades of experience, specializing in residential property with The RECollective in Palm Springs and San Diego communities.
Ozur has been a dedicated and active voice in the REALTOR® community. She has served as the 2014 President of the Women's Council of REALTORS® California. With the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, she has served as a Director since 2008, serving on various committees, including Strategic Planning and Finance, Professional Standards, Transaction, and Regulatory, Federal, Legislative, and Business Technology Forum. She previously served as 2022-2023 Treasurer.
At the national level, Ozur is a Director with the National Association of REALTORS®. She has served as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, a member of the Finance Committee, and an RPAC Major Investor representative. She is a graduate of the NAR Leadership Academy and an RPAC Golden R Presidents Circle Hall of Fame. In 2019, Ozur was the National President of the Women's Council of REALTORS®.
At the local level, Ozur served as the 2010 and 2011 President of the California Desert Association of REALTORS® and as Secretary of the Greater Palm Springs Association of REALTORS® from 2015-2018. In 2013, she was honored as the CDAR's REALTOR® of the Year.
Job Titles:
- CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® As Chief Executive Officer and State Secretary
- Chief Executive Officer, State Secretary
John Sebree joined the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® as chief executive officer and state secretary in early 2022, overseeing the association's objectives, business development, strategic planning, legislative policies and creating products so that real estate professionals can remain at the center of the real estate transaction and succeed in today's rapidly changing real estate market.
Sebree previously served as chief executive officer of Missouri REALTORS® for more than seven years. Prior to his move to Missouri, Sebree served as Senior Vice President of Public Policy for Florida REALTORS® for 11 years. Prior to that, he worked in the Government Affairs division of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) in Washington, DC for 13 years. Sebree was a Senior Legislative Representative working with the congressional delegations of eight states. Prior to NAR, Sebree worked for two years for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs.
A native of Kentucky, Sebree received a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Northern Kentucky University, where he was Student Body President. He earned an MBA from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- State Director for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION of REALTORS
Southern California REALTOR® Mark Peterson serves as 2024-2025 CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) Treasurer.
Peterson, also Broker & CEO at RE/MAX Masters in La Verne, Calif., has deep passion for his work in providing exceptional service and guidance to his clients for the past 38 years. In addition to serving his clients, Peterson also is active with his local, state, and national associations of REALTORS®.
At the local level, Peterson was 2004 president of the Citrus Valley Association of REALTORS®, where he served on various committees, including Personnel, Budget & Finance, Local Government Affairs, and Board of Directors.
At the state level, Peterson has served as a State Director for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® since 2001. He has served on such C.A.R. committees as Federal, Strategic Planning and Finance, Taxation & Government Finance, MLS Policy, Real Estate Business Services, Public Policy, CREPAC Trustees, and Global Real Estate Forum, as well as the Investment Subcommittee. He also was an Assembly Key Contact and Federal Political Coordinator.
Peterson also has served on numerous committees at the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), including NAR Board of Directors, NAR Director Forum, Federal Taxation, Multiple Listing Issues & Policy, and Conventional Financing & Policy.
Peterson received a Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation in 2004 and a Graduate REALTORS® Institute (GRI) designation in 1998. He has been a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) since 1996.
A Southern California native born in the San Gabriel Valley, Peterson also advocates for building strong communities. He actively engages with local organizations and stays involved in neighborhood development initiatives, aiming to contribute positively to the places we call home.
Yosemite REALTOR® Melanie Barker is 2024 CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) President. A licensed REALTOR® since 2004, Barker, along with her mother, Jan Ramos, is co-owner of Summit Real Estate, a sales and property management company in Oakhurst, Calif. As a U.S. Navy veteran where she served as a quartermaster handling the ship's navigation duties, service is something that comes naturally to Barker.
At the state level, Barker has been a C.A.R. Director since 2007, serving on numerous committees in various capacities including Executive, Legislative, Federal, and Strategic Planning & Finance committees. Most recently, she was Liaison, Public Policy. Barker served as president-elect in 2023.
At the national level, Barker has been active with the National Association of REALTORS®' Board of Directors since 2012. She served as its Federal Finance Housing Policy Chair in 2021.
Her service to organized real estate began almost immediately upon becoming a REALTOR® when Barker began volunteering as Government Affairs Director of the Yosemite Gateway Association of REALTORS® from 2006-2008. She then was 2008 and 2015 president of that local Association, which merged with the Fresno Association of REALTORS® in 2016. She served on the Board of Directors of the Fresno Association of REALTORS® from 2016-2019 and as its treasurer in 2020.
She is a member of NAR's Presidents Circle and in 2021, was inducted into NAR's RPAC Hall of Fame. She has served on the Women's Council of REALTORS®, California and was twice named REALTOR® of the Year in 2006 and 2019.
Her volunteer service extends beyond the real estate industry. Involved in her community, she is also passionate about serving the Mountain Area Youth Organization in Oakhurst, where she has been active on its Board of Directors since 2011 and served as its president from 2013-2015. She was 2020 Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year and the Chamber's 2018 president.