RECO s 2015 Board of Directors JODY LAVOIE, CHAIR Jody Lavoie was elected Chair of RECO s Board of Directors in June 2015. He was first elected to RECO s Board in 2010 and was elected by the Board to serve as vice-chair in 2011. He has served as a member of RECO s audit and governance committees in addition to being chair of the finance committee. Mr. Lavoie has also served on the Registrar s education committee since 2011. Mr. Lavoie began his career as a real estate salesperson in 2005, becoming a Broker in 2008. He has extensive knowledge of construction and renovation practices and donates his time to Habitat for Humanity and Renovation Challenge projects. Mr. Lavoie is an active member of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, serving for three years on both the MLS and arbitration committees. He has been awarded various sales achievement and philanthropic awards throughout his career, including the Royal LePage Award of Excellence, the highest award in recognition of long-term achievement. Mr. Lavoie s father, David Lavoie began selling real estate in Ottawa in 1972, and the family has had a strong presence in the area for more than 40 years. BILL YETMAN, VICE-CHAIR Bill Yetman owns and operates his own consulting firm, Yetman Consulting/Able Management Solutions Inc., where he provides expertise in executive support, strategic planning, event management, partnership development and operational planning to Canada s not-for-profit sector. He has broad experience in many types and sizes of not-for-profit organizations, including health, regulatory agencies, foundations, and associations. Prior to opening his own business, Bill held senior management positions at the Retail Council of Canada. He has also been a senior political advisor to cabinet ministers in both the federal government and the provincial governments of Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador. Bill joined RECO s Board of Directors as a government appointee in January 2011. He has served on various committees, including the CEO selection, finance, governance and audit committees. He is Chair of the Community Care Access Centre Toronto Central and a trustee of the Boys and Girls Club of Canada Foundation.
MICHAEL APPLETON Michael Appleton has distinguished himself as the top real estate trainer across Canada with three major real estate corporations. His list of clientèle reads like a Who's Who of real estate, including: Royal LePage, Re/Max, HomeLife, Century 21, Coldwell Banker and the Toronto Real Estate Board. Michael has empowered thousands of realtors across the country for the last twenty years. The author of Dialogues To Success, he is the only person in the history of Canadian real estate to win the Real Estate Institute of Canada's Morguard Literary Award for four years (2000, 2001, 2004 & 2005). Michael is also a registered salesperson for Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. He has been on RECO s Board of Directors since 2012 and was chair of the premium stabilization committee during that time. In his spare time Michael enjoys creative writing, film studies and theatre. TIMOTHY BARBER Tim Barber joined the real estate industry in 2007 after a 10-year career as a professional air ambulance pilot. Originally from Montréal, Tim moved to Ontario with his family in 1977, and has called Kingston home ever since. Tim obtained his Broker s licence in 2009, and that same year, he was elected as a director for the Kingston and Area Real Estate Association. He served as president of the association in 2013. During his time in real estate, Tim has served on many local and provincial industry task forces and committees. He also currently sits as a director for The Kingston Youth Shelter, a 15-bed emergency shelter for homeless youth that provides them with both a stable environment, and the opportunities necessary to make positive lifestyle changes. Together with his business partner Jackie, Tim leads a very successful eight-member team at RE/MAX Finest Realty Inc., Brokerage, serving clients in Kingston and the surrounding area. Tim was pleased to be elected to the RECO Board of Directors in 2015, and looks forward to serving his fellow registrants in this capacity for the ensuing three years.
ASHWANI BHARDWAJ Ashwani Bhardwaj holds a Master's degree in English Literature and a law degree from India. In 1987, he started a professional real estate support services firm which focuses on providing services to the Real Estate Law firms in the field of title searching and closings in residential and commercial real estate. Ashwani has been on RECO s Board of Directors since August 2013 and has served on a variety of committees, including governance, insurance, and legislation and regulations. He is a member of the Hindu Cultural Society and was recently inducted as a member of the Scarborough Bluffs Rotary Club. Ashwani is also a member of the Community Advisory Board for the Rouge Valley Health System, serving the community at large. STEVE BOXMA Steve Boxma has been a member of the Ottawa Real Estate Board since 2004, and has been a registered broker since 2008. He is currently a broker for Royal LePage Team Realty Inc., Brokerage in Ottawa. He has been a member of RECO s Board of Directors since 2014, and he currently sits on the audit and insurance committees. Steve believes that having a strong sense of community makes for a better place to live. He is very active in his brokerage s charitable foundation and is involved with his branch s community relations committee.
MIKE CUSANO Mike Cusano is a 24-year REALTOR and is currently a registered Broker/Manager with RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc., Brokerage, in Hamilton, Ontario. Mike began his career with a large independent firm, where he earned many awards for sales achievements. During the past 22 years, he has been associated with the RE/MAX brand and became a Hall of Fame member in 2006. Mike has always had an active role in organized real estate and served on many committees, task forces and boards. In 2007, he was elected president of the REALTORS Association of Hamilton Burlington. Mike has also served two terms as a provincial director from Southern Ontario for the Ontario Real Estate Association and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for RECO. He joined RECO s board in 2012, and has been a member and chair of the finance committee and a member of the legislation and regulations and Registrar s education advisory committees. Being a firm believer in REALTORS giving back to their communities, Mike has a Fellowship with the REALTORS Care Foundation and is a past RCF Finance Committee member. PETER HOFFMAN Peter Hoffman is the Broker Owner for Royal LePage Triland Realty, a brokerage with five offices two in London and one in St. Thomas, Ingersoll and Woodstock. Peter began his real estate career in 1976 as a salesperson. In 1981, he was appointed sales manager for Canada Trust Real Estate and after 10 years opened up his brokerage, Triland Realty Group Ltd. Following rapid growth in 1998, he purchased the Royal LePage franchise. Peter also was an instructor for 15 years for the Ontario Real Estate Association, teaching courses in licensing and management and brokerage. Over the years, he has devoted much energy to participating in organized real estate, serving as president of the London & St. Thomas Association of Realtors in 1994 along with sitting on virtually every committee and chairing many of them. In 2013, he was elected to a second term on the RECO Board of Directors. He has served on a number of RECO committees, including finance, governance, insurance, and premium stabilization. Peter has two grown sons who are both now married. He lives in London with my wife, Sue, of 40 years and three-year-old mini golden doodle, Roxy.
HARJIT SINGH KHALSA Harjit Singh Khalsa is a Broker with Homelife Superstars Real Estate Limited, having joined the brokerage in 2002 as a salesperson. During his real estate career, he has helped many families buy, sell or rent their homes. He has experience in commercial and investment real estate and he also mentors new and experienced sales representatives and brokers in their professional development needs and day-to-day business. Harjit was born and brought up in Punjab, India. He started his own IT service provider company in 1989 in India and immigrated to Canada in 1997. For the last 25 years, he has assisted various private, public, government and military organizations and individuals with their technology needs. He specializes in investigative (forensic) techniques and is well-known as an experienced forensic expert. In 2014, Harjit was elected to RECO s Board of Directors for a three-year term. Harjit is a married father of two young children. His wife, Narinder, is a teacher. He and his family live in Brampton, Ontario. REBECCA RYDER Rebecca Ryder was first elected to RECO s Board of Directors in 2011 and was served as vice-chair from 2014 to 2015. During her time on the Board, she has served as chair of the insurance committee and participated in the governance and premium stabilization committees. Rebecca began her real estate career in 1985, obtained a Broker s licence in 1998, and has held a series of successful executive management positions in real estate companies in Mississauga, Oakville and Toronto. She is currently the Vice-President and Broker of Record of Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services in Burlington. Rebecca is a past director and president of the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington. She has also been a committee member of finance, professional standards, MLS & IT, and the Ontario Real Estate Association s legal resource committee.
KEITH TARSWELL Keith Tarswell began his career in the real estate industry in 1980 and became a Broker in 1988. Following 10 years of great success in both residential and commercial sales, he became a manager with Bosley Real Estate and was asked to open and manage a new office on the Danforth in Toronto in 1998. As a non-selling manager, he has since built the office into one of the company's most supportive and successful branches. Keith is a firm proponent of organized real estate, having volunteered his services in various capacities at the Toronto Real Estate Board, the Ontario Real Estate Association and RECO. His experience includes serving on such committees as Ethics, Arbitration, Discipline, Finance, Governance, Insurance and Professional Standards. He has served as a member of RECO's Board of Directors for six years, including two years as chair. Keith brings his enthusiasm, strong interpersonal skills, broad real estate knowledge and love of teaching and training to his day-to-day activities at the Danforth Office. A staunch believer in continuing education, he holds a number of professional designations, including ABR, CRB, MVA and SRS. He is the Director of Education for the company, organizing classes and courses through the year. He is also one of the valued instructors at "Bosley U", the in-depth company training course for new salespeople. New agents at the Danforth Office are able to draw on Keith s expertise through weekly one-on-one business development meetings. In addition, he ensures they have the opportunity to be mentored by experienced successful salespeople.