Announcing this quarter's Spotlight department - Professional Development

The Texas REALTORS® Professional Development Department educates REALTORS® and other licensees through its proprietary school and CE courses.

2020 was a busy year for the department, which logged 52,000-plus attendees across more than 4,900 classes—most delivered virtually.

“We’ve been using Zoom since 2012,” says Deb Hernandez, director of professional development. “We’ve actually given multiple presentations to other states on that program.”

2021 is shaping up to be just as busy, with more than 20,000 attendees as of mid-April. Professional Development considers local boards their primary customers and supports them by offering courses that boards host. This approach saves local boards money compared to handling it on their own, Hernandez says.

The department manages all Texas REALTORS® training, including NAR designation courses. It oversees the GRI program in Texas and boasts the most active-member GRI designees in the nation: 12,390.

Professional Development administers the Texas REALTORS® Leadership Program, which trains about 250 local leaders a year. The department works on housing initiatives and helps association members comply with NAR’s Code of Ethics requirements. It runs the Texas REALTORS® International Cruise in partnership with AMPI, the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals.

Members and local associations aren’t the only ones who benefit from Professional Development’s efforts. NAR is preparing to roll out a national version of the Course Administration Reporting Tool system, developed by Professional Development and built by the Technology Department.

“As our department has continued to increase the volume of courses we offer each year, we created the concept of CART to acquire accurate course records as well as providing a mechanism for associations to notify us of upcoming classes that would auto-populate on our website,” says Jon Houser, associate director. “Over time CART has developed into a robust learning management system that is unparalleled in the real estate industry.”

The Professional Development Department is a very social and collaborative team.

“I would say the culture is one where we have as much fun as you can while working like heck,” Hernandez says. “There’s a very friendly and supportive atmosphere where everyone pulls their weight and works toward the common goal of supporting our membership.”

“We have a lot of fun,” agrees Houser. “We really enjoy working together and we really enjoy being productive and creative together. We enjoy laughing. I describe us like ducks: Ducks may look calm on the surface, but there’s a lot of paddling going on under the water. I’m very proud of us.”

The six team members bring more than 50 years of association experience and wide variety of expertise to their department:

Deb Hernandez, director of professional development, enjoys painting and travel. In September 2018, she and her mom ziplined at the Grand Canyon.

Jon Houser, associate director, is an Eagle Scout who loves teaching Scouts leadership skills. He graduated from the only high school in the nation that has a mosquito as its mascot.

Gregory Lang, senior coordinator, enjoys chess, shooting pool, and listening to music. He has done a somersault on a bike and lived to tell about it.

Eric Lindsey, operations coordinator, is an avid off-road vehicle enthusiast and Jeep guy. He tests gear products and enjoys watching baseball and basketball.

Shiloh Modisett, program manager, enjoys traveling with her husband. They visited San Diego in January 2020 and may take a road trip to see national parks in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona next.

Stephanie Cuffee, professional development assistant, loves the beach or any body of water she can swim in. She also enjoys dressing up for Halloween and costume parties.