For release:
Monday, Nov. 19, 2007

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 19) -  The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) Leadership Team for 2008 is now in place. William E. Brown is the Association's 2008 president; James Liptak is president-elect; Beth Peerce is treasurer; and Joel Singer is state secretary. The officers for 2008 began their official terms at the close of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) Conference and Expo in Las Vegas on Nov. 16.

REALTOR® William E. Brown is co-owner of William H. Brown, REALTOR® in Oakland, Calif.  The company was founded by his father, William H. Brown, nearly 50 years ago. Brown has been a C.A.R. director since 1980 and has chaired numerous committees, including Federal Issues, Real Estate Finance, Local Governmental Relations, and the Legislative committees, as well as the Issues Mobilization Political Action Committee (IMPAC). In 2002, he was chairman of CREPAC, C.A.R.'s Political Action Committee. In addition, he has been an active member of the NAR board of directors for the past 16 years. His NAR Leadership positions include serving as 2006 Committee Liaison to the State and Political Issues Group, 2004 Chairman of RPAC, and as 2007 President's Circle Chairman.  Brown specializes in apartment brokerage to institutional and private capital investors and was selected by Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson to serve as the first landlord representative on the City of Oakland's Residential Rent Arbitration Board.

REALTOR® James Liptak is a broker with Country Real Estate in Paso Robles, Calif. He also is president of James & Sydney Liptak Inc., which is wholly owned by Liptak and his wife, REALTOR® Broker Sydney Liptak. He has twice served as president of the Paso Robles Association of REALTORS® and been named REALTOR® of the Year five times by his peers. He was named an Honorary Life Member by his association in 2007. He currently serves on NAR's Housing Opportunity Advisory Board and chairs the Smart Growth Advisory Board. He was named Honorary Director for Life by C.A.R. in 1998 in recognition for his ongoing commitment as an industry leader, and has served on numerous C.A.R. task forces and as chair of nearly all of the Association's public policy committees.

REALTOR® Beth Peerce is a broker-associate with Carnahan & Associates in Woodland Hills and also is co-owner of MB Escrow in Beverly Hills.  In addition to chairing numerous C.A.R. committees, she has served on C.A.R.'s Executive Committee; as regional chair of Region 18; and on the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee for the last two years. She was appointed Honorary Director for Life in 2006 in recognition of her commitment to the industry. She is chair of the Foundation of the Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®, serves as the association's vice chair of the finance committee, and was selected REALTOR® of the Year by her association in 2005.  Peerce also has played an active role on the NAR board of directors since 2001, most recently as chair of the Conventional Finance committee for 2008.

C.A.R. Executive Vice President Joel Singer has held the Association's top staff position since November 1989 after serving as C.A.R.'s chief economist and heading the Association's public affairs department. Singer was instrumental in developing Real Estate Business Services Inc. (REBS), C.A.R.'s for-profit subsidiary, and serves as its president. He also is president and chief executive officer of RE FormsNet LLC. Singer joined C.A.R. in 1978.

Leading the way...® in California real estate for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® ( www.car.org ) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with nearly 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.