Congratulations to the Recipients of Our Leadership Legacy Award

At the Installation of 2021 Officers and Directors on December 2, Orange County REALTORS® proudly announced the names of the three most recent recipients of its Leadership Legacy Award. They are Sandra Deering, Nancy Hunt, and Mary Aileen Matheis. 

Sandra Deering has been an active REALTOR® since 1977 and has served as Broker of Record for Coldwell Banker, Southern California, since 2008. Even while overseeing the efforts of thousands of agents at Coldwell Banker, she has found time to serve on the Orange County REALTORS® Board of Directors and on its Risk Management, Professional Standards, and Orientation Committees. In these and other capacities, Sandra has shared her considerable wisdom with countless members regardless of their company affiliation and helped author the original Orange County Local Area Disclosures.

Nancy Hunt was President of Orange County REALTORS® in 1995 and in 1996 and was named REALTOR®. of the Year in 1995. She has served on the Orange County REALTORS® Board of Directors and on many of its committees, including Political Action and Elections, Education, Local Government Relations, and Bylaws. In 2018, the National Association of REALTORS® honored Nancy with its Key Contact/Federal Political Contact Emeritus Award. Because Nancy passed away in May 2020, her son Scott Hunt accepted the Leadership Legacy Award on her behalf. 

Mary Aileen Matheis has been a REALTOR® member of Orange County REALTORS® for more than forty years and was named REALTOR® of the Year in 1998. Appointed to fill an unexpired term on the Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors in 1988, she served until 2020. She has generously volunteered her time to serve on the Association’s Political Action and Elections, Professional Standards, and Education Committees. In addition, Mary Aileen has represented Orange County REALTORS® as a Director for both the National Association of REALTORS® and the California Association of REALTORS®.   

In 2017, Orange County REALTORS® established the Leadership Legacy Award to recognize members who demonstrate, in the words of Peter Drucker, the ability to “lift a person’s vision to higher sights, raise a person’s performance to a higher standard, and build a personality beyond its normal limitations.” Recipients of this award must have, during an extended period, exceeded expectations and gone well above and beyond to serve both the real estate industry and the wider community. Previous award recipients include Orange County REALTORS® Past Presidents Rita Tayenaka and Barbara Delgleize.