DIVERSITY & Inclusion
Diversity in FORCE is an intentional focus on diversity and inclusion that is crucial to the continued success of the FORCE. Fully implementing the concept of D&I is essential towards achieving an inclusive membership that reflects the residential REO agent/broker community beyond our network.
FORCE’s commitment to diversity as a core value supports building an inclusive, thriving membership community that achieves the following goals:
- Develops a working Diversity and Inclusion Council that creates and maintains a membership culture in which embracing diversity is a core value.
- Takes responsibility for learning about and utilizing the experiences and perspectives of each member of our inclusive community to promote a more diverse industry as a whole.
- Increase understanding of diversity within the mortgage industry and build skills for implementation and utilization.
- Respects and encourages differences among individuals and groups within the mortgage industry.
- Infuses a focus on inclusion in decision-making, policies, and practices.
Designated Affinity Groups
Latino
Professionals in FORCE
Affinity Group Chair
Adriana Montes
Florida Dreams Realty Group
Adriana Montes completed her Juris Doctorate from Thomas Cooley Law School, Western Michigan University. She has a Master’s in Business Administration with a specialization in Non-Profits and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Central Florida. Adriana has been recognized by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals as one of the TOP 250 Latino Agents in the US.
Asian
Professionals in FORCE
Affinity Group Chair
Kris Ramdat
REO Integration Inc.
Kris Ramdat is the broker/owner of REO Integration, Inc., a certified minority-owned business in New York. Ramdat has 17 years of experience in real estate with 11 years of REO experience.
Black
Professionals in FORCE
Affinity Group Chair
Gregory Anderson
ACB Realty, Inc.
Gregory Anderson, founder and owner of ACB Realty, Inc., in the greater Boston area, has 11 years of real estate experience with six years of REO experience. Anderson has an MBA and a Masters of Finance from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Women
Professionals in FORCE
Affinity Group Chair
Justine Jimenez Garcia
Countrywide Properties, Inc.
Justine Jimenez Garcia is the owner and president of Countrywide Properties, Inc., a minority- and woman-owned small business in Miami. She has 31 years of real estate experience and 16 years of REO experience. She is active in the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and the National Association of Women REO Brokerages.
LGBT
Professionals in FORCE
Affinity Group Chair
Brandon Jordan
ERA American Real Estate
Brandon Jordan works at ERA American Real Estate helping people buy and sell real estate. He has been selling real estate for over 10 years and specializes in sales, REO disposition, short sales, and traditional sales. He looks forward to using his Council position to contribute to progress on issues like promoting inclusion for all, advancing proposed sexual orientation bills in Congress, and ending housing discrimination based on sexual orientation for the LGBT community.
Veteran
Professionals in FORCE
Affinity Group Chair
Hugh Morrow
RE/MAX Preferred
Hugh Morrow of RE/MAX Preferred in Birmingham, Alabama, is an industry veteran with three decades of experience in real estate. He has focused on REOs for the past 13 years and holds several affiliations, including the National Association of Real Estate Brokers and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.
Professionals with Disabilities in FORCE
Affinity Group Chair
Richard Stewart
REO Specialists
Richard Stewart is the owner of REO Specialists LLC, which he opened in 2009, and he has 16 years’ proven experience in REO. Richard’s brokerage is certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a HUBZone business, which is a company level diversity certification aimed at increasing employment opportunities and economic development in distressed communities.
D&I Purpose Statement
The FORCE network’s understanding of diversity is inclusive, involved, and broad-based. The purpose of the FORCE Diversity and Inclusion Affinity Groups is to foster a productive climate for diversity in the mortgage industry by cultivating relationships between our members and leading asset management, government, and servicing companies that actively support a more inclusive residential REO agent/broker community.