The timing couldn’t be better.
The Chatham-Kent Association of Realtors is celebrating women’s achievement Monday by welcoming two women board members into leadership positions.
Janice Wieringa, executive officer of the association, announced Monday, International Women’s Day, that board director Laura Tourangeau had been appointed as the new president of the board, and board director Amber Pinsonneault had been made president-elect.
Wieringa said this marks the first time both the president and president-elect positions have been held by women under the age of 35 who are currently holding broker of record positions while also raising young families.
“We are thrilled to welcome Laura and Amber into their new roles, and I am looking forward to working with them as we review our strategic plan and objectives over the coming year,” Wieringa said in a media release. “Given that this year’s IWD theme is #ChooseToChallenge, it is a momentous time to celebrate the achievements of women like Laura and Amber who are working hard to help shape a more equal future.”
Tourangeau and Pinsonneault officially assumed their new roles in January 2021, after the association’s annual general meeting in December 2020.
Tourangeau, the broker of record for Re/Max Chatham-Kent Realty Inc., first joined the board in 2017. She has been selling real estate across Chatham-Kent and Essex County since 2009.
“You’re helping somebody with a need,” Tourangeau said of her role. “Whether they’re buying, whether they’re selling, whether it’s an agent that needs some help to get their businesses going if they’re a new agent, it all boils down to helping people, which is what I love to do.”
Tourangeau added that she plans to bring her educational background in marketing and law to the board.
“I have an interest in following what’s been happening as far as our legislative changes go,” she said. “When we have opportunities for legislative change, I think it’s important to advocate on the interests of a small board, raise our voice and make it be heard that our concerns might be different than those of a larger board.”
Tourangeau also serves as a committee member for the Young Professionals Network Committee of the Ontario Real Estate Association.
Pinsonneault, the broker of record for Royal LePage Peifer Realty Inc., has been selling real estate in Chatham-Kent since 2015. She previously volunteered with the Chatham-Kent Housing and Homelessness Committee, and is a past president of the Chatham-Kent Landlord Association.
Passionate about politics and all things housing, from single-family dwellings to multi-family property, Pinsonneault has been the chair of the association’s Government Relations Committee since she joined the board in 2018. She has met with many levels of government to speak about issues affecting her fellow realtors and consumers, and chaired a political debate that was hosted by the committee prior to the 2018 provincial election.
“Listening is how we came up with the questions for our debate and listening is exactly what I’ll be doing as president-elect,” Pinsonneault said. “To uphold the integrity of our realtors and work together for our community.”
Tourangeau and Pinsonneault both look forward to serving the members of the association and community in 2021.
