Orlando Realtor® Cynthia Shelton Receives NAR Distinguished Service Award

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cynthia Shelton, a Realtor® from Orlando has received the National Association of Realtors® 2015 Distinguished Service Award (DSA). The honor is presented yearly to no more than two of NAR's more than one million members. Winners were recognized at the Realtors Conference & Expo in San Diego.

NAR established the DSA in 1979 to honor Realtors who have made outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and serve as leaders in their local communities. The award is considered the highest honor an NAR member can receive; recipients must be active at the local, state and national association levels, but not have served as NAR president.

"For four decades, Cynthia Shelton has been a staple in the Realtor community, heavily involved on the local, state and national level, and I am proud to honor her with this award," said Chris Polychron, 2015 NAR president. "Cynthia's commitment to the profession and her tireless work for Realtors and clients is inspiring. On behalf of the entire Realtor family, I thank her for her continued dedication."

Shelton has been a Realtor for 40 years and is director of investment sales at Colliers International Central Florida. In her current role, Shelton is part of an investment team with Kane Morris-Webster, providing acquisitions and disposition services of retail properties to private and institutional clients, while also working with servicers and lenders with workouts of distressed properties.

"I am honored to receive NAR's Distinguished Service Award," Shelton said. "I am proud to be a member of the Realtor family and get to help guide clients find properties that meet their needs and drive economic growth in the local community. I feel lucky to be a part of something bigger, and I thank all of my friends and colleagues for being partners in this with me."

An active NAR member, Shelton has held many leadership positions throughout the organization during her tenure as a Realtor, including serving on the board of directors. Shelton served as a regional vice president in 2011, was a liaison for five NAR presidents and has led several NAR committees. She is also in the Realtors Political Action Committee Hall of Fame and is a Certified Commercial Investment Member, or CCIM, an institute affiliate of NAR. She is currently serving as the 2015 committee liaison for Second Century Ventures and special projects. Shelton was also the 2002 international president of CCIM.

At the state level, Shelton served as Florida Realtors president in 2009, a challenging time for the industry. Shelton navigated the association through the downturn, getting the association's finances in order at a time when the state's Realtor membership dropped 28 percent, and repositioning the association for future growth. Shelton managed to yield program savings of $1.2 million and personnel savings of $1 million while also spearheading a rebranding campaign to usher in a new era for the association. Shelton was named Realtor of the Year in Florida in 2010 and currently serves on the board of directors. In the past, Shelton served as chair of the state association's Past Presidents Advisory Council, Nominating Committee, Executive Committee, Building Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, and many others.

Locally, Shelton served as president of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors in 1994 and has led several committees of the Orlando Regional Realtors Association, Greater Tampa Association of Realtors and the Vancouver Clark County Association of Realtors. She is currently a member of both the Orlando Regional Realtors and the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors.

Shelton began her career in 1975 practicing residential real estate in Washington State and began moving toward commercial work in 1983. She relocated to Florida in 1985 and worked with KinderCare Learning Centers for 10 years, acquiring and developing childcare centers around the state and consulting with employers about onsite childcare at workplaces. Shelton then served as vice president of acquisitions at Commercial Net Lease Realty Inc., until she took her current position at Colliers International Central Florida.

Shelton has been married for 40 years to fellow Realtor Mike Shelton. The two have a daughter, Alexandria, who resides in Tallahassee with her husband, Andy Thornquest.

Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 140,000 members in 58 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at http://media.floridarealtors.org.

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SOURCE Florida Realtors