If you don't find Maxine Jennings at her Pleasanton, California Coldwell Banker office, or out with her clients, she might well be volunteering at a local school. The former grade school teacher has never given up her love of teaching, and uses her successes as a REALTOR to show underpriveleged children that they can also become anyone they want to be. As the new president of the Women's Council of REALTORS, Jennings has the same message for agents.

Jennings is the first black woman to achieve the presidency of any N.A.R. affiliate, but that is not an achievement she dwells upon. It's worth mentioning because the real estate industry is widely believed to be female-dominated. It is, but only by a slight margin at the agent level. At the broker level, men dominate, and in national leadership roles, women are even less visible. Black agents are even more rare, an estimated two to three percent of the agent population, making Jennings' achievements as an industry leader even more noteworthy.

Jennings' migration to the real estate industry began the same way it does for many women. In 1977, she was divorced and raising children alone, and needed to make more money than she could as a teacher. "It was the only job that I saw that was an equal opportunity, and you could make as much or as little as you wanted to," recalls Jennings. "I was in an area where I had taught and I had name recognition. Many people didn't know I was a Realtor but they knew me as my kids' mother, and they trusted me."

By 1986, Jennings was named Realtor of the Year by the Bay East Association of Realtors, and earned BEAR's Distinguished Service Award in 1994 and 1996 by that same organization. She served as the association's president in 1992.

Jennings joined the National Women’s Council of Realtors in 1985 as part of the organization’s local chapter, where she was elected president in 1987. She was also elected as California State Chapter president in 1996. At the national level, Jennings has been elected to many organizational duties including financial secretary, recording secretary and 2000 president elect.

With such a background, you would think Jennings' first priority would be a focus on women's advancement and on diversity, but Jennings has a mission that is blind to color and sex. Her goal is improving the business ethics of the industry so that more opportunity will exist for all. Find out more about Maxine Jennings in this exclusive interview with Agent News publisher Blanche Evans.

B.E.: I understand that you do a lot of community work. What kind of work do you do?

M.J.: We have a program in our city called the Dublin Partners in Education, and the role of that group is with busineses and education, and those of us with time tutor and work in the schools. One of the major jobs is to get to be principal for a day in charge of a school for a particular day, and that encompasses all that principals do. Most of the time you are interacting with students, you mediate and find out what the problems are.

B.E.: How has that touched you?

M.J.: Last year, I was assigned to a junior high, and that's not my favorite age group, but this time I enjoyed it because the problems the students have these days are so different than when I was teaching. You see things through the kids' eyes. Today, many kids are responsible for being caregivers, getting their siblings fed and off to school just like a parent. There is such social upheaval. For many girls, it's worse. There may be an "Uncle Somebody" who moves into the home and that is not a good experience for many school age girls. Another male who is not the father and not married to the mother presents problems for the girls with respect to being exposed to a lot of incorrect behavior.

B.E.: How horrible. What a reality check.

M.J.: Yes, it is. The area I live in is upper middleclass suburbia, and they think those things don't happen, but they do. It reflects the tenor of our society in the last five or six years,

B.E.: We live in the city and see it all, too. My son has frequently witnessed gang violence.

M.J.: Fleeing to the suburbs, you think it will get better. You get a better house, but you don't get the diversity. We don't have a lower income school system, but I go into Oakland where you have some of everything. In those schools I do storytelling because my grandchildren go there.

B.E.: How has your educational background helped you as a Realtor?

M.J.: The education background comes in handy as I am a people person. I can a communicator. I can speak to large groups without a lot of problems. I'm touchy-feely and I have listening skills. Listening comes in handy with adults, too.

B.E.: What are your plans for WCR this year? What changes are on the horizon?

M.J.: I've been on strategic planning committee for the last four years, so I've had input with goals and objectives. I would like to see those become measurable.

B.E.: For instance?

M.J.: We now have all the standard committess broken down into four groups: communication; chapter effectiveness; member values; and leadership development (LD). LD encompasses educational skills and values. Those are the two hot buttons.

B.E.: Does this mean you'll be getting into training programs?

M.J.: We already have training programs. We are the only council that has a designation for leadership, the leadership training graduate (LTG.) There are eight modules that a member will go through, and they can choose five of the eight to get the designation. The only one that is required is the module on meeting management and how to facilitate meetings. The latest one we have added is the LTG 8, a computer science class. It is the most attended class that we have had this year.

B.E.: So the WCR is really more about personal growth and leadership? Does that mean that promoting leadership in women isn't necessarily a priority?

M.J.: How many members 14,000. over 10 percent are men. considering a lot of men have seen teh value and we are open to men and we have local chapter presidents and a regional vice president who was a man, but anyone can join our organization who is interested in leadership and personal growth and we show our members how to relate the skills we teach them in their every day lives. If you are an LTG, do you also want to be active in PTA? Little League? This gives them the ability to stand before others and talk about what they want to see happen and speak persuavely. One of the LTG modules is on effective speaking. That's how you affect change.

B.E.: You are the first minority female to achieve a presidency of any N.A.R. affiliate. Will promoting diversity be part of your agenda?

M.J.:: Yes, I am a black female, and our numbers are low in organized real estate. It is a commission-only job most of the time, and many of us feel more comfortable at working at a job which has a paycheck. For that reason one of the major hindrances for qualified candidates going into real estate is that it is a strictly commissioned venue. A lot of minorities have that problem. I think the Hispanics have the same problem, and they are going about affecting change in a very proactive manner. They have done a tremendous job. If you look a the border states where they are coming in as a market, the bilingual agents have a terrific advantage. Just being visible is an advantage for people looking for a role model. I would like to see other blacks and say If she can do that, I can do that. We haven't had that opportunity before to look at someone who is there and aspire to get there, too.

B.E.: Is that what you do for the kids you mentor?

M.J.: I'd like to think I provide a role model for these kids. My kids go into the junior high as role models. They are graduates of major colleges and they are still young enough that they can still speak the language. The kids see me as a grandmother who is preaching the same thing as their grandmothers. But when a young attorney comes to your school and tells you that "No one can take an education away from you," they listen.

B.E.: What will you be doing to help grow the WCR organization?

M.J.: I will actively be going to most of the states to speak, a membership recruiting campaign. I want to work on encouraging people to stay in the organization. They come in and we forget to ask those same people to stay. I want to ask, "What has it meant to you?" I want to find out why people are staying and what is making you stay? I want to ask new members, "What made you join?" Usually, it is from another member inviting them to join. Our membership will grow if we ask people to join, and give testimonies. It's much like the old Mary Kay Ash system of recognition for women. Our members say they stay because of the personal growth that they got. Before WCR, many say they would never get up and speak in front of a group.

B.E.: What would you say to new Realtors who want to follow in your footsteps?

M.J.: Getting involved is the main key. Community involvement, church involvement. For me it was having people skills and truly liking what I did and wanting to make the American dream happen for people. I had a mentor when I started who told me that it is more important what they want, not what you want.

Published: December 6, 2000

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