The National Association of REALTORS® has named Santa Barbara Realtor Diana Bull a 2020 Distinguished Service Award recipient. This national award is the highest honor bestowed by the association, awarded to only two people annually from more than 1.4 million members nationwide. The award recognizes Realtors who have made outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and have set themselves apart as leaders. Bull is the first California female Distinguished Service Award recipient in the association’s 112-year history.
“I am so very humbled, honored, and grateful to receive this award,” stated Bull. “I have always said that “the people you meet along the journey make it all worthwhile,” and I have been blessed with many treasured friendships and experiences, for which I am sincerely appreciative.”
Bull began her real estate career in 1971 at the age of 22 and became a broker just two years later. She owned and managed her own real estate and mortgage companies for more than 40 years. She served as President of the Santa Barbara Association of REALTORS® in 1982, and has been involved at the local, state, and national level ever since.
Bull’s daughter Staci Caplan is the current president of the Santa Barbara Association of REALTORS®. Caplan provided additional details of Bull’s career: “Diana started her career assisting Vietnam veterans returning from the war to get into home ownership via the GI Bill. She authored “The Equity Sharing Book” and helped put together almost 700 equity sharing transactions to help those without the means of their own to partner with others to realize the dream of home ownership. Diana is a champion of private property rights, working tirelessly to protect and promote the American Dream of home ownership.”
“Through her leadership, Diana has opened doors for many others, including myself,” continued Caplan. “Her determination to bring women into leadership roles, and to encourage cultural diversity in the California Association of Realtors is a legacy that has impacted our industry and continues to unfold. When interest rates were at 18%, Diana testified before congress about interest-only loans, and she was the only female member of the panel. She has been a tireless trailblazer for women through every step of her career.”
Diana Bull has served as an NAR director for 31 years. In 2016, she was president’s liaison to Law & Policy, and in 2006, she was Region 13 vice president. She has served on NAR’s Finance Committee and Budget Review Committee since 2001. In 2011, Bull was granted REALTOR® Emeritus status. She is also a member of the REALTORS® Political Action Committee Hall of Fame. In 1996 and 1997, she served as the first female treasurer of the California Association of REALTORS® and in 1999, she was CAR president.
In 2012, Bull was president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Santa Barbara chapter. In 2008, she was named one of the “Top 50 Women in Business” by the Pacific Coast Business Times. She is a life member of the California Scholarship Foundation, a nationally published author, and a certified instructor in real estate finance.
Bull is currently CFO and broker-associate with Pacific Crest Realty, a company owned by her daughter.
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