AARON RUCHTI
Coldwell Banker Realty – Ruchti Realty Group
Aaron gave it the ‘old college try’ and became a Division 1 collegiate athlete in baseball…and went on to graduate cum laude with a business degree then obtained his MBA. A good education landed him a position with a top Houston advertising agency and he then he used these skills to transition to real estate. And being married to his REALTOR® wife made the transition seamless. Aaron later established the top producing team of Ruchti Realty Group. He loves giving back to the community and what may surprise you is this guy was drafted twice by the Seattle Mariners!
ANASTASIA “STAZI” PENA
Compass RE Texas – The Heights
Determined to overcome a modest upbringing, Stasi graduated from high school at 16 and fulfilled her dream to help her family and others in need. She quickly launched her real estate career working at a school, in the title business and with builders. She has leveraged these skills to establish her own team of successful agents and has helped more than 100 families. Stazi owns several properties and, she leases them out to families who have been rejected by the traditional standards. And here’s a unique fact…Stasi describes herself as a ‘nerd’ who loves comics, anime and video games so you’ll often find her and her boyfriend, Tuan, at every convention they can attend.
BOBBY YAZDANI
Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty
With dual degrees from UT in Biology and Economics, it might surprise you to learn that Bobby is a successful top producing real estate broker with a long list of designations achieved in only 5 years. With a cultural curiosity, he has travelled to 17 countries and speaks 3 languages. Bobby has served on the HAR Technology, Engage and YPN Advisory Groups. And the list of charities he passionately supports is too long to mention. Next time you see Bobby, ask him how he landed on the covers of several Montreal magazines after capturing the prized dove that escaped from a local library…what a story!
BRETT WOODROOF
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene – Champions
Brett jumped into the famous family business running the accounting department, later becoming an agent, and now serving on the management team. He has had the opportunity to serve in many different aspects of the business, loves systems and technology and enjoys helping his team reach heights they could not have imagined in their careers and personal lives. As a busy father of 3 with a wife who recently obtained her license, Brett creates time to serve on the MLS and YPN advisory groups, multiple charities and his favorite pastimes are tennis, alpine skiing, and wine…of course, not while on the courts or slopes.
BROOKE THEDFORD
eXp Realty LLC
With a master’s degree in legal studies, Brooke obtained her insurance license at 18 and spent the next 15 years managing the family insurance business. Once her 3 children were school aged, she took that experience and moved into real estate. As a leader with eXp, she is a certified mentor of 5 mentees and loves to share her knowledge. She is passionate about community involvement from her PTA, HOA, church and has coached youth volleyball for more than 10 years. Brooke met her husband at 11 years old and has been happily married for 17 years. It is a joy for her to lead by example and she wants her children to know that anything is possible at any age.
CASSIDY CHAU
CB&A, Realtors
With a master’s degree in legal studies in oil, gas and energy law, Cassidy started out as a successful oil and gas landman, but when prices tanked, she decided to become a full time REALTOR®. That was when she realized how much she enjoyed being of service to others. She has served on the Fort Bend PAALS, HAR Engage and YPN Advisory Groups and is a proud TREPAC Major Investor. Cassidy gives a portion of every transaction to the CB&A Foundation, volunteers her home to foreign exchange students, works at the county shelter and sponsors a neighborhood soccer team. Next up she says she would like to run for the HAR board of directors!
DEVYN WINKLER
CB&A, Realtors
When people meet Devyn they often describe her as a person with a big heart who has overcome adversity that might have stopped others in their tracks. And yet she has propelled herself to major producer status with aspirations to double her production next year. She serves on the YPN Advisory Group and is in this year’s TRLP class. Her community service includes the Junior League, Bridgeland Counsel board member, tithing for her church and running a women’s networking group. Devyn adopted her 2 oldest children when they were 6 months and a year and a half old. Raising them to be productive members of society has been one of her greatest achievements.
EJ KWELU
Only 1 Realty Group
When you meet EJ you immediately notice his thirst for knowledge. EJ landed a full merit scholarship at Texas A&M where he graduated magna cum laude from the college of engineering. As a bilingual Nigerian American who migrated with his family at the age of 3, he is proud of his heritage and self-discovery journey. Today, he has grown his brokerage to 7 agents in only 6 months. EJ has not let his success in real estate derail his community and charitable passion. He is a TREPAC Major Investor, supports his church, donates generously to Goodwill and Christian Army and volunteers for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
ELYSSIN CORONA
Delcor International Realty
Elyssin has been described as a person who is level-headed, highly professional and keen on protecting homeowners’ property rights. With her bachelor’s degree in communications, she worked in oil and gas and recognized that these skills along with being bilingual would give her an edge in real estate. She has been involved with the HAR Global Advisory Group for 4 years and will be next year’s chair. Elyssin’s community service includes leadership positions with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and creating awareness of human trafficking issues where she donates a portion of her commission to support this cause. Ask her about her love of octopus.
GABRIELLA THOMPSON
T | Associates
Gabby’s grandparents influenced her decision to work in real estate while developing a large portfolio of properties in the UK and tasking her with collecting rent and property maintenance. Today, she is so successful that she runs her own brokerage. She has served on the HAR YPN advisory group for 3 years in addition to the Technology and PAAG Advisory Groups. She regularly trains and mentors her agents into becoming the best versions of themselves by leading through example. Growing up, she rode horses competitively and learned that if you can ‘flip’ houses, why not flip horses too, so she would purchase sport horses, train them, compete and sell them for a profit…now that shows good horse sense!
JENNA BRADBURN
RE/MAX Signature
Jenna started out in retail and managed $100 million in store volume, but with that came an 80-hour work week. A focus on family prompted her to become a REALTOR® and create the Heart of Houston brokerage. With her staging designation, she offers these services to all her clients for free. A family tragedy taught her the importance of being prepared and she plans to take additional classes on the probate process so she can offer her friends and clients the services she lacked during her time of need. As a top producer, she trains other agents, helped form a leadership and mentorship group and is passionate about giving back at her kids’ elementary school and supporting veterans.
JENNIFFER BURNLEY
ERA Legacy Living
Jenniffer credits her bachelor’s degree in computer science with making her a nerd who attributes much of her success to adhering to her client-focused system. She is the lead buyer and listing agent in her team and lead associate for her entire brokerage mentoring several agents. Jenniffer serves on the YPN Advisory Group, co-chairs the Fort Bend Networking Group and, as a TREPAC Major Investor, likes to help with fundraising efforts. She loves to volunteer for Kids Meals, so it makes sense that this self-described ‘foodie’ can be found on weekends sampling cuisines from around the world with her son!
JESSICA WAHLQUIST
Nan and Company Properties Christie’s International Real Estate
Jessica has been described as a creative and spirited person who credits her broker grandmother with being the role model for her career in real estate. She has a thirst for knowledge and achieved top producer status in her second year of being licensed. Jessica is a sponsor member of the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals and she and her wife are heavily involved in organizations that assist children, immigrants, LGBTQ+, homeless youth and individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds. And a fun fact about Jessica is that she is a former lead singer of a band and loves writing songs and music!
JOSE LUIS GARZA
Styled Real Estate / Garza Realty Group
Jose has been described as a “delight to be around.” With 15 years’ experience in supply chain management, he has used a strong work ethic and desire for personal growth to establish himself as a leader of his team, mentor and top producer. He has made the $10,000 TREPAC pledge as a Major Investor and is a member of TRLP where he has honed his leadership skills. Jose grew up in Mexico and is the father of 2 and is part of the PTO at Groves Elementary school and sponsors up to 12 HOA events in his community every year.
JOSE OCQUE
Better Homes and Gardens Gary Greene – Woodway
Jose earned his college degree in construction science and minored in architecture. He started working for a large builder managing all phases of the construction process for more than 300 homes. After founding his own speculative home-building business, he relocated to Houston and got his real estate license. With his construction experience in residential and commercial real estate, Jose formed his own team and is consistently ranked among the top brokerages in Houston. He is an alumnus of Leadership Houston, a past Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man of the Year, and he volunteers for Child Advocates and Positive Tomorrows. Jose is a native of Caracas, Venezuela who proudly became an American citizen in 2019.
KYLA PHUNG LINN
Compass RE Texas – Houston
Kyla launched her professional life in retail, started investing and got her real estate license to create meaningful change in people’s lives. She is a top producer who formed a team with her partner and attributes much of her success to her social media strategy for building a low-cost network. Today, she has more than 5,000 followers on her Instagram account. Her community service efforts have been focused on YMCA International and she has taken the TREPAC Major Investor pledge. And a neat fact about Kyla is that when she was in college, she spent an entire semester at sea traveling to 8 different countries across Europe, Asia and North Africa.
MICHELLE JOHNSON
George E. Johnson Properties
Michelle served her country as an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army and carries a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s in Business Administration. As a top producer, she balances her work between residential and commercial properties. She serves on the executive team of CREW and gives back to her industry as a member of CCIM, Texas Association of Real Estate Brokers, Houston Black Real Estate Association and many others. An interesting fact about Michelle is that during her service in the Army, she was a certified chemical operations specialist responsible for protecting citizens from chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
RYAN JOCKERS
Better Homes and Gardens Gary Greene – Champions
Ryan literally dove into his first career as a diver in oil and gas. Wanting to spend more time with his family, he took advantage of his wife’s experience in real estate to create the Jockers Team. Success came quickly for Ryan and today he is on track for $50 million in production. Ryan and his wife, Royale, still manage to find time to give back to the community by attending their kids’ activities. He loves teaching youth sports and coaches football, basketball and baseball while still making time to support other charities.
TIFFANY LAROSE
Houston Luxury Properties – The LaRose Kaileh Group, LLC
With a bachelor’s degree in marketing and international studies, Tiffany worked for several Fortune 500 corporations before pursuing her true passion of architecture and interior design as a foundation for a successful real estate career, specializing in luxury properties. For 3 years in a row, she has been named by Modern Luxury Magazine as ‘Dynamic Woman of Houston’ and ‘Power Player of Houston.’ She supports numerous charities including SkyHigh for St. Jude and Dress for Success. Tiffany is a proud blend of Egyptian, Armenian and Italian, and during college, she studied abroad in London.
TY ROBINSON
Nan and Company Properties Christie’s International Real Estate
Ty graduated from Prairie View A&M with her master’s degree in Community Development and credits Courtney Johnson Rose with inspiring her to apply her education to real estate. After a few naysayers told her that she had unrealistic goals, she grew determined to prove them wrong and became a top producer and team lead in her firm. Ty serves as community service leader on the YPN Advisory Group and spearheaded the highly successful backpack drive for KidsMeals, collecting more than 800 backpacks for kids in need. What you might not know about Ty is that she has a black belt in kickboxing.
