ARELLO – Miami 2025

By : J. David Chapman/October 2, 2025

I recently returned from Miami, Florida, where I attended the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) Annual Conference. ARELLO brings together real estate regulatory bodies from across North America to share trends, exchange ideas, and advance education within each jurisdiction. Preceding the conference is ARELLO’s annual Commissioner College—an intensive program designed to prepare new Real Estate Commissioners for the unique responsibility of serving as regulatory decision-makers charged with protecting the public interest in real estate.

I suspect many readers may not be fully aware of the role of the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission (OREC). The Commission is composed of seven members appointed by the Governor, with Senate confirmation, to serve four-year terms. Five members are licensed brokers with at least five years of active experience, one member is a layperson not engaged in real estate, and one represents an approved real estate school in Oklahoma.

OREC’s mission is straightforward but vital: to safeguard the public interest in real estate. The Commission fulfills this duty by promoting high standards of knowledge and ethical practice among licensees, investigating and sanctioning misconduct, and prosecuting unlicensed activity that violates the Oklahoma License Code and Rules.

I’ve had the honor of serving as Chairman of OREC and am currently in my second term representing District 5 from Edmond. Julie Smith, a broker with Keller Williams Central Oklahoma, and Angela Tinsley, a broker from Tahlequah, are the Commission’s newest members. Susan Beach of Tulsa, a broker with Keller Williams Realty Advantage, and Mary Terry of Ada, founder of Mary Terry & Associates, are both past Chairs and continue to serve.

Peggy Wright of Brick and Beam Realty in Norman represents education and real estate schools, while Larry DeWitt, Executive Vice President of BancCentral NA in Alva, serves as the Commission’s lay member and current Chair. Supporting the Commission’s work is its leadership team: Executive Director Bailey Crotty, Director of Education Matt Holder, Chief Investigator Riece Baker, and General Counsel Arden Nerius.

Serving on OREC has reinforced for me just how essential regulation is to building trust and accountability in our industry. While real estate is often thought of in terms of transactions and development, it is the Commission’s steady work behind the scenes that ensures the integrity of the profession in Oklahoma.

J. David Chapman is the chair of finance and professor of real estate at The University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).