Kentucky REALTORS® (KYR), one of the state’s largest professional associations representing over 11,000 members, presented several awards honoring outstanding REALTORS® across the Commonwealth during the 96th Annual KYR Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Barbara Flannery was named the 2018 REALTOR® of the Year. Flannery is the owner of USA Realty in London, Kentucky.  She received her real estate license in 1992 and a broker’s license in 1995 when she started her business.

At her local board – the Cumberland Valley Board of REALTORS®, she served as President three times and has been named REALTOR® of the Year by her local board twice. On the state level, Ms. Flannery served as a KYR delegate and KYR director.  She served as both a Trustee and the Treasurer of the Kentucky REALTOR® Institute (KRI).

She has been a volunteer in her community as a member of her local chamber of commerce, member of the Golden Rule Chapter of the Eastern Star, and she has participated in a mission trip with Hand in Hand Ministries. She is a member of the Republican Woman’s Club.

The 2018 KYR Distinguished Service Award was presented to Becky Murphy of Lexington.  The Kentucky REALTORS® Distinguished Service Award is given annually to a member of the Association who has reached the age of 60 or has at least 25 years of membership. The recipient must have held leadership positions in local, state and/or national associations and with affiliated institutes, societies and councils. The recipient must have also been recognized as a local leader whose service and involvement in political and or community activities has been extraordinary. This award is the highest statewide honor bestowed on a member.

Becky Murphy has been in the business for 40 years and is co-owner of Charlie Murphy Real Estate – a family brokerage. She holds the GRI, CRS and CRB designations. On the state level, Ms. Murphy has served as KYR’s state president in 1996 and was also named KYR’s REALTOR® of the Year in 1992. She was a Trustee for both KRI and KYR’s REALTOR® Political Action Committee.

At her local Association – the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of  REALTORS® – she served in leadership positions and received their honor of REALTOR® of the Year.

Nationally, she served as Regional Vice President for Region 4 of the National Association of REALTORS®.

Larry Disney of Lexington is the winner of the Nat Sanders Award presented to recognize the individual who has made the most significant contributions to, and exemplified leadership and service in, real estate education at either the local, state or national level. He has been a practicing real property appraiser since 1977, and since 1982, he has developed and instructed qualifying education and continuing education courses for real estate licensees and real property appraisers across the state.  Larry retired February 1, 2017 after serving on the Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board for twenty years in the capacity of Complaint Investigator and Executive Director.  He is a Kentucky Certified General Real Property Appraiser, a Kentucky licensed Real Estate Broker, designated SRA member of the Appraisal Institute, designated IFAS member of the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers, certified by the Appraiser Qualifications Board of The Appraisal Foundation as an instructor of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and certified by the International Distance Education Certification Center as a Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI).

As Executive Director of the Appraisal Board, he guided the organization through the massive changes that accompanied the mortgage meltdown and government reassessment of Dodd/Frank.

The 2018 Good Neighbor Award is presented to recognize a REALTOR® who has made an extraordinary impact on his or her community or nation, through volunteerism. This year’s recipient is Ruby Mason of RE/MAX Elite Realty in Nicholasville.

Ms. Mason is a volunteer for the Jessamine County Drug Court and has been since its inception 9 years ago. She has volunteered countless hours, without compensation, for the betterment of the community in helping combat the drug crisis and opioid epidemic. She is also a board member and chair of Nicholasville NOW, a main street program that advocates for the restoration of the historic character of downtown.

She is also a board member and chair of the Nicholasville Housing Authority,

serves as an ambassador for her local chamber of commerce for Jessamine County and is president-elect in 2018. She is also president-elect in 2018 for the Jessamine County Rotary Club and has been a member of the Order of the Eastern Stars for 33 years. She is a Lifetime member of the Camp Nelson Heritage Park. She serves as a Sunday school teacher, is a past president of her church choir, an assistant church clerk and a past missionary president. She is also a board member for the United Way.

Honorable mentions for the Good Neighbor award went to Rebecca Trout for her contributions to her local community.

The 2018 Community Service Awards, given to REALTOR® associations on the local level that improve the quality of life in their communities, were presented to three local REALTOR® associations based on their size – in small, medium and large association categories. The award in the large category went to the REALTOR® Association of Southern Kentucky.

The medium category winner was the Old Kentucky Home Board of REALTORS®.

The Murray-Calloway Board of REALTORS® took home the award in the small category.