ST. PAUL, MN, June 28, 2021

The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance has announced that Dave Gervase, a Realtor^® for more than 20 years, has been elected President-Elect by the organization’s Chapter Delegate Board and will succeed inaugural President John Thorpe on January 1, 2022. The Alliance also announced that Monty D. Smith, a leading industry executive, has been elected as the 10^th member of the organization’s Board of Directors.

Gervase, who resigned from his role on The Alliance’s Board for this opportunity, also founded its Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., chapter, and is the CEO of the Reside Oceanside Team at Keller Williams Realty Professionals in Ft. Lauderdale. He joined Keller Williams in 2006 and earned the Keller Williams Regional South Florida Spirit of Culture Award in 2010.

Gervase has been active within Keller Williams serving on the KW Rainbow Network Leadership Council, Industry Leader’s Panel, South Florida Region’s Associate Leadership Council and South Florida Social Diversity and Equity Taskforce. Engaged in his local community, he has been recognized for his work with Pet Rescue, leading the efforts to stock the shelves at Poverello, the local HIV/AIDS Food Pantry, and heading the Keller Williams AIDS Walk Florida Team. Additionally he sits on the Board of Directors of the LBGT Housing Initiative. Gervase previously worked with Jarvis Foundation and HELP Inc., both local HIV/Aids charities.

“The Alliance has been so well received in the real estate industry and the LGBTQ+ community since we launched in October. We have an incredible list of engaged and active partners along with membership nearing 1,500,” Gervase said. “June being Pride Month is an important time for the community as we celebrate and reflect on how far we have come while setting the stage for the future. We want to ultimately live in a world where we can be treated with the respect and dignity that everyone deserves. This includes housing where too many in our community still face discrimination and barriers to entering homeownership that others don’t have.”

Smith has spent the last year as the Company Growth Officer at John L. Scott Real Estate in Bellevue, Wash., where he oversees regional sales offices, franchise sales, relocation and e-business. He has also held senior roles at NRT and Burnet Relocation.

“Monty is an incredible addition to the Board and will provide a unique perspective with his years of corporate leadership,” Thorpe said. “He is rightly admired by so many in the industry and in The Alliance. He has 30 years of real estate experience and is one you can count on when you need advice, counsel or support. Attracting someone with Monty’s skills is a testament to the growth of The Alliance and the important work we are doing advocating for our community in all things housing.”

The Alliance, a 501(c)6 non-profit corporation dedicated to advocacy and enhancing the professional lives of its members, recently launched a consumer-facing website to assist LGBTQ+ homebuyers and sellers. It will hold its inaugural conference, Experience The Alliance, beginning on September 22 in Las Vegas.