The nomination period is now closed.

The Tom D. Morton Award is given to a Texas association executive for excellence, service to members, personal and professional accomplishments, and achievements. Tom D. Morton was an executive vice president of the Houston Association of REALTORS® who established new standards for executive officers around the nation.

View list of previous winners.

Questions? Contact Jon Houser.


Nomination Guidelines and Qualifications

Who was Tom D. Morton?

Tom D. Morton (1927-1987) was the executive vice president of the Houston Association of REALTORS® for twenty years. During his tenure, he established new standards for executive officers around the nation. He was a leader and an example for each of us. His untimely death in December 1987 caused us to reflect on our jobs and ourselves.

Purpose

As a way of honoring him and reminding us of the excellence he displayed, the Texas REALTORS® Association Executive Council and the Houston Association of REALTORS® established the Tom D. Morton Memorial Award. This award is designed to recognize association executives for their excellence, their service to their members, and their personal and professional accomplishments and achievements. This award is not to be considered an annual award.

Nominations

Nominations can be submitted by any person other than the candidate and must be submitted on the appropriate nomination form. If an association executive was nominated the previous year and was not the recipient, the nomination form will be returned to the board leadership with instruction to update the information and approval to resubmit the nomination form.

Previous recipients may be re-nominated after an eight-year period and only those new activities completed since awarded will be considered.

Selection timeline

Nomination forms will be posted at TexasRealEstate.com in mid-September. The Awards Selection Committee will review and identify AEs who are eligible for the nomination at the Texas REALTORS® Conference in September. The committee will contact the leadership of those boards to encourage them to complete the nomination form. If a qualified candidate is selected by the Awards Selection Committee, the award will be presented the following year at the Texas REALTORS® Winter Meeting in February.

Nomination criteria
  • Must be a local board association executive, executive vice president, or CEO
  • AE/EVP/CEO career at least a total of five years in Texas
  • Work a minimum of 30 hours per week
  • Cannot have received the award within the past eight years
  • Only those new activities completed since last awarded will be considered
  • Must have earned the RCE designation.

Previous Winners

Year Winner
2022 Ken Hogan, RCE, Abilene
2021 Monica Pena, RCE, Greater McAllen
2020 Connie Coots, RCE, Odessa
2019 Denise Price, RCE, Amarillo
2018 Kim Lambert, RCE, Greater Lewisville
2017 Ed Moore, RCE, Greater Tyler
2016 Mary Leidy, RCE Collin County
2015 Angela Shields, RCE, San Antonio
2014 Cade Fowler, RCE, Lubbock
2013 Shelia Torres, RCE, Lufkin Association
2012 Carolyn Arnold, Permian Basin Board
2011 Amy DuBose, RCE, San Marcos Area Board
2010 Larry Johnson, RCE, Arlington Board of REALTORS®
2009 Patricia Webb, RCE, Texas REALTORS®
2008 Carolyn Wall, RCE, Greater Metro West Association
2007 Travis Kessler, RCE, San Antonio Board
2006 Sherry Matina, RCE, Greater Fort Worth Association
2005 Connie Coots, RCE, Odessa Board
2004 Sandra Lancaster, RCE, Grand Prarie Board
2002 Kathy Burkhalter, RCE, Beaumont Board
2001 Richard Thomas, RCE, Greater Dallas Association
2000 David Foster, CAE, RCE, Austin Board
1999 Mary Lou Whitham, RCE, Greater Tyler Board
1998 Kandi Pool, RCE, San Angelo Association
1997 Bob Hale, Houston Association
1996 Karen Castleman, RCE, Greater Texoma Association
1995 Marv Gerard, RCE, Abilene Board
1994 Claire Shahzad, RCE, Northeast Tarrant County Board
1993 Sam Roberson, San Antonio Board
1992 Travis Kessler, RCE, Greater Fort Worth Association
1991 Denise Price, RCE, Amarillo Association
1990 Benny McMahan, Greater Dallas Association
1989 Foster Edwards, Corpus Christi Association
1988 Brownie Brownlee, Lubbock Association