AE SPOTLIGHT SARAH THORSTEINSON

AE for Summit County Association of REALTORS®

How long have you been an AE? A little over seven years.

How did you get your start as an AE? I had served as the Shared Government Affairs Director for many of the Mountain Boards. When the Summit Association lost their AE, they asked me to step in as interim CEO, and the rest is history.

What do you love most about the job? Our members. They are a wonderful group of people. It's easy to go the extra mile for them.

What is your biggest success as an AE? While it was a group effort, the Association rising like a Phoenix from the ashes after a tough period in the association history. Our members now say the Association is better than it ever was. I am also extraordinarily proud of the team at SAR. They are very hardworking, intelligent, forward-thinking, and a ton of fun!

What would your members be most surprised by about your job? How much work it is - Just like clients don’t realize how hard their REALTORS® work for them.

CAR benefits you and or your members use most: Legal hotline and the Government Affairs team! Truly invaluable!

Which talent would you most like to have? I love to sing. LOVE it! But I have the worst voice ever. I would love to actually be able to sound good when I am rocking out in the car.

What is your most treasured possession? I have a letter that was written to me by a coworker when I was a lobbyist in DC. I didn’t know him well, but when I left the company, he wrote me a letter about how I had made an impact on his life and who he was trying to become. I had no idea he thought that. We stayed in touch until he died, and I have the letter hanging above my computer at work to remind me that you never know when your actions might impact someone else.

Which historical figure or literary hero do you most identify with and why? Someone once told me I was a “Renaissance Woman” because like DaVinci, I have interests in a variety of different subjects: arts, history, architecture, politics, culture, and music. But let’s be honest, I am no DaVinci, not even close.

Motto or piece of advice you live by: My two favorites are by Ghandi “Be the Change You Wish to See in the World” and “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”