Berkshire County Board Names Realtor of 2009
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This award is given to the Realtor that best exemplifies professionalism and service to the industry.
Forster was selected for having contributed outstanding time and energy to the betterment of the Realtor organization, the real estate industry and the Berkshire community. First licensed in Massachusetts in 1990, he was elected by Berkshire Realtors as the 2009 president of the 500-member board, having been actively involved in governance of the real estate trade association since 2002.
He also has served with distinction on the Multiple Listing Service Inc. board of directors, which governs listing data online and for the organization's members, having been elected to serve as its president in 2005.
Most notably, Forster devotes considerable effort in community service events sponsored by the Realtor organization, political advocacy on behalf of Realtors and homeowners in Berkshire County, moderating real estate education, speaking to new members at orientation and chairing hearings of the Professional Standards Committee to arbitrate business disputes or settle matters of alleged unethical conduct.
Forster was appointed by the president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors to serve as a state director in 2008 and 2009. He also has many years of active involvement with Berkshire community organizations, with an emphasis on education-related associations, environmental advocacy and cultural institutions.
Currently, Forster serves on the Pittsfield Conservation Commission and as treasurer of the Lakes and Ponds Association of Western Mass., is a Tanglewood Business Partner, and member of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. He also is a member of the Pittsfield High School School Council and the school's representative on the superintendent's Parent Advisory Council.
He obtained his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and his juris doctorate from Western New England College School of Law. Born in Bern Switzerland, Forster came to the United States as a child and currently resides in Pittsfield with his two children and his partner, Pam Malumphy.
