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Faculty Members

RLE Instructors

KARA BJORNSON

Kara Bjornson is a lawyer who specializes in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate. Originally from Reykjavik, Manitoba, Kara moved to Winnipeg to pursue her legal education and career. She is a Partner at the law firm of Myers LLP, having been called to the Manitoba Bar in 2010. Kara enjoys guest lecturing on a broad range of legal topics for many organizations, including the City of Winnipeg, Winnipeg Police Service, University of Manitoba Asper School of Business, Law in the Library, and the Legal Help Centre. An avid traveler, Kara can be found in her spare time researching and planning her next trip abroad.

CRYSTAL HOLLAS

Crystal Hollas is the Senior Vice President and Chief Privacy Offer for the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board, where she has worked since 2006. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brandon University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manitoba. She also holds CRAE designation (Canadian REALTOR® Association Executive) through the Canadian Real Estate Association. Prior to working at Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board, Crystal was a licensed registrant and managed a commercial real estate brokerage where she received several awards. She enjoys travelling, her dogs, and running.

STEVEN HYMAN

Steven Hyman is the Director of Professional Standards for the Manitoba Real Estate Association, where he oversees the association’s complaints and disciplinary process and serves as a resource for real estate professionals and members of the public concerning provincial and federal contract law relevant to Manitoba. Steven has been both a presenter and chair at conferences related to regulatory investigation and proceedings. He is a practicing lawyer with experience in government, not-for-profit, and private sector law. He is frequently invited to speak in the areas of ethics, professional responsibility, and interfaith issues. Further, Steven is the Liturgist at the Simkin Centre, a Personal Care Home in Winnipeg, where he leads Sabbath and Holiday Services.

NATHAN WELTMAN

Nathan Weltman is a director at Levene Tadman Golub Law Corporation. He graduated from the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor Ontario in 2004 before travelling to the Gold Coast of Australia where he received his Juris Doctorate at Law from Bond University in 2007. Nathan got his call to the Bar in Manitoba in 2010 and has developed a practice focusing on Residential Real Estate, Corporate/Commercial transactions, Estate Planning and Estate work. Currently, in his free time Nathan sits on the Board of Directors for the Rady JCC and Glendale Golf and Country Club. Additionally he lectures for the MREA, and volunteers from time to time with various non-profit organizations that educate and provide grants to first-time home buyers. Otherwise, Nathan can be spotted an various arena’s around the City or dance competitions while he vicariously lives through his children.

MAUREEN TERRA

Maureen Terra has been practicing real property law for over 19 years, as a District Registrar for the Morden Land Titles Office and more recently in her firm, MTERRA Legal Services, with an exclusive focus on real estate law. She also volunteers with various professional organization’s boards and committees, including:

• Practice & Ethics Committee Member, The Law Society of Manitoba

• Discipline Committee Member, The Law Society of Manitoba

• Life Council Member, Manitoba Bar Association

• Executive Council Public Representative, Association of Manitoba Land Surveyors (AMLS)

She is passionate about education, and is a frequent presenter on a variety of real estate topics, including for the various land titles offices throughout the province, The Law Society of Manitoba, the Real Property Subsection of the Manitoba Bar Association, the Association of Manitoba Land Surveyors, the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board, the Manitoba Real Estate Association, The City of Winnipeg, and various real estate brokerages.

CHRIS LANGE

Chris graduated from the University of Manitoba from the Faculty of Kinesiology in 2008, and later from the Faculty of Law in 2011, at which time he moved to the Okanagan in British Columbia to start a legal career. For some reason that his wife and family still can’t understand, he moved back to Winnipeg and started his own law firm in January of 2014. Since 2014, the firm has grown from an office space in his house, where he had to pull a filling cabinet in front of the door to stop his two year old from continuously opening it and disrupting his work day with her cuteness, to it’s current state as Lange Law.

Chris focuses his practice on the areas of real estate and wills and estates, which has given him the privilege of presenting in front of groups and organizations on those topics, from financial institutions to small community groups. He is a committee member of like professionals reviewing and revising the Standard Offer to Purchase for Real Estate in Manitoba and is a bencher with the Law Society of Manitoba, where he sits on a number of committees.

“My greatest privilege is to be allowed to earn the love of my wife everyday, and after moving her back to Winnipeg, trust me, it is an uphill battle, and to raise our four children together, three of whom we like.”

MARIETTA PELLETTIERI

Marietta is a lawyer who has been in both private and public practice since 1983. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba in 1979 and her law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1982. From 1985 until 2021, Marietta practised primarily in the areas of real estate, wills and estates at several mid-sized law firms in Winnipeg. She has also worked in several contract positions with Legal Aid Manitoba, primarily in the areas of youth and criminal in the distant past, and, more recently since 2010, in the areas of family and child protection law. She has been working with Legal Aid Manitoba as a staff lawyer primarily in the areas of family and child protection law since 2021. She also maintains a limited association in private practice primarily for international notarial, consulate and consultation services. She has been an instructor for MREA since 2013 and presented on various legal topics for the Law Society of Manitoba, Manitoba Bar Association, and many community interest groups. She enjoys walking, biking, birding, music and film, and best complimented with time with family and friends.

Module 4 Instructors

CLIFF KING

Cliff King has been a Module 4 Instructor since the redevelopment of MREA’s Salesperson Program. First licensed in 1985, Cliff has since worked for and managed several real estate brokerages, and he owned his own franchise for over 15 years. He is a past MREA President (1997) and a past Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board (WRREB) President (2004). He has served on numerous MREA and WRREB committees. Presently, Cliff is the Chair of the MREA Real Estate Advisory Committee and chair of the WRREB Citizen’s Hall of Fame. He brings a great deal of experience to Module 4 classes and enjoys being involved in the education of real estate students.

LAURA ROSS

Laura Ross is a 26-year veteran of the real estate profession. She has been a Module 4 Instructor since the redevelopment of MREA’s Salesperson Program and brings a wealth of real estate knowledge to the position. Laura has given back to the real estate profession both as an educator and by volunteering extensively with both MREA and Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board (WRREB). She is a highly decorated registrant and a multi-year recipient of the WRREB Medallion Award Program. Laura has also received the Silver Board Builder Award and a Gold Award for Professional Development from WRREB. She is an enthusiastic instructor, and her generosity extends to volunteering beyond the real estate profession.

RENA PREFONTAINE

Rena Prefontaine joined us as a Module 4 instructor in January 2022. She has been a proud Realtor since 2010. She is passionate about her industry and truly believes that the only way to keep a high standard of professionalism in any industry is to give back. She has served on many committees for both the WRREB and MREA, including the Education and Professional Standards committees. Rena is currently serving as the President-Elect from the WRREB and is excited to transition into her role as President in April 2023. In 2015, Rena took her Real Estate brokers license and has been in a managing role ever since. Rena opened a new real estate firm in 2021 and has been instrumental in its quick growth across our province. Sharing her experience, strength and hope is truly the driving force behind all that she does for our industry.

ROBERTA WEISS

Roberta Weiss is a veteran of the Winnipeg real estate market and a very active service member in the industry. She has taught Module 4 for MREA since 2017 and is the current chair of MREA’s Education Committee. Roberta has been a member of the MREA’s Board of Directors for most of the past eight years, serving several years as an executive member and as president in 2015. Her service has extended to other MREA committees, as well as several Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board committees, including Professional Standards, Sales Division, Board of Directors, etc. She is a highly decorated registrant and was named REALTOR® of the Year in 2017. Roberta brings a remarkable wealth of knowledge and experience to the Module 4 program.

MANDY KING

In 2006, Mandy King obtained her REALTOR® license and went on to achieve numerous accolades for her outstanding performance over the years. Her exceptional contributions eventually led to her assuming the role of trainer for new agents within her organization, where she also authored a comprehensive training manual for her team. In 2019, she became part owner of her own successful brokerage. Mandy served as a highly esteemed member of the Brandon Area Realtors (BAR) board from 2017 to 2021, even serving as the President in the year 2020. With more than five years of dedicated service on the MREA Education Committee and now serving as its Chair, Mandy recognizes the critical importance of delivering top-notch education for aspiring professionals entering the real estate industry. Her compassion, expertise, and extensive experience will undoubtedly prove invaluable to individuals pursuing a fulfilling career in real estate!