By Kelly Pessis
Malibu Association of Realtors 2017-Present
As the chair of our Malibu Association of REALTORS® (MAR) Long Range Planning and Innovation, I am proud to reflect on our members’ hard work, community service, and collective achievements in 2025. This was a challenging year for Malibu, businesses, and the community.
MAR is Malibu’s largest professional organization, with over 1,000 members. A full quarter of our executive board lost their homes in the Palisades Fire. But, like the resilience that is the heart of our beloved town, so is that of our members. We hurt, stumble, and re-emerge, just as the phoenix, just as our beautiful Malibu.
Below is a partial list of 21 contributions, one for each of Malibu’s 21 Miles, delivered by our MAR Members
- Veterans Day Event — Produced for 26 years by MAR Director and Past President Ani Dermenjian, with sponsorship funds from MAR.
- MAR Hosted Malibu City Council Candidates Forum — Fully produced and funded by MAR.
- Annual Donation to the Malibu High School Scholarship Fund.
- Support for Local Families & Seniors in Need — Member-led food, clothing, and emergency assistance drives.
- Malibu Rebuilding Symposium — MAR-produced and funded, guiding fire victims through complex rebuild processes with the enthusiastic assistance of Pepperdine University.
- Hero of the Quarter Awards — Celebrating extraordinary contributions of members that go above and beyond serving the needs of the community, performing charitable and heroic acts, and promoting positivity.
- MAR Beach Cleanups — Bi-monthly trash collection on our local beaches.
- Health & Wellness Week — A full week of lectures, classes, and community wellness events by renowned speakers and instructors.
- Malibu High Grad Night Sponsorship. Funding and promoting safe and sober celebration for our graduating senior class.
- Funding provided to Topanga Enrichment Program (TEP), supporting enriched educational experiences for Topanga Elementary students.
- Funding and collaboration with the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a renowned property-owners’ advocacy and defense nonprofit.
- The complete Overhaul of the Malibu/Topanga Real Estate Local Advisory Conditions Form — Providing essential buyer education of local conditions.
- Malibu Charitable Fund — Direct cash donations to those who have immediate unmet needs.
- Support of Local Businesses MAR purchased gift cards from Malibu merchants and donated them to fire victims.
- Creation & Promotion of “Dine Local” Events — Supporting restaurants during and after the PCH closure.
- Education funding, support, and promotion of local and regional public education initiatives.
- Donor to Neighborhood Housing Services of LA, supporting affordable housing programs.
- Creator of the “Slow Your Pace on PCH” campaign, promoting safety across PCH.
- Sponsorship and Membership in Smart Coast California, advocating for science-based coastal policy and sea-level modeling.
- Countless hours of Arson Watch Patrols, CERT training, and staffing PCH Pass Centers by MAR members.
- Donation to and support of Many Mansions, a nonprofit providing affordable housing and wraparound services to the homeless.
We are so proud of how our members accomplished all of this while grappling with their own losses and challenges. It proved one thing: Realtors don’t just serve Malibu — they ARE Malibu. They show up, step in, support each other and the community, and do so without hesitation. Malibu has its challenges, indeed, but we also have the spirit of ohana — the belief that we take care of one another as family.
From our family to yours, MAR extends our wishes for peace, resilience, and happiness in the new year.