“I want to take this moment to give a special thanks to Melissa Bond and the 17 individuals who took the leap and became the first in the country to create a lasting impact on a profession that is so badly in need of new and diverse professionals,” said Jim Park, Executive Director of the Appraisal Subcommittee.

Mississippi is leading the nation with this innovative pathway to licensure; this MPAT Program is the pilot program for the nation and will help to alleviate barriers to entry. The program is designed to augment the current real property appraiser population within our state, specifically focusing on the areas of the state that have an insufficient number of appraisers. It is also the intention of this program to seek out individuals who will better reflect the state's overall population by actively recruiting a more diverse group of underrepresented individuals.

This ceremony marks the celebration of the first State Appraiser and AMC Regulatory Program in United States history to accept a federal grant by partnering with the Appraisal Subcommittee to provide increased opportunities, especially for women and people of color. This partnership is the foundation of a deliberate activation for improving equity in the appraisal industry.

Jim Park states, “The public trust in the profession is suffering because of stories about apparent bias and the lack of diversity. What Mississippi is doing is a beginning to restoring this public trust. We know that credible, reliable, and accurate appraisals are pillars of the residential and commercial lending process. Once we can restore confidence in our effectiveness and fairness, we will bolster trust in the entire lending process.”