When Ashby & Graff first launched in 2017, John mandated that any content produced by the company would always endeavour to reflect the diversity of America, so everyone who encounters the Ashby & Graff brand will instantly know they are welcome and can count on being provided the same effective, honest, and ethical service afforded all clients. John, who is openly gay, says his own personal experiences with discrimination and feeling unrepresented motivated his decree that affects all content, social media and other marketing produced by the company. Externally, John serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of REALTORS and the California Association of REALTORS where he is heavily involved in promoting minority homeownership, especially among the African-American community which suffers from the lowest rate of homeownership of any group in the US. At the national level, he serves on the Multi-Cultural Leadership Advisory Council, which convenes the leaders of the various multicultural real estate organizations in the United States including the National Assoc. of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), the National Assoc. of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), the National Assoc. of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), the Asian Real Estate Association (AREA), and the Women’s Council of REALTORS (WCR). He currently represents NAGLREP on the council, but works collaboratively with his friends from NAREB and other organizations to find solutions to discrimination against Black Americans in housing.