Education has played a major role in Sue Miller’s life, in her development as a real estate professional and eventually becoming the Illinois REALTORS® 96th president in 2021.
The lifelong McHenry resident has used her love of learning to shape her own career, help colleagues develop and lend a hand to the families and friends of REALTOR® members. It is part of the reason the designated managing broker for Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group says, “Real estate isn’t buying and selling. It is teaching the public to make better decisions.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in education, Miller taught for a year, then worked in a veterinarian’s office, ran a resale store and dabbled with rehabbing properties before she decided that selling real estate might be her best career option.
Illinois REALTORS® 2021 President Sue Miller enjoys the view from the McHenry Riverwalk pedestrian bridge. All photos by Brilliant Bee Photography LLC
“My grandfather was a developer and my grandmother was a silent developer, before women could work in that profession, the driving force behind my grandfather’s success,” she says. “So real estate is in my DNA. I saw the connection with it as a teacher/mentor.”
Miller enjoyed the pre-license and post-license training so much that she became a broker and an industry trainer. Over the years, she has earned 11 designations: ABR, BPOR, C2EX, CRB, CRS, GRI, ePro, LTG, PMN, SFR and SRS. She has advocated for rigorous standards for trainers, and she’s leaned on the advice of more experienced professionals to shape her thinking and the ways she runs her own business.
Early influences in her career she says, included positive reinforcement from her grandmother, her stepfather, her fourth-grade teacher, former local association executives Yvonne Beer, Gerri Keating and Peggy Kayser. And one of the first persons she worked for in her real estate career played a key role.
“Jim Schaid, the broker-owner of RE/MAX Plaza, told me I had to give back to the real estate industry,” says Miller. “He encouraged me to get involved in the local association and work on committees. REALTORS® Toni Sherman, John C. Kmiecik and Jim Kinney all helped me as leaders. They taught me to develop others as future leaders through our phone calls, Facebook posts and face-to-face conversations.”
REALTORS® Lynn Madison and Sue Wiskowski-Fair as well as Illinois REALTORS® General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Services Betsy Urbance continue to inspire her and provide a wealth of valuable information.
Wiskowski-Fair, a broker for Realty Executives Premiere in Aurora, says, “I view her as a bright, able and thoughtful REALTOR®. She doesn’t always say ‘yes,’ and that is a good thing. She won’t go along to get along.”
What will it be like in 2021?
As REALTORS® across Illinois strive to safely serve consumers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Miller is hopeful the economy, the industry and local communities will continue to adapt to changing conditions.
“As the 12th woman president, I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Miller. “We’re making succession plans, analyzing everything. My role is to be the messenger for Jeff (Baker, who will become Illinois REALTORS® CEO in 2021).
“We’re all coming out of the pandemic looking forward. Welcome to 2021. It’s going to be difficult, but it’s going to be OK,” says Miller. “The pandemic has affected everyone. We need to help our members find their way back to normal. Everyone knows me. If there’s anything good, I will try to maximize the opportunity through ROI (Revitalize, Opportunity, Influence).
“I want to make sure the Real Estate Educational Foundation (REEF) becomes more visible to our members. It’s done a lot of good over the years. We’ve given out nearly $800,000 in scholarships so far, and we’ve invested that in our industry. I want to continue to drive great ideas through our leadership so that legacy can continue for the next 20 years.”
Miller served on the REEF Board of Directors from 2009 through 2019. In 2017 and 2018, she led the foundation as its president. According to Kinney, she effectively lobbied the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors to dedicate a small portion of each association member’s annual dues to be given to REEF every three years.
10 questions with Sue Miller
- How would you describe your leadership style? Consensus/Team/Collaborate – discuss and build – work together – all for one and one for all!
- What has been your greatest accomplishment, personally or professionally? Learning to influence others effectively, as a real estate professional, a leader, a teacher, a volunteer or as a resident of McHenry.
- What is your favorite part of the real estate business? No two days are alike and assisting others in making their best decisions.
- What is the best real estate advice you ever received? Best life advice … two ears, one mouth. Listen twice as much as you speak.
- If you weren’t a REALTOR®, what would your other dream job be? Real Estate Educator/Speaker/Lawyer
- What do you like to do with your free time? Tinker, garden, wander, cook, fix things
- What is your favorite vacation destination? Anywhere “UP north”
- What’s the last good book you read? Mandela’s Way: Lessons for an Uncertain Age by Richard Stengel
- What’s something people would be surprised to know about you? I own a gravel pit and an auto shop that specializes in hot rods. I love cars.
- If you could have lunch with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be? Abraham Lincoln and Amelia Earhart, two loves of my life, together.
REEF, GRI and paying it forward
“Sue and I have been friends for a long time,” says Kinney, the Illinois REALTORS® 2015 president and a longtime supporter of REEF. “We’ve served on many committees together, we were both GRI Governors. She has always been a leader.
“When you run your own company, you have to be on the cutting edge to stay competitive,” says Kinney. “That’s something that always meant a lot to me, and I know it meant a lot to Sue.”
Dixon-area REALTOR® Vicky Turner of Crawford Realty, LLC, says she got to know Miller better when they served as GRI Governors, monitoring adult students during testing.
“When you think of the REALTOR® family, she is like a ‘friendship ambassador,’” says Turner. At state or national REALTOR® events, Miller seeks out members who look alone and in need of a friendly welcome. “I was once one of those people, coming from a small association and a rural area. One of her biggest attributes is to make you feel completely comfortable. She is so friendly and so welcoming to everyone.
“Her kindness has stayed with me, and I try to do the same whenever I see someone who might need help navigating an Illinois REALTORS® event,” she says. “In fact, you will find many REALTORS® who have benefited from that same experience with Sue and continue to pass it on.”
Heartland REALTOR® Organization CEO Jim Haisler says: “I’ve worked with Sue Miller for 14 years and right from the start she proved herself a leader. She helped me develop relationships and my own leadership skills. She has been a true asset to the industry and to me personally. The more I got to know her, I could see her influence on the state and national levels, too.”
(left) Sue Miller adopted Blanche from a rescue and offers books for McHenry residents to borrow from the mini library outside her home. (right) Sue Miller was elected McHenry’s Ward 7 Alderwoman in 2019. All photos by Brilliant Bee Photography LLC
Involvement and influence
Miller has been a member of several local associations during her career, twice a local president and once a local REALTOR® of the Year. On the state level, she has been involved with numerous committees, task forces and working groups during the last 20 years. She was part of the 2014 Leadership Development Class, and has chaired the Grievance Committee, the Ethics Citation Panel, the Business Issues and License Law Forum, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Education Working Group and the Finance Committee.
In 2013, she received the Illinois REALTORS® Distinguished Service Award, and in 2017, she was honored as the state REALTOR® of the Year.
Miller also has a history of community involvement. She’s held leadership positions with the McHenry Nunda Public Library District, the Riverside Area Business Association and the Imagine McHenry County nonprofit growth planning group. She has been a longtime board member for the McHenry Elementary Foundation and the McHenry Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, she received the McHenry Chamber of Commerce Woman of Accomplishment Award.
But it was in 2019 that she took on one of her greatest challenges – running for McHenry Ward 7 alderwoman. She gave considerable thought to the idea before deciding she could make a positive impact.
Miller says the growing city is at a tipping point so when the only female member of the city council stepped down, Miller agreed to replace her, with the goal of adding a REALTOR® perspective while also moving a community-focused agenda forward.
“REALTORS® understand the value of property ownership and taxes, and we have learned the importance of educating, advocating and communicating our ideas to all stakeholders,” she says. “City government typically makes slow decisions and forgets to tell the whole story. I can help with that.”
