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Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed six Illinois REALTORS® to the Illinois Real Estate Administration and Disciplinary (READ) board.
The READ board reviews disciplinary cases involving real estate licensees, and can recommend penalties that may include fines, suspensions and license revocations based on findings.
The appointees are:
Denise Akason is the associate director of the real estate program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston and is still active with CNS Real Estate, Inc. in Lake Forest. At Northwestern, she manages all aspects of the Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) curriculum, creating and teaching courses. Prior to joining Northwestern, Akason was a full-time residential real estate broker with CNS and Prudential Preferred Properties. She also served as a real estate litigation consultant for Arthur Andersen LLP and Cooper and Lybrand LLP.
Joe Castillo is the owner, president and managing broker of ERA Mi Casa Real Estate in Chicago. He was the 2016 Managing Broker of the Year for the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. He serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) and has been listed on the NAHREP list of Top 250 Latino Agents in the United States since 2012. He was the 2016 president of the Chicago NAHREP chapter.
Laura Ellis is the president of residential sales and executive vice president of Baird & Warner in the Chicago Loop. Ellis has responsibility for the daily responsibilities of residential sales and is a member of the executive committee. Prior positions include Baird & Warner senior vice president of sales and the sales manager of the Baird & Warner Bolingbrook office. Prior to these positions, Ellis served as a manager and certified trainer for Century 21, and as an agent.
David Maloof, CCIM, SIOR, is the president and managing broker of Maloof Commercial Real Estate Company in Peoria. He’s responsible for consultative real estate brokerage, tenant representation, landlord/owner representation, lease acquisition, sales acquisition and brokerage price opinions, office construction feasibility and multi- market office/warehouse requirements. He also has ownership positions in several limited partnerships responsible for the development of commercial properties in a three-county area. He is a member of the Northern Illinois Commercial Association of REALTORS®, Illinois REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.
Carol Meinhart, GRI, SRS, BPOR, MRP, SFR, is a broker with RE/MAX Choice in Champaign. She is a member of the Champaign County Association of REALTORS®, the Illinois REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®. She’s served as president of the Champaign County Women’s Council of REALTORS®. In 2017, she was appointed to the City of Champaign Historic Preservation Commission.
Michael Prodehl is the chief executive officer and president of Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group in Joliet. He oversees daily operations for more than 1,300 agents and 250 employees at more than 50 real estate offices. He started his real estate career as an agent in 1994 and as he gained experience and enjoyed success, he served in a number of management roles in his family’s business. As its executive vice president he led the company’s growth through mergers, acquisitions and strong recruitment.
