Let’s recap the recognition some Illinois REALTORS® received during the year because of the significant ways they impacted their colleagues, communities and marketplace. With too many good stories to fit in one blog post, today’s story will feature the Chicago Association of REALTORS® CEO Ginger Downs.

At the NAR Conference & Expo in Chicago last fall, Downs received the 2017 William R. Magel Award from NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall at the NAR Board of Directors’ meeting.

Downs has served in her current position since October 2005, but before coming to Chicago she was an executive officer in six different REALTOR® associations. Her designations include: REALTORS® Certified Executive (RCE), Certified Association Executive (CAE), Graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management (IOM) and the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS). So it should be no surprise that she supports professional development and holds seats on several real estate advisory boards: John Marshall Law School, Roosevelt University’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, DePaul University, and the Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Real Estate Initiative.

Ginger Downs

She has a history of service with state and national levels of REALTOR® associations. She is a member of the RPAC Hall of Fame at the $25,000 level, a President’s Circle and Golden R contributor to RPAC. She is a member of the NAR Board of Directors and was the 2012 chair of the NAR Association Executives Committee.

(This is the fifth in a series of blog posts about Illinois REALTORS® who were recognized for their achievements in 2017. Watch this blog daily through the end of the year for more success stories.)