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Stay current on industry issues with daily news from Illinois REALTORS®, network with other professionals, attend a seminar, and keep up with industry trends through events throughout the year.
Alan Rossell, Karen Sheesley, Kris Rosser Schmitt and Bonita Willis will be among local Illinois association REALTORS® of the Year (ROTY) honored April 24 at the 2023 REALTOR® of the Year Banquet in Springfield. Register to attend now.
The ROTY award recognizes members who have done exceptional work to advance their association and the real estate industry.
Rossell is the local ROTY for the Oak Park Area Association of REALTORS®. The broker-owner of the Jack Carpenter Organization in Oak Park received REALTOR® Emeritus status in 2013. During his 55 years in Oak Park, Rossell has worn many hats representing the association, the community and the industry. He was an early advocate of fair housing and worked with like-minded individuals to integrate the communities he served. He holds licenses as a managing broker, CE instructor, appraiser and community association manager.
Sheesley and Rosser Schmitt are co-ROTYs for the Southwestern Illinois Board of REALTORS®. Sheesley is a broker for RE/MAX Preferred in O’Fallon who has served on state committees and as a state legislative contact. Rosser Schmitt is the designated managing broker for KRS Realty LLC in St. Louis and has served on numerous state committees, including 2023 chair of the Conference & Expo Working Group. Sheesley and Rosser Schmitt served as co-chairs of a task force assigned with merging two local REALTOR® associations and hiring a new CEO to manage the new organization. Their collaboration and devotion to giving the new association a great start was key to the recognition they received.
Willis is the local ROTY for the HomeTown Association of REALTORS® and is a designated managing broker for Woodhaven Lakes Realty, Inc., in Sublette. She served as the 2021 and 2022 HomeTown president, is a member of the Lee County Tourism Council and a member of the Blackhawk Waterways Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Rossell, Sheesley, Rosser Schmitt and Willis will join Illinois REALTOR® of the Year Ezekiel “Zeke” Morris, designated managing broker of EXIT Strategy Realty/EMA Management, South Side of Chicago, at the President Abraham Lincoln DoubleTree Hotel. The reception begins at 6 p.m., April 24, followed by the dinner and program at 6:30 p.m.
The ROTY Banquet is sponsored by the Illinois REALTORS® to support the Illinois Real Estate Educational Foundation (REEF).
(This is the seventh and final article in a series featuring 23 local REALTORS® of the Year. See the previous articles now.)
