Illinois REALTORS® 2024 President Matt Silver awarded Presidential Medallions to REALTORS® Matt Difanis, Kinga Korpacz, Sarah Ware and Deena Zimmerman at the association’s Fall Business Meetings in Oak Brook.
Outgoing presidents annually award the medallions to people who make significant contributions to the association and the real estate industry.
Champaign area REALTOR® Matt Difanis of RE/MAX Realty Associates was honored for his role as 2024 National Association of REALTORS (NAR) Association Leadership Liaison.
Rolling Meadows REALTOR® Kinga Korpacz of EXIT Realty Redefined received a medallion for stepping in to chair the Illinois REALTORS® Local Government Affairs Committee in 2024.
Chicago REALTOR® Sarah Ware of the Ware Realty Group LLC was honored for serving as the 2024 NAR Housing Issues Liaison.
Chicago REALTOR® Deena Zimmerman of Baum Realty Group received a medallion for her role as 2024 NAR Commercial & Industry Specialties Liaison.
More about this year’s Presidential Medallion winners:
Matt Difanis
Matt Difanis, broker-owner of RE/MAX Realty Associates of Champaign, is the 2024 Association Leadership Liaison. For NAR, he’s served on multiple committees since 2013, serving as chair of the 2020 Professional Standards Committee and chair of the 2022 Professional Standards Interpretations and Procedures Advisory Board.
Difanis was the 2018 Illinois REALTORS® president, is a current member of its board of directors, and has been heavily involved in state committees for more than 13 years, chairing several committees, including the 2021 Nominating Committee and the 2020 Performance/Compensation Review Committee. He was a member of the 2014 Illinois REALTORS® Leadership Development Class and has served in numerous leadership positions at the local level, including president and board of directors.
Kinga Korpacz
Kinga Korpacz, broker-owner of EXIT Realty Redefined, stepped in to chair the Illinois REALTORS® Local Government Affairs Committee in 2024. The committee studies and analyzes real estate issues regulated or governed by local governments.
Korpacz is a 2018 graduate of the Illinois REALTORS® Leadership Development Class and has served in a number of leadership roles with the state association including: chair of the REALTORS® Political Involvement Working Group and the RPAC Fundraising Working Group and serving on the 2024 Board of Directors. She also is the Federal Political Coordinator to Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Sarah Ware
Sarah Ware, principal and designated managing broker of Ware Realty Group, LLC, is the 2024 NAR Housing Issues Liaison. Since 2015, she has served on multiple NAR committees, including chair of the Smart Growth Advisory Board (twice), Public Policy Coordinating Committee and Housing Opportunity Committee. For Illinois REALTORS®, she’s served on many committees during the last decade, including chair of the Business Issues Forum and chair of the Housing Opportunity Working Group.
Ware is a 2016 graduate of the Illinois REALTORS® Leadership Development Class. She is the immediate past president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® (CAR), is a State Legislative Contact for Rep. Lamont Robinson of Chicago and has served on the board of directors for CAR, Illinois REALTORS® and NAR.
Deena Zimmerman
Deena Zimmerman, principal at Baum Realty Group, is the 2024 Commercial & Industry Specialties Liaison. She was involved in numerous NAR committees for eight years. She’s served on state association committees, including chair of the Commercial/Industrial/Investment Committee and the Young Professionals Network.
Zimmerman is a former State Legislative Contact, too. She was a member of the 2014 Illinois REALTORS® Leadership Development Class.
