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The October Business Meetings will mark the end of terms for five members of the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors: Ron Abrams, Andrew Cook, Sue Miller, Michael Onorato and Michael Parent. Also, Mike Drews, 2016 president, completed his four years in leadership and leaves the board.

Each has been involved in leadership positions for the association. On behalf of Illinois REALTORS®, thank you to these members for their devotion to the organization, the profession and private property owners.

Drews

Mike Drews

REALTOR® Mike Drews, GRI, of Aurora is the 2017 Immediate Past President of the Illinois REALTORS®. A broker associate with Charles B. Doss & Co. in Aurora, and he is an RPAC Sterling R Major Investor.

Active in the real estate industry since 1979, Drews has donated his time and expertise to the REALTOR® organization at the local, state and national level. A past president of the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®, he also has served as chairman of various local committees. He was named REALTOR® of the Year in 2011 by the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® and REALTOR® Associate of the Year in 1990 by the Greater Aurora Association of REALTORS®.

For the Illinois REALTORS®, Drews has served on numerous committees and working groups including: the Executive, Finance, Broker/Lawyer Liaison and Strategic Planning committees and the Professional Development Member Involvement Group. He led the state association as president in 2016.

On the statewide and national level, Drews has been committed to the issue of industry ethics and professional standards. He is a three-time chair of the Illinois REALTORS® Professional Standards Committee and has served repeated appointments as a member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Professional Standards Committee.

In 2011, Drews was awarded the Illinois REALTORS® Political Involvement Award honoring members who have shown outstanding achievement in the political and legislative activities of the REALTOR® association and grassroots involvement. He is a Major Investor to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) and is a member of NAR’s President’s Circle. He serves as the Federal Political Coordinator for Congressman Randy Hultgren and is the key State Legislative Contact for State Representative Keith Wheeler. Drews chaired the Illinois REALTORS® Political Involvement Committee in 2011 and has been a member of NAR’s REALTORS® Political Involvement Committee, now known as the REALTOR® Party Member Involvement Committee, since 2008.

Abrams

Ron Abrams

Abrams, the managing broker of Silver Property Group, Ltd., in Chicago, and has 19 years of experience as a real estate developer and investor. He also has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney. He is principal of the Law Offices of Ron D. Abrams PC and pursues property tax appeals in Cook County.

He has served on the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors since 2012, and is an RPAC Sterling R Major Investor. Abrams was vice chair of the Public Policy & Governmental Affairs Major Investors Working Group in 2014, and chair in 2015. His other state committees include: State Legislative Contacts Working Group, Finance Committee and Strategic Planning Committee.

He’s also served multiple terms on the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors, chaired the Government Affairs Committee and has collaborated with many city and state elected representatives. In 2015, the Chicago Association of REALTORS® honored him as its REALTOR® of the Year.

Cook

Andrew Cook

Cook is a broker for Coldwell Banker office in Morris. He’s been on the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He is an RPAC Sterling R Major Investor. He chaired the Illinois General Assembly & Statewide IE Committee in 2016 and 2017 as well as the REALTORS® Political Involvement Committee in 2013.

Cook’s other state committees have included: State Legislative Contacts Working Group, Public Policy & Government Affairs MIG and Business Issues-License Law.

For the Three Rivers Association of REALTORS®, Cook served as president in 2010-11, chaired the Finance Committee in 2009-10 and was its vice chair in 2008-09. He also worked on the association’s Government Affairs Committee for eight years, with two terms as vice chair. He was also a member of the Grievance Committee.

Miller

Sue Miller

Miller, the managing broker of Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group in McHenry, was a winner of the Illinois REALTORS® Distinguished Service Award. An RPAC Sterling R Major Investor, she’s served 11 years on the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors.

Miller has served on multiple state committees since 1999, with stints as chair of the: 2003 Technology Working Group, 2007 Grievance Committee, 2008 Education Working Group, 2012 Education Working Group, 2015 Grievance Committee and 2017 Ethics Citation Panel.

Her other state committees have included: Strategic Planning Committee, State Legislative Contacts Working Group, REEF Directors, Public Policy & Government Affairs MIG, Professional Standards Committee, Digital Communications & Tech Trends Working Group, Business Issues-License Law Forum Committee and the Audit Committee. An industry trainer, she is committed to promoting education, ethics and professional development. She is a long-time member of the REEF board of directors.

Miller served two terms as president of her local association (Heartland REALTOR Organization) and was twice honored as its REALTOR® of the Year. She has been active with the National Association of REALTORS®, is a member of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® and is a past president of the Illinois Chapter of the Council of Residential Specialists.

Onorato

Michael Onorato

Onorato, the broker-owner of Onorato Real Estate in Coal City, was the Illinois REALTORS® president in 2010. He is an RPAC Sterling R Major Investor and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

He’s served on countless state committees since 1993, including the board of directors from 2008 through 2017. He’s been chair of the: 2004, 2005 and 2006 REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) Trustees Committee, 2008 Finance Committee, 2009 Strategic Planning Committee, 2010 Executive Committee, 2010 Leadership Committee, 2010 NAR Political Advisory Working Group, 2012 Advisory Council and 2012 Performance-Compensation Review Committee.

Onorato is an active longtime member of the Three Rivers Association of REALTORS® and the Illinois REALTORS®. In 2014, he was elected to the Grundy County Board in District Three. Prior to that, he served on the Grundy County Board of Review, helping residents resolve problems with property tax disputes.

Parent

Michael Parent

Parent, a managing broker and vice president branch manager for the Glen Ellyn and Naperville offices of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff Realty Group, is an RPAC Sterling R Major Investor. He was a member of the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors from 2013-2017.

He’s served on numerous state committees since 2011 when he became involved with the Young Professionals Network. He served as chair of the 2016 Political Fundraising Working Group. His other committee involvement has included the: RPAC Trustees; State Legislative Contacts Working Group, RPAC Major Investor Working Group, Professional Standards Committee, Digital Communications & Tech Trends Working Group, Business Issues-License Law Forum Committee.

He’s also been involved in leadership positions with the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®, once serving as its president.