Matt Difanis, 2018 president, Illinois REALTORS® and broker/owner of RE/MAX Realty Associates in Champaign, Mahomet and Monticello
Dan Wagner, president-elect of Illinois REALTORS® and senior vice president of government relations for The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc.
Douglas Carpenter, immediate past president of Illinois REALTORS® and managing broker, Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group
Edwin R. Neaves, treasurer of Illinois REALTORS® and managing broker of Berkshire Hathaway Snyder Real Estate
They are employed by different companies, but Illinois REALTORS® officers share the same values as they represent the state’s real estate industry.
Matt Difanis, 2018 president of Illinois REALTORS®, is a broker/owner of RE/MAX Realty Associates in Champaign, Mahomet and Monticello, markets which serve a global clientele. Difanis helped lead the association’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act and has committed much of his time to building relationships with minority real estate organizations. “As an association, we remain strongest if we can reflect and honor the many groups that make up our state’s rich cultural tapestry,” he says.
When he worked to educate Congress on the need to protect the 1031 Like Kind Exchange, Dan Wagner drew from his career in government to benefit the real estate industry. Wagner, senior vice president of government relations for The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. and president-elect of Illinois REALTORS®, partnered with NAR to educate Congress on the issue. “They finally realized just how important 1031 was for jobs and our economy,” he says. In 2017, Wagner was named REALTOR® of the Year by the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. He is a strong supporter of finding ways for the real estate industry to work with conservation groups to enhance communities.
Doug Carpenter, immediate past president of Illinois REALTORS®, helped lead the association through its 100th year of providing advocacy, education and legal guidance for its 47,000-plus members. He represented the state’s real estate industry in France and Japan. Carpenter, managing broker of Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and the Illinois REALTORS® RPAC Halls of Fame.
Edwin Neaves’ work as an industry advocate has earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from his local association, the Bloomington-Normal Association of REALTORS®. Passionate about protecting private property rights, Neaves has been honored with top political involvement awards from the state and national REALTOR® associations. Neaves, managing broker at Berkshire Hathaway Snyder Real Estate Bloomington, is the Illinois REALTORS® treasurer. “We represent all economic segments of the state,” he says of the association’s role. “That gives us credibility as an organization that cares about the communities we serve.”
