The Chicago Association of REALTORS® proudly presented our 139th Annual Inaugural Gala on Friday, September 23. During the festivities, we debuted our 2023 Board of Directors and honored several members for their contributions throughout the year, including the recipient of the REALTOR® Achievement Award.
The REALTOR® Achievement Award recognizes a REALTOR® in good standing with at least five years in the field, who demonstrates positive leadership within their local association and is active at the local, state and national levels.
REALTOR® ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Matt Difanis, RE/MAX Realty Associates
Matt Difanis has helped lead the way in REALTOR® diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at every level. He co-chaired the Presidential Advisory Group that resulted in the creation of our Leadership Accelerator program. He also participated in the work group that organized the first-of-its-kind event, the Chicago REALTORS® 360° Summit: Leading with Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, which took place in June. In 2020, he chaired the National Association of REALTORS® Professional Standards Committee, where he spearheaded the effort to ban hate speech in the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. In 2018, as the president of the Illinois REALTORS®, he was outspoken about the need to examine the role the association played in promoting fair housing and equity. Matt is also active in many of our Industry Partner organizations, including the Chicago chapters of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, the Asian Real Estate Association of American, the Dearborn REALTIST® Board and the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance.