Titans of Industry: Women in Real Estate Event Toolkit For Attendees

As a mortgage powerhouse, who works hard for her clients and celebrates with them as well, Tammy Hajjar Miller provides home loans across the United States for primary, second, and investment properties – helping over 2,500 families thus far in her career since 2005.

Emigrating from South Korea in 1976, Tammy’s passion for the American Dream is really the continued mission of her mom – to build generational wealth through real estate. Graduating from DePaul University Business School with an Accounting/Finance degree, Tammy felt fortunate to find a career in mortgage lending as the perfect marriage of numbers and people. 

The success of Team Tammy can be attributed to their focus on financial education coupled with a 1st Class client experience: a clear process, timely communications and even some FUN! 

Tammy is a daughter, mother, wife, coach, businesswoman and friend, but it would all be in vain if it wasn’t for Bernie, her AWESOME husband, and their BEAUTIFUL blended family: Cheyenne, Isabel, Henry, Nicholas, Harrison AND goldendoodle, Bentley. 

Ultimately here to live out her motto: 
Have Fun. Make Money. Make a Difference! 

Feeling confined to a cubicle for 10-plus hours a day, Keisha Williams made the bold decision to leave a career in mortgage lending to pursue a future in real estate. 
 
Fifteen years later, it’s clear she made the right choice. “My clients love how hands-on I am,” says Williams, a broker with Fulton Grace Realty who assists buyers and sellers throughout Chicagoland. “I walk them through each step of the process, ensuring clear communication and accessibility.” 
Williams takes immense pride in her work. She has established systems to ensure smooth transactions and continually educates herself on market trends to keep her clients well-informed. 
 
“I love processes, but I also want my clients to have a little fun,” she says. Known for her thoughtfulness, Williams pays close attention to her clients’ interests and chooses personalized gifts she knows they’ll enjoy. She recently found a way to combine her love of design and real estate by selecting a small section of her clients’ new homes to decorate as a housewarming gift—a gesture that has been met with great appreciation. For out-of-town clients, she arranges car services during showings to help them get better acquainted with the area. 
 
Having lived in several neighborhoods across the city and suburbs, Williams brings an insider’s perspective to her work, offering clients valuable insights into what makes each community unique. She particularly enjoys witnessing neighborhoods transition and grow, with the South Loop and West Town being two of her favorites. 
 
Williams holds multiple certifications and designations, including Certified International Property Specialist, Real Estate Negotiation Expert, At Home with Diversity, and Accredited Buyer’s Representative, among others. In the past year, she launched KW Group, a small team she plans to expand. This new venture allows her to mentor other Realtors and assist with activities such as showings and appraisal appointments. 
 
Currently serving as the 2025 President of the Women’s Council of Realtors Chicago, Williams also received the 2023 CAR President’s Award. However, she says the highlight of 2024 by far was watching her eldest son get married. 

Pat Dowell, Alderman of the 3rd Ward, was a significant catalyst for the rebirth of the historic Bronzeville community that occurred in the 1990’s. She has an extensive background in urban planning and community development and was one of the primary architects of the Bronzeville Development Plan – which won a Burnham Award for excellence in planning. She is a former City Planner and Deputy Commissioner of Neighborhood Planning under former Mayors Harold Washington, Eugene Sawyer and Richard Daley. Formerly, Ms. Dowell was the executive director of the Near West Side Community Development Corporation where she built affordable housing and commercial retail space and provided social services and employment and financial counseling services to residents of Henry Horner Homes. In the mid 1990’s, she was the founding executive director of the Mid-South Planning and Development Commission and as a result of her leadership millions of dollars in development funding was allocated to the ward to preserve several historic Bronzeville landmarks. Finally, she was executive director of Chicago Public Allies, a national youth development organization. 

Ms. Dowell has a B.A. degree in Developmental Psychology from the University of Rochester and a Masters Degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. In the City Council, Alderman Dowell will be a member of the Housing and Real Estate, Transportation and the Public Way, Landmarks, Rules and Health Committees. 

Jill Beda Daniels is an experienced attorney, mediator and advocate. She focuses her practice on residential real estate, tax appeals and estate planning. Jill earned her law degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1999 and her undergraduate degree from Illinois Benedictine College (now Benedictine University) in 1995. She began her career as a litigator, trying and arbitrating 
hundreds of cases. 
 
Jill is a frequent speaker, regularly presenting to realtors and prospective home buyers.  
 
Jill is married to Peter Daniels, whom she met in law school. They reside in La Grange, IL, have a pied-à-terre in Streeterville and have four “adultish” children. She enjoys family time and travel.

Dr. Marilyn Griffin, MD, DFAPA, DFAACAP, board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist is an accomplished healthcare senior leader committed to improving health outcomes and expanding access to quality care. 
 
As the Behavioral Health Medical Director for Aetna Better Health® of Illinois, she oversees behavioral health programs serving over 370,000 individuals. Previously, she led clinical operations as the Medical Director of Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center. 
 
A Southside Chicagoan, Dr. Griffin engages in community initiatives from neighborhood cleanups to advocacy and youth mentorship. She serves on the board of Easterseals Serving Chicagoland and Greater Rockford and clinical advisory board for Open Roads. She is a proud member of the Chicago Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Second Vice President of Top Ladies of Distinction Inc., Evergreen Park Chicago Chapter. 
 
Dr. Griffin is a 2025 Honoree for Educating Our Community’s 2nd Annual Gala. This distinguished honor recognizes her outstanding contributions, achievements, and unwavering dedication to empowering communities. In addition, she has been selected as one of the 2025 Chicago Defender Women of Excellence honorees. This notable honor speaks to her unwavering commitment to excellence and profound impact on the field of medicine.  
 
Dr. Griffin earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. She completed a Triple Board Residency, training in General Pediatrics / General Psychiatry / Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, serving as chief resident.

Tammy Noll-Adams a REALTOR® from Atlanta, Georgia is the 2024 President-Elect for the National Women’s Council of REALTORS®.   
 
Tammy is the Southern Regional X-Celerater Coach for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers. She mentors with passion, guiding others to effectively strengthen and elevate their business skills and leadership vision to new heights.  
 
She is also the co-owner of Oliver Adams Property Management.  
 
Tammy has earned numerous production awards and has been recognized as a rising star in the Georgia Real Estate Community, including “Realtor of the Year” from the Metro South Association of REALTORS® and Member of the Year for Women’s Council of REALTORS® from the State of Georgia.  
 
She currently serves on her Local, State and National Associations where she has served in various roles from Local Director, State Director, Committee Chair and has been appointed by several Presidents to serve on advisory groups and task forces.  
 
Tammy is an RPAC Crystal R and President Circle Major Investor. She believes that her involvement and the influence of the Women’s Council have catapulted her career and success in the real estate industry.  
 
She is passionate about her family and her famous quote is “family first”.  And spends most of her spare time with her grandsons. 

Melanie Miller, of the EU|ME Group, is a dedicated landlord, investor, and multifamily investment specialist with a passion for helping others build generational wealth through real estate ownership. As co-founder of a Top Producing team, Melanie delivers a luxury real estate experience tailored to each client, leveraging cutting-edge integrative marketing, social media strategies, and efficient communication. 
 
A recognized industry leader, Melanie is a proud member of the National Association of Realtors’ 30 Under 30 and actively serves on the CAR YPN Board. Beyond her professional success, she is a devoted wife and mother of two, committed to creating her dream life while empowering others to do the same through real estate.

Chelsea C. Hayes, SPHR is responsible for overseeing our external affairs department and developing a long-term strategic vision for the department, the diversity committee, The 77, and the Foundation. She works alongside key stakeholders to increase the association’s presence throughout Chicago, further helping to ensure our communities are vibrant and thriving.  
 
Hayes is also the CEO at The Coaching Factory, an LA based Corporate Training & Development firm that specializes in interactive experiences on Inclusion, Leadership and Management. The Coaching Factory also provides counsel and Executive Coaching to CEOs and celebrities. Her clients include global powerhouse brands such as PepsiCo, General Mills, Yum! Brands, Morgan Stanley, Eli Lilly, Turner Construction, The Office of The Mayor of LA and Kendo an LVMH Company. 
 
Prior to founding The Coaching Factory, Chelsea was the Director of HR at the WNBA team, the Los Angeles Sparks after launching her career reporting directly to the Chief Diversity Officer at General Electric (GE). Chelsea earned two Bachelor’s Degrees from Purdue University and was recently named Purdue University’s Outstanding Alumni under 35. Chelsea went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Communication from Northwestern University and is a proud member of Northwestern University’s Council of 100-an invitation-only group of Northwestern’s top female alumna executives.

Amy Hall has built a distinguished career in commercial real estate since 1997, specializing in ground-up development, retail leasing and management, and full-service third-party real estate services. As COO of Caton Commercial, she leads day-to-day operations and implementing strategic growth. Previously, she directed development, operations and leasing at other commercial real estate firms. 
 
Amy is an expert in strategic planning, team leadership, business development, performance management, sales training, commercial property transactions, and asset repositioning. She has successfully guided mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances while mentoring teams toward high performance. 
 
A passionate advocate for professional development, Amy has educated, mentored, and trained industry professionals since 2005 through organizations like CAR, CCIM, the Goldie Initiative, and ICSC. She is a respected thought leader, actively contributing to industry conferences and education initiatives. She currently serves on the boards of CCIM IL Chapter, Chicago Association of Realtors, Chicago Association of Realtors CARPAC, the Goldie Initiative, and the ICSC Foundation. 
 
Beyond real estate, Amy is deeply committed to social justice, philanthropy and community service. She is an officer and past president of PEO IL Chapter MV, supports the O’Brien School for the Maasai, and previously served on the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra board. She volunteers with numerous charitable organizations, including The Amos Group, PADS, Family Shelter Services, and Feed My Starving Children. 
 
Amy holds a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Professional Development. 

Michelle is a passionate voice for fair housing and antiracism in the real estate industry. Under her leadership, in 2018, the Chicago Association of REALTORS® issued an apology for past actions in promoting inequality and segregation in Chicago. She has been a vocal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, penning an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune on the importance of ending segregation in real estate and issuing an Industry Call for Action seeking more equity for Black REALTORS® and fair and equal treatment for Black and minority property owners.  

Michelle Mills Clement is the CEO of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. An experienced association executive, Michelle previously served as president and CEO of the Commercial Brokers Association (CBA) in Seattle, WA, as association executive for the Washington State Commercial Association of REALTORS®, and as Executive Director of NAIOP Washington Chapter: The Commercial Real Estate Development Association. She is the Treasurer of the board of Association Forum and is a Fellow of ASAE: The Center for Association Excellence, an honor bestowed on less than 1% of the association’s membership. She was also appointed to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Under her leadership, the association hosted its first-ever diversity, equity and inclusion conference, the Chicago REALTORS® 360 Summit, which discussed how to build equitable solutions to shape Chicago’s future and take action to increase the bottom line. She also guided the launch of the association’s new diversity leadership incubator, the Leadership Accelerator, which mentors and provides critical leadership skill building for REALTORS® looking to advance their careers in the real estate industry. She has spoken out on these topics at the national level, including on behalf of the National Association of REALTORS®, and as cohost of a podcast focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion, Texts to Table, with three of her Black association executive peers. 

A native Chicagoan, she enjoys political campaign fundraising and volunteer management. She was integral in the election of Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL) from Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District. In 2019, Michelle was elected to the Board of Trustees for Bradley University; she is also active in Bradley’s Black Alumni Alliance, of which she is a past president. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and volunteers regularly with CREW Chicago (Commercial Real Estate Women) and the CREW Careers Program, which introduces the career of commercial real estate to girls ages 12 – 18 on Chicago’s west side. 

She has won many honors and awards, including Crain’s Chicago Business’s “40 Under 40” (2019), three-time Chicago Agent Magazine’s “Association CEO of the Year” (2021, 2020 and 2019), Connect CRE’s “2020 Women in Real Estate” award, twice Bisnow Chicago’s Commercial Real Estate “Power Woman & Rising Star,” (2020 and 2021), Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate’s Changemaker Award (2021) and was named to the prestigious Swanepoel Power 200 List of most powerful and influential executives and leaders in the residential real estate brokerage industry (2020), amongst others. She was also honored with the American Society of Association Executive’s Key Award, which is the highest honor for an association CEO. She was the first Black recipient of this award in its 60+ year history. 

Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Bradley University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from DePaul University. She has a certificate in commercial real estate from the University of Washington and has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification from ASAE and the REALTOR® Certified Executive (RCE) certification from the National Association of REALTORS®. Michelle lives in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago with her husband Brace and seven-year-old son Broyce. 

By working with REALTORS® and industry professionals, Amanda has become passionate about working with organization leaders and building the bridge that connects the best professionals in the industry with premier development opportunities, networks and programs.  
 
Amanda’s leadership philosophy includes a deep belief in dynamic, diverse teams that can support and empower the leaders of our industry to bring their best to the table – both personally and professionally. She’s focused on mission-driven leadership and inviting the right voices in the room to amplify opportunity for all.  
 
With a focus on continuous improvement, Amanda is an innovative and passionate executive driven to bring impact to Women’s Council through solutions and strategy. 

As Chief Brokerage Officer for @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, Amy Corr is responsible for directing the overall brokerage experience – including strategic planning, agent and company growth initiatives, and agent service – of one of the nation’s largest independent real estate firms.  
 
Amy joined @properties Christie’s International Real Estate in 2004 and quickly became a top-producing agent. She transitioned into a management role in 2010 and as Vice President of Brokerage Services spearheaded the firm’s expansion to Chicago’s North Shore suburbs. In 2019, Amy was promoted to Executive Vice President of Culture and Agent Development to oversee @properties Christie’s International Real Estate’s proprietary coaching, training, and agent-development programs. 
 
As a leader, coach, and mentor to nearly 4,000 real estate professionals, Amy has had a tremendous impact when it comes to helping agents grow their business while harnessing a successful, positive mindset. Her innate ability to inspire, motivate, and strategize shines in programs like Coffee with Amy and Kevin, a weekly video podcast that offers agents the tools and guidance needed to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving market. Meanwhile, her experience in every major brokerage role not only gives her a deep understanding of the industry, but also allows her to meet agents where they are in their individual careers and provide tailored support to help them be successful.  
 
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Amy graduated from Santa Clara University before moving to Chicago to work for a technology firm. She lives in Wilmette with her husband and two daughters. 

Amanda is the CEO and Executive Vice President of Women’s Council of REALTORS®. Amanda has been passionate about affecting positive change for communities and the real estate industry for over 15 years. Her experience blends leadership training, industry trends, sustainability of the built and natural environments, adult learning, strategic and sustainability planning, high performance team-building, and collaboration. Amanda brings the ability to build robust and mutually beneficial business relationships at all levels

Erika Villegas is not just a seasoned Realtor; she’s a dynamic force in the real estate landscape. As the Partner and Designated Managing Broker at REMAX In The Village in Oak Park, IL, Erika brings a wealth of experience and almost 20 years of expertise to the table. Born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago, her unique journey led her to live in Mexico during her teenage years, where she honed her fluency in Spanish.

Erika has solidified her position as one of the top residential Realtors in Chicagoland, catering to a diverse range of buyers and sellers. Her bilingual business platform provides a distinct advantage, enabling her to guide others toward sustainable homeownership while achieving her own ambitious real estate goals. Recognized as a top producer by the Chicago Association of Realtors, Erika has consistently been acknowledged as a Top 250 Latino Real Estate Agent in the country by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) since 2013.

Currently serving as the President of the Chicago Association of Realtors, Erika’s commitment to the Realtor community is evident through her service on various levels, earning her multiple accolades. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed, as she has been featured in esteemed publications such as the NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Ris Media, and Chicago Agent Magazine, highlighting her personal and professional triumphs.

Beyond her thriving real estate career, Erika dedicates countless hours to volunteering and passionately advocates for the unhoused immigrant community in Chicago. Outside of work, she finds joy in cooking, exploring new destinations through travel, and cherishing precious moments with her husband and children. Erika Villegas is not just a Realtor; she’s a multifaceted professional making a positive impact both in the real estate industry and the community she serves.