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We speak with two REALTORS® who’ve walked the halls on Capitol Hill and in their home state of Illinois to push initiatives protecting property rights and promoting a vibrant business environment. Dan Wagner is senior vice president of government relations at The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies Inc. in Oak Brook, Ill., and Nykea Pippion McGriff is vice president of strategic growth for Coldwell Banker Realty in Chicago and a candidate for the 1st Congressional District seat in Illinois. Both Wagner and McGriff are past presidents of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. They offer firsthand advice on how real estate professionals can get involved in advocacy and take the first step toward moving the needle on crucial industry issues.
Wagner has been a licensed real estate broker since 2004. He served as treasurer and president elect of the Illinois Association of REALTORS®, as president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® in 2016 and as the 2016 commercial liaison for NAR. He was named 2017 REALTOR® of the Year by the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and received the 2017 Commercial Award from NAR. In 2019, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Illinois Association of REALTORS® and NAR.
McGriff is the NAR-appointed federal political coordinator for the 1st Congressional District of Illinois and previously served as the 2019 president of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® Illinois. She is a licensed managing broker as well as an instructor for Midwest Real Estate Data LLC (MRED). In partnership with the Chicago REALTORS® Education Foundation, she created the Xavier O. Joy Scholarship in memory of her son. She was the first African American woman to serve as president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®.