Eunice L. Burns Environmental Awareness Awards

The Eunice L. Burns Environmental Awareness Awards are presented by the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® to Washtenaw County individuals, organizations, or businesses who are proactive on environmental issues including:

• Using products that contain recycled materials or energy saving-qualities
• Taking steps to clean up environmental problems
• Developing innovative recycling or reuse programs
• Restoration and remodeling efforts that promote historical preservation and reuse materials

Congratulations to the 2023 Recipient!

The 2023 Eunice L. Burns Environmental Awareness Award was given to Jerry Hancock, Stormwater and Floodplain Program Coordinator, City of Ann Arbor.

For more information on his work, click here.

Past Environmental Awareness Award Recipients

1997 - Mallet's Wood: Efficient use of land.

1998 - Sunward CoHousing: Efficient use of land.

1999 - Huron Valley Watershed Council: Adopt a Stream Program.

1999 - Ed Shaffran: ReUse of buildings.

2000 - ReUse Center: Recycling efforts.

2000 - EnHouse Recycle Ann Arbor: Green building demonstration.

2001 - Habitat for Humanity

2002 - Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow Project: Wetland preservation.

2003 - Mallet's Creek Library: Environmental friendly building practices.

2005 - Barry Wallace: Lifelong commitment to keeping Washtenaw County drinking water pure.

2005 - Cardea Construction: Green renovation of home at 1515 South Maple.

2006 - The Conlin Company: Reduction of paved parking areas in Scio Village Condominiums.

2006 - The University of Michigan School of Natural Resources: Green renovation of building.

2007 - Mayor John Hiefje: Environmental friendly policies.

2007 - Robyn Angle: Green construction of Clearlake home.

2008 - Big George's Appliance Mart: Green construction of new store on Stadium Boulivard.

2009 - Gordon Hall

2009 - The Cedars

2010 - Architectural Resources, LLC: Embracing green initiatives in her work as a REALTOR.

2010 - Meadowlark Builders: Their reuse, recycling, and energy efficient practices.

2011 - Laura Shope: Embracing green initiatives in her work in real estate.

2011 - Habitate for Humanity Huron Valley.

2012 - Matt & Kelly Grocoff, GreenovationTV.com

2012 - First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor

2013 - Matt & Rene Greff, Arbor Brewing Company

2013 - The Betty Brigade

2014 - Urban Energy Works, LLC

2014 - The Village of Dexter

2015- Ann Arbor Learning Community

2015 - City of Ann Arbor Greenbelt District Program and Green Things Farm

2016 - Urban Ashes

2017 - Faith in Action and Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse & Cornman Farms

2018 - Happy Planet Running and Barbara Lucas, The Green Room, WEMU

2019 - The Ann Arbor Public Schools and South Arbor Charter Academy

2020 - Richard Andres & Deb Lentz, owners of Tantre Farm and Washtenaw Food Hub

2021 - 3Mission Partners

2022 - Barry Lonik - Legacy Land Conservancy

AAABoR® is committed to providing the programs and services you need to be successful. Member input is critical to a strong organization. Serving on a committee will give you a voice in the discussions that guide decisions.

Click to see the 2023 AAABoR Committees

The Community Involvement Committee will identify opportunities for the Board and members to support community organizations and housing related activities.

Staff Liaison: Katharine Joyce

Google Website: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/community

The Education Committee reviews and recommends classes, seminars, and continuing education.

Staff Liaison: Angella O'Keefe.

Google Website: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/edu

The Finance/Investment Committee reviews financial reports and makes budget, policy and investment recommendations to the Board of Directors.

Staff Liaison: Lica Kwofie

Google Website: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/finance

The Governmental Affairs Committee works to promote the importance of the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC), fundraises for RPAC, creates awareness of legislation affecting the real estate industry, and makes candidate endorsement recommendations.

Staff Liaison: Angella O'Keefe

Google Website: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/gov

The Grievance Committee meets as needed to review complaints alleging Code of Ethics violations and requests for arbitration.

Staff Liaison: Tom Renkert

The Membership Engagement Committee is responsible for activities designed to promote recruitment, retention, and communication with the membership. It aims to attract new agents to the AAABoR and informs existing membership about opportunities and events via social media and in-person visits. It will institute regular member outreach as well as an exit survey which aims to collect member experiences.

Staff Liaison: Katharine Joyce

The MLS Committee reviews and recommends MLS policy, rules and regulations and MLS products and services.

Staff Liaison: Eric Rolfe

Google Website: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/mls

The Strategic Planning Committee is an advisory committee whose charge includes evaluating short and long term strategies that add value to AAABoR membership while at the same time generating alternative revenue streams needed for the sustainability of the association.

Staff Liaison: Janeé Broadway

Google Webiste: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/ndr

Future MLS Advisory Group Committee is an advisory committee whose charge includes evaluating the future of our MLS system and making recommendations to the Board of Directors.

Staff Liaison: Tom Renkert

Google Webiste: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/tech

Your Professional Network Committee brings together fellow "young at heart," like-minded professionals for networking and insight into the real estate industry.

Staff Liaison: Janeé Broadway

Google Webiste: https://sites.google.com/aaabor.com/ypn

Office Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm Mon - Fri

If you need any assistance or help, our team is available over the phone or in the office Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm. Curbside pick-up/drop-off is available by appointment. Please call (734) 761-7340 to schedule your appointment.

About Us

The Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® is the Trade Association for the Washtenaw County, Michigan REALTORS®. Established in 1919, the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® has grown from 20 REALTOR® members to over 1,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members today. The mission of the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® is to strengthen our REALTOR® community through advocacy, collaboration, education, innovation and civic engagement.The Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® promotes standards of REALTOR® professionalism, ethics and integrity; provides tools and technology to enhance membership profitability; communicates REALTORS® viewpoints on private property issues to government officials; and markets the value of REALTORS® to members of the public.(*The term REALTORS® is a registered mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the world’s largest trade association, the National Association of REALTORS®, and subscribes to NAR's strict Code of Ethics.)

The REALTOR® of the Year award is given to a REALTOR® who has made a commitment to contribution to their community, clients and the local and state REALTOR® Associations.

2022 REALTOR® of the Year

Chrissie George
Trillium Real Estate

This year’s award recipient cares deeply about the experiences her clients have throughout their transactions. She knows that the relationships she creates with other REALTORS^® help to ensure positive sales experiences. She appreciates the inherent guide the REALTOR^® Code of Ethics provides and works diligently to make certain her work reflects that Code.

The REALTOR^® of the Year believes supporting our local association provides an opportunity to create a fair, honest and professional marketplace that can support REALTORS^® working to build fulfilling, community-based businesses. In various roles throughout the past ten years, she has worked hard to help the association serve the membership to the best of its abilities.

She has served the board in many roles including five years as an MLS Committee member, with a year each as its Vice Chair and Chair, currently serving on the Finance Committee since 2016 (including serving as Vice Chair and Chair), a member of the Non-Dues Revenue/Strategic Planning Committee since 2020, and a member of the Board of Directors for eight years including serving as Treasurer and President. She has attended various state and national REALTOR^® association events.

Since 2016, our award winner has been a speaker for and frequently involved with Mott Children's Hospital’s Perinatal, Infant and Reproductive Loss (P.I.R.L) Committee.

In anticipation of the Supreme Court's decision to legalize marriage in 2015, she co-hosted a fundraiser and information event “S.C.O.T.U.S. or Bust!” which included political participants within our local, state and federal governments. Much of the professional/political involvement was coordinated through her brokerage. The event raised significant financial gifts and awareness.

She is an Ann Arbor SPARK Annual meeting attendee and a member of The Ark. Her passion for her work and service to her clients is well known within her broad community.

We are thrilled to present the 2022 REALTOR^® of the Year Award to Chrissie George of Trillium Real Estate!

Who's Who of Past REALTORS® of the Year

Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS®
1986 - 2019

Year	Name	Year	Name	Year	Name
1986	Jean Willing	1998	Michelle Derr	2010	Vance Shutes
1987	William Cornish	1999	LaTanya Keith	2011	Joe Peoples
1988	Bev Sikorski	2000	William Miliken	2012	Alex Milshteyn
1989	William Kinley	2001	Susan Snyder	2013	None
1990	Edward Surovell	2002	Dennis Pearsall	2014	Linda Lombardini
1991	Jeff Stabnau	2003	Paul Frisinger	2015	Kay Merx
1992	Rick Jarzembowski	2004	Peter M. Cornell	2016	Jodie Franklin
1993	Eunice Burns	2005	Helen Corey	2017	Tonya Ireland
1994	Robert Andrus	2006	Pat Williams	2018	Todd Lands
1995	James Anderson	2007	Sandi Smith	2019	Matt Miller
1996	David Lutton	2008	Laura Dykstra	2020	Laurie Buys
1997	Dawn Foerg	2009	Mary Helen Gilbert (in memoriam)	2021	Megan Mazurek

Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS®
1967 - 1985

Year	Name	Year	Name	Year	Name
1967	Robert Davis	1974	John Swisher, Jr.	1980	David Gillies
1968	Charles Reinhart	1975	Richard Caldwell	1981	Carl Brauer, Jr.
1969	Ruth Hobbs	1976	Robert Thornton, Jr.	1982	Bart Hamilton
1970	Fred Eibler	1976	George Fahmie (REALTOR® Associate of the Year)	1983	Peter Cornell
1972	Lawrence Larson	1977	Carolyn Lewis	1984	Randolph White
1973	Warren McLean	1978	Jerry Klein	1985	Robert Thornton, Jr.
		1979	Janice Caldwell

Ypsilanti Board of REALTORS®
1967 - 1985

Year	Name	Year	Name	Year	Name
1967	Maurice Obermeyer	1974	Wendell Barnes	1980	David Hamilton
1969	Ruth Murray	1975		1981	William Cornish
1970	Harold Lawson	1976	John Simpkins	1982	Allen Elmer
1971	Norman Abercrombie	1977	Gerard Elmer	1983	Larry Collins
1972	Keith Metty	1978	David Simpkins	1984	Franklin McVeigh
1973	Lucille Compton	1979	Marion Starwas	1985	Patricia Ballard

The Affiliate of the Year award is given to an affiliate member who provides significant contributions and outstanding service to the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS^®. Recipients are nominated by their peers and elected by past award recipients.

2022 Affiliate of the Year

John Simpkins
First Merchants Bank

This year’s award recipient supports his community through volunteer work. He recently served for three consecutive years as the Lead/Chair for the Ann Arbor Rotary Club’s largest annual fundraiser, the Golf and Tennis Outing & Auction and has sponsored and participated in Washtenaw County’s American Heart Association, “Heart Walk”. He is in his fourth year serving in a volunteer position with his company’s Community Engagement Committee and in his fifth year as the elected Finance Council Chair for his local church and parish.

This member, who is in his twenty-second year as a mortgage banking professional, focuses on availability to his clients and professional referral partners. Working with many local REALTORS^® comes naturally for him having grown up in a local real estate family. In 2021, he was recognized by his company as the top producing loan officer in both units and volume and was recently asked to present at the First Merchants Bank National Annual Sales Meeting.

Our award winner proudly supports RPAC and recently completed a two-year term as the elected Affiliate Director for the Ann Arbor Area Board or REALTORS^®.

We are thrilled to present the Affiliate of the Year Award to John Simpkins of First Merchants Bank.

Who's Who of Past Affiliates of the Year

Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS®
1988 - 2020

Year	Name	Year	Name	Year	Name
1988	Ken Collica	1999	Thomas McLinden	2010	Teresa Myers
1989		2000	Scott Broshar	2011	Christy Perros
1990	Gary Selesko	2001	Gary Selesko	2012	Kitty Rose
1991	Patricia Suggitt	2002	Debra Ellison	2013	William Smith
1992	Bill Holmes	2003	Michael Hobercht	2014	Sharon McRill
1993	Ira Mark	2004	Thomas Richardson	2015	Constance Pearson-Ramirez
1994	Richard Stuber	2005	Greg Ottaviani	2016	Jeremy Shaffer
1995	Ron Fletcher	2006	Kristy Haborian	2017
1996	Mary Wiseman	2007	Nancy Burger	2018	Monica Juleff
1997	Marcia Major	2008	Cindy Reach	2019	Rebecca Brooks
1998		2009	Jeff Fletcher	2020	Carrie Aeschliman
				2021	Amanda Lawrence

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