Leadership

As President of FirstService Residential Illinois, Brian Butler oversees all aspects of the company’s operations in the City of Chicago and surrounding suburbs.  Brian has extensive experience in the management of all types of community associations and building co-operatives and has held several senior leadership positions within the company since joining the team in 2017. Brian has a professional background in community association litigation matters and specializes in board governance issues, risk management analyses, strategic business planning and designing and executing superior customer service solutions.  
 
As a people leader, Brian is responsible for creating policies and programs that simplify operations, improve productivity, and support a Great Place To Work® for more than 500 associates in Illinois including community association managers, “heart of house” professionals, and on-site associates. Through his people-first initiatives, he consistently enhances team engagement to provide service excellence throughout our organization.  

Brian is an influential voice in the industry and serves on the international Board of Trustees for the Community Associations Institute (CAI). He also sits on CAI’s national Manager’s Council as Chair-Elect, a select group of professionals from around the country who advise on matters affecting community associations.  He serves as co-chair of the CAI Illinois Legislative Action Committee (ILAC) and is a past President of the award-winning Illinois Chapter.  Brian serves as a member of the Board of the Apartment Building Owners and Managers Association (ABOMA) and sits on its negotiating committee for collective bargaining agreements impacting our managed clients.  
 
Brian is an attorney and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. He is a licensed Community Association Manager (CAM) in Illinois, and holds the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) designation, the Association Management Specialist (AMS) designation, and the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designation, the industry’s highest professional accreditation. He holds a BS in Accountancy from the College of Business at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.

John Santoro has been in the residential property management industry since 2001, and currently serves as the Executive Vice President for FirstService Residential Illinois, concentrating on prestigious properties in the Chicago area market. Mr. Santoro previously held the position of Lakefront Director for the City of Chicago’s Park District, managing a $43 million annual budget, over 7,000 acres of lakefront parkland and all lakefront facilities. He is also a 20-year board member for one of the largest homeowners associations in the nation (over 5,000 residents) and served as the board president for 13 years.

Mr. Santoro has over 25 years of real estate management experience. He served on the Institute of Real Estate Management’s (IREM) Executive Counsel for four years and has been a guest speaker at numerous CAI and ACTHA events and educational programs. He holds a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the University at Buffalo.

 

• Barbara Al-Saigh serves as the Vice President of the City Portfolio Management division overseeing strategy and operations in the Illinois market.  She began her career as a client services specialist in the insurance industry and joined FirstService Residential in 2011. 

 
Barbara is a true representation of home-grown talent with FirstService Residential and has held positions such as administrative assistant, assistant manager, resident services manager, portfolio supervisor, onsite manager and lastly regional director of a dynamic team of onsite property managers.  Barbara possesses a wealth of knowledge and in-depth professional experience through her oversight of a vast range of communities throughout Chicago, including her most recent work with the iconic Tribune Tower Residences.
 
Barbara is a member of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and serves as an active volunteer and board member for local charity organizations.
 
Recognized throughout the industry as a reliable and strategic problem solver, Barbara exemplifies our core values each day. She holds a CMCA and AMS designation through CAI. Barbara also holds a degree in International Business and Marketing from Illinois State University.

 

Rachel Eibl has been a leader in HR management and business since 2006. She has spent her career working in the environmental, manufacturing and healthcare industries in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Paris. Rachel brings expert skills in talent strategy, employee relations, organizational change management and performance to transform the talent management initiatives in the Illinois market. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Marquette University. She is also a lifetime member of the business fraternity, Beta Gamma Sigma.
 

Marla Jackson has been a leader in residential property management for more than 20 years and has an impressive depth of professional experience serving in highly visible and complex communities throughout the region. She has held several senior leadership positions throughout her career, including Vice President of Property Management at another Chicago-based management company and as a Regional Director with FirstService Residential Illinois.
 
Marla oversees a dynamic and diverse team of regional directors and onsite management staff and is responsible for focusing on client service delivery and board relations.
 
Since 2017, Marla has served as both a sitting member and Board chair of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Licensing and Disciplinary Board. Marla holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign with a focus on Urban Planning.
 

Jennifer Kane oversees the Client Accounting team for the Midwest Market encompassing Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri. She has broad experience in commercial real estate accounting dating back to 2008, when she began as a property accountant for a regional shopping center. Ms. Kane has held roles in commercial real estate spanning both property and corporate accounting for several Chicago firms.

Ms. Kane is passionate about creating efficiencies and finding ways to improve the client experience. Building collaborative accounting teams that produce timely, reliable deliverables and provide top notch client service is also a key focus. Ms. Kane has successfully led initiatives to reimagine accounting processes, leverage technologies, develop solutions for systemic issues, and foster strong relationships with both internal and external customers.

A born and raised Iowan, after 20 years in Chicago Ms. Kane now officially considers herself a Chicagoan.

Ian Novak brings a great combination of practical property experience and managerial acumen to his position as Vice President of FirstService Residential Illinois. Ian oversees a team of regional directors and onsite management staff and is responsible for focusing on board relations and ensuring compliance with condo law and practices. Ian started in this industry as a receiving room clerk before becoming a manager, regional director, and vice president and has overseen an array of condominiums primarily located in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood.

Ian works extensively with the Illinois Chapter of Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). He is currently serving a second term as President for the Chapter’s Board of Directors. He is also involved with the Illinois Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI). Ian has led presentations on capital budgeting, board orientations, and customer service training. A former classical stage actor, Ian incorporates and applies his theater background to create customer service and emergency response training for our door staff. These role-playing situations leads his team toward a more developed understanding of customer service.

Ian continues to pursue top honors in industry organizations. He has earned the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management as well as the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), Association Management Specialist (AMS) and Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designations from the Community Associations Institute.

Jennifer Stopka oversees the property management operations of the FirstService Residential Illinois suburban management team.  She leads the client service delivery and supports a diverse team of Regional Directors and Community Association Managers.

In all, Ms. Stopka has been in the property management field since 2009. She has previously held leadership roles in management operations and Training and Development functions with FirstService Residential and also with other management firms. She is a past recipient of the FirstService Residential Core Value award for “Building Great Relationships”.

Ms. Stopka holds Bachelors’ degrees from Illinois State University in Education and Psychology. As a former educator for the public schools, she has a passion and drive for education, growth and development, cross functional collaboration, and problem solving. She obtained her PCAM in 2021 and serves on the education committee for the Illinois chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI).