Leadership

Asa Sherwood, president of FirstService Residential in Illinois, oversees residential property management operations and business development for Chicago and its suburbs. Sherwood leads with open-mindedness, collaboration and a drive for world-class excellence. His goal is to ensure our associates have what they need to deliver exceptional service and value-added solutions to our clients. Asa collaborates with board members to provide strategic guidance and solutions designed to enhance property values and resident lifestyles.

Asa is active within the property management community. He serves as chairman of the Community Association Manager Licensing and Disciplinary Board with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) and from 2015 - 2018 Asa served on the board of Community Associations Institute (CAI) Illinois Chapter.

He is a licensed Illinois Community Association Manager (CAM) and has earned numerous designations, including Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), Association Management Specialist (AMS) and the prestigious Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM).

In his spare time, he enjoys running, cycling and spending time outdoors. Despite his long-time Illinois residency, he still can’t shake his allegiance for the Detroit Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons and most importantly the Lions.

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.

 

As Senior Vice President – High-Rise, Brian Butler oversees a seasoned team of vice presidents, operational leaders, regional directors and onsite management staff at FirstService Residential Illinois. During his career, he has created and implemented a number of client training programs to assist with onboarding new community board members and property managers. He has extensive experience in the residential property management industry and has previously held a number of strategic leadership positions in the Illinois market.

Brian has a professional background in community association litigation matters and specializes in board governance issues, risk management analyses, strategic business planning and new business development efforts. Brian serves as President of the Board of Directors of the award-winning Illinois Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and has been a featured speaker at training seminars for Board members and Property Managers. He is a past recipient of the CAI Olympus Award and Rising Star award. He is the co-chair of the Illinois Legislative Action Committee (ILAC) which works to address legislative measures which affect community associations in Illinois. He has been the keynote speaker for professional conferences and conventions including the Co-Operator Expo and has been a featured speaker with Association of Condominium, Townhouse, and Homeowners Associations (ACTHA).

Brian also serves as the Vice President of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents (SOAR) and chairs a number of committees for the organization, which is dedicated to preserving, promoting and enhancing the quality of life and community in this highly-visible downtown Chicago neighborhood sitting between the Mag Mile/Michigan Avenue, the Chicago River, and Lake Michigan.

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.

Marla Jackson has been a leader in residential property management for more than 20 years, most recently serving as a Regional Director with FirstService Residential since 2015. She 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. In her new role, Marla will be overseeing and supporting a dynamic team of Regional Directors and their on-site teams.
 
Marla has served as a sitting member of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Licensing and Disciplinary Board since 2017. She also holds Bachelor of Science degree and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign with a focus on Urban Planning.
 
 
 
 

Jenny Stopka oversees the property management operations of the growing FirstService Residential Illinois suburban management team. This is the second time she has held the position, the former being from 2014 – 2019.

In all, Ms. Stopka has been in the property management field since 2009. She has alternated between leadership roles and leading the Training and Development function for management firms. Her core areas in achieving 100% client retention two years in a row, while growing her portfolio 34% and receiving 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 early 2021 and serves on the education committee for CAI.

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 started with FirstService Residential as an administrative assistant in 2011.  Having worked her way through the ranks, Barbara is a true representation of home-grown talent and has held positions such as assistant manager, resident services manager, portfolio supervisor, onsite manager and lastly regional director of a dynamic team of onsite property managers.  Barbara brings to us 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 and graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in International Business and Marketing.
 

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.
 

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 and Evanston, Illinois.

Ian works extensively with the Illinois Chapter of Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) by serving as Treasurer on the Leadership Council. He is also involved with the Illinois Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) by serving on the City Education Subcommittee. Ian has also led presentations on capital budgeting, board orientations, and customer service training. A former classical stage actor with an emphasis on Shakespeare, Ian has ingeniously applied his theater background to create customer service and emergency response training for our door staff. These role-playing situations lead 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 Association Management Specialist (AMS) the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) and the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designations from the Community Associations Institute.