Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, a national full-service real estate firm, today announced Tim Kramer, vice president and director of operations, has been elected to the national board of directors of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). Kramer officially assumes his duties on Jan. 1, 2022.
Kramer, the great-grandson of Draper and Kramer co-founder Adolph Kramer, leads operations across Draper and Kramer’s 8,000-unit portfolio encompassing multifamily communities in Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio. Most recently, he has played an integral role in guiding the firm’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to develop new operational policies and protocols in accordance with directives and guidance from public health organizations and industry groups.
“Anyone who has been fortunate enough to work with Tim over the course of his 18 years in residential management knows exactly how dedicated he is to this industry, and that dedication is exemplified not only through his leadership at Draper and Kramer, but also his ongoing involvement in organizations like IREM,” said Julie Stevlingson, senior vice president and director of management services at Chicago-based Draper and Kramer. “We’re extremely proud to have such an excellent representative from our Draper and Kramer team chosen to serve in this important national role for IREM – an organization that influences the work we do every day by setting a high standard for ethics, sharing best practices and providing innumerable professional development opportunities for our employees and others in this field.”
Kramer has a long track record of service with IREM. Nationally, he has served on the organization’s governing council, ethics inquiry board, ethics hearing and discipline board, ethics committee, and the Real Estate Management Excellence Awards advisory board. He holds IREM’s Certified Property Manager (CPM) and Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) certifications and, in 2018, completed IREM’s instructor training, certifying him to teach courses for less-experienced, high-potential property management professionals who are pursuing ARM certification.
At the local level, Kramer was named ARM of the Year at IREM Chicago’s 2015 Premier Awards and has held numerous committee positions with the IREM Chicago chapter.
“Throughout my career, IREM has been a constant source of opportunity to expand my own professional knowledge while also having a voice in shaping this industry,” said Kramer. “I’m honored to be part of the board of directors and bring my own real-world experiences to the table as we work at a national level to advance the real estate management profession and promote IREM’s values of leadership, collaboration, integrity, inclusion and knowledge sharing.”
Candidates for IREM’s 12-member national board, who must hold the organization’s CPM, ARM or Accredited Commercial Manager (ACoM) certification in addition to meeting other qualifications, apply for the position and are then vetted by the nominating committee. Elections were held during IREM’s annual governing council meeting on Oct. 14, 2021.
Kramer joined Draper and Kramer in 1993 as a leasing consultant and subsequently served as property manager and property operations specialist before being promoted to his current position in spring 2019. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Phoenix and has completed additional executive education in operational management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
