IREM’s 1999 President, Michael Simmons, CPM®, reflects on a historic year of
Editor’s Note: Black History Month
In recognition of Black History Month, IREM® is highlighting leaders whose contributions have shaped the organization and the profession. In 1999, Mike Simmons became IREM’s first Black president. His tenure was marked by significant organizational change, global growth, and a leadership approach grounded in mentorship, professional excellence, and service to the industry.
At his first IREM meeting in 1985, Mike Simmons stood alone in a crowded reception in New Orleans. He knew only a few people. Around him were hundreds of professionals who seemed comfortable and connected.
Then someone crossed the room.
An IREM Regional Vice President named Charlie Scroggins, from Birmingham, Alabama, introduced himself, welcomed Simmons, and made sure he felt included. Throughout the week, he continued to check in.
It was a small gesture, but Simmons never forgot it. That moment would shape how he approached leadership and service throughout his career.
Simmons did not enter real estate management through a traditional path. After college in Alabama, he worked in a federally funded vocational program helping junior high and high school students prepare for the workforce. When funding ended, he moved into sales for a beverage distributor.
Although he was successful, he began thinking about long-term opportunity and stability. That search led him to a position with a local division of a Fortune 500 company that developed and managed affordable housing. He joined the company in 1972 and remained in the affordable housing sector for his entire career.
Looking back, the purpose of the work became clear.
“You’re providing housing for people who need it and often don’t have many options,” Simmons said. “When you step back and think about that, it gives the work real meaning. It’s been a very rewarding career.”
He was also the first in his family to enter the profession. Today, that path has extended to the next generation. His daughter works in asset management and is pursuing her CPM®.
Early in his career, Simmons found a mentor who would shape his professional path. Irwin “Irv” Yeagle, his supervisor, encouraged him to earn his real estate license and his CPM and supported him throughout his development.
That encouragement, along with exposure to respected leaders through IREM, reinforced Simmons’ belief in the importance of role models.
“Over time you learn by watching people you respect,” he said. “You see how they make decisions, how they carry themselves, how they lead.”
IREM became central to that learning. The education, professional network, and leadership opportunities helped prepare Simmons to run a management company and navigate industry change.
One experience that stood out was completing the courses required for his firm to become an AMO® (Accredited Management Organization). “Those classes focused on how to actually run a management company,” Simmons said. “They were the best professional education I ever received. I still have the handwritten notebooks from those courses in 1984 and 1985.”
“If you don’t think there’s anything in IREM for you, there won’t be,” he said. “But if you believe there is, and you’re willing to put something into it, it can help shape your career.”
Simmons served as IREM president in 1999, during a period of important transition for the organization and the profession. At the start of the year, he shared a simple message with his fellow officers.
“I told them, ‘help me not to mess this up,’” he said.
“I wanted to be a responsible leader and represent the profession well,” he said. “What I was focused on was the same thing any leader is focused on -- strengthening the organization, making good decisions, and leading by example.”
One of the major initiatives during the mid-1990’s was implementing IREM’s shift from week-long, centralized courses to shorter, modular education delivered locally.
“The research told us companies needed education that was more local, more affordable, and more work-friendly,” Simmons said. “There were people who had a lot of equity in the old system, so the change wasn’t easy. But the marketplace was telling us we needed to make it.”
The transition helped position IREM for the flexible learning formats that would follow in the years ahead.
Another priority was reinforcing IREM’s long-standing relationship with the National Association of REALTORS®.
“There was a lot of passion around it,” Simmons said. “But the relationship was examined carefully, and I think the decisions that were made strengthened the relationship and were beneficial to both organizations.”
On the night of his installation as IREM President, IREM also reached an important global milestone: Saul Gumede of South Africa was sworn in as the first Certified Property Manager from the African continent.
Gumede went on to play a key role in establishing the South Africa Gauteng Chapter, helping extend IREM’s standards and professional community to a new region of the world.
For him, the milestone reinforced the importance of visibility and responsibility.
“As IREM President, you’re one of the faces of the profession,” he said. “You want your behavior and your decisions to reflect well on the organization and on the people who came before you.”
Years after his first meeting in New Orleans, Simmons experienced a moment that brought his journey full circle. While serving as President at a conference, a young professional asked to meet him.
Busy with responsibilities, Simmons hesitated. Then his wife reminded him of his own first meeting and the leader who had taken the time to reach out.
He sought the young man out. That conversation grew into an ongoing mentorship.
Today, Simmons still encourages experienced members to look for newcomers who may be standing alone and to make the first move. Because sometimes, leadership begins with something simple. Crossing the room. Offering a welcome. Making someone feel that they belong.
Those moments, repeated over time, shape careers, strengthen communities, and build the kind of professional legacy that continues to define IREM.