Real Estate 2023: TERRIE L. SUIT

When Suit started her career, she worked for a builder, then became a Realtor and later a mortgage loan officer. Today, after serving as the state’s first secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, as well as a Republican state delegate for eight years, Suit now leads Virginia’s largest trade association. She advocates for 38,000 Realtors across the state for an association that also produces research and provides continuing education opportunities for its members.

When her husband, a Navy Seal, was transferred to Virginia, Suit wanted to finish college but, faced with paying out-of-state tuition, she could afford only one class a semester. So, she ran for the state legislature with a goal of making in-state tuition available for military dependents.

Suit earned an MBA from the University of Mary Washington, for which she serves on its board of visitors. She also has chaired multiple committees for the National Association of Realtors.

TRAIT(S) I ADMIRE: Attentiveness. Being able to really pay attention to the person you are talking with in the moment and to give them your full attention and sincerely care about what the person is sharing.