The Women of Baird & Warner

Updated 07/30/2025

The Women of Baird & Warner

We think Cher said it best when she proclaimed, "Women are the real architects of society." With that in mind, we'd love to explore the role women have played in shaping Baird & Warner's success. Read on to learn more about the women who have written the Baird & Warner story over the past 170 years and counting, women's role in real estate today, and our hopes for the future of women in real estate. 

The Early Days of Baird & Warner

Women's contributions date back to the very inception of the company. According to the company's first ledger, which records transactions between 1855 and 1861, approximately one-third of investors in the burgeoning business were women. Miraculously, that same ledger survived the Chicago fire in our vault and is still in our offices to this day. 

Baird & Warner has always valued women's contributions in day-to-day work, as well. The company staffed its offices with an army of diligent workers who did bookkeeping, administrative work, and provided guidance and insight. In 1947, company leader Warner Baird honored all of the women who had been at the company for at least 20 years with a heartfelt speech for their collective retirement. 

Among them was Ella Mackey, a bookkeeper for second-generation leader Wyllys Baird — she first joined the company in 1919. In his remarks, Warner said, "She profits most who serves best," and "virtue is its own reward, they say. Yet appreciation and applause must come as she goes her way day to day." Ella was one of the many women who helped carry the team in the early days of Baird & Warner, and the company was proud to recognize her achievements.

The Transformative Days of Baird & Warner 

During the transformative 60s and 70s, trailblazers Barbara Novak and Ellen Young took over as the first female managers in the company in 1970. Starting as a secretary in 1961, Barbara worked her way up to manager of the Lake Shore office in just nine years. She created the "Wednesday Caravan," a dedicated time when her team researched properties and took three separate cars to survey all the real estate on the market that week in the area. When they returned, each agent could speak authoritatively about the properties on price, the number of beds and baths, the neighborhood, and the advantages of location — everything you'd need to know to woo a buyer. 

The newspaper published a story titled "The Year of the Executive Female," in which they described Novak's work day. "Seated behind her desk, or zipping through her constantly-expanding office at 1825 N. Lincoln Plaza, Chicago, Novak is a bundle of energy managing a staff of 18 dynamic sales people — 17 female and one male — that produce an average of $2,300,000 per month in 1977 sales for the 122-year-old real estate company." In 1978, both Novak and Young were promoted to Vice Presidents of Baird & Warner. 

Baird & Warner Today

Today, women make up a significant portion of our office management, as 12 of our 23 offices are led by women, with many more working as sales support managers, agents, and office personnel. We also have women in our executive leadership team and senior-level management roles throughout all three business units, including our chief strategy officer, executive vice president, and president of residential sales, Laura Ellis. 

According to the National Association of Realtors® 2024 member profile, 65% of all Realtors are women, up from 62% in 2023, and the majority of members were women homeowners with a college education. This NAR story from 2024 highlights other benefits of women in real estate. When women work together to support each other, it can foster a more welcoming workplace culture and create more opportunities for women in leadership roles. 

Women have come a long way — not just in the housing industry, but in our very own story. Since the beginning, Baird & Warner has been proud of the contributions women have made to our business, and we look forward to seeing where our future goes with strong female leadership at the helm.