MBA Announces Path to Diversity Scholarship Winners

The Mortgage Bankers Association announced 86 individual employees from 35 different MBA member companies have been awarded the Path to Diversity scholarship in the first seven months of the fiscal year.

The scholarship recognizes existing industry professionals from diverse backgrounds who are seeking to advance their careers through continuing education.

“I want to sincerely congratulate all of the P2D scholarship winners,” said MBA President and CEO David H. Stevens, CMB. “One of the most valuable things we do for our members is to help them strengthen the skills and abilities of their dedicated employees. The P2D scholarship supports training of the next generation of leaders and ensures they reflect the true breadth of diversity within the real estate finance industry. We are grateful for the generosity of the Research Institute for Housing America and the member companies who donated to fund these scholarships. “

The scholarships were funded primarily by donations from the Research Institute for Housing America. MBA also received donations from CBRE, Quicken Loans, SunTrust Mortgage, VantageScore Solutions, Ballard Spahr LLP and Cultural Outreach Solutions. MBA is matching 100% of the donations received from member companies by the end of June, up to $75,000.

Awardees receive a voucher to cover course registration fees, up to a maximum of $2,000, for MBA Education programs and courses. To be eligible for the P2D scholarship, individuals must be currently employed by an MBA member firm or state MBA member firm and have two years of experience in the mortgage industry, or some equivalent in real estate finance experience or training.

P2D scholarships are awarded to qualified individuals who are part of one or more of the following under-represented groups: Non-white or bi-racial; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender; or Female.

Applications are evaluated based on a personal statement and a letter of recommendation, with bonus points awarded to applicants who are U.S. military veterans or disabled. Individuals are eligible to receive up to three awards during their careers, with no more than one award provided per calendar year.

For eligibility information or to apply, click https://www.mba.org/formtesting/pathtodiversityscholarshipapplication-new. For information on how to donate, click https://www.classy.org/give/181054/#!/donation/checkout.

A partial list of 2018 P2D scholarship recipients appears below below.

Sarah Adcock, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Efeosa Aghimien, SWBC Mortgage
Latoya Allen-Davis, Carrington Mortgage Services
Fay Andrews, Freedom Mortgage
Aaron Arechiga, New American Funding
Danielle Bantner, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Todd Berg, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Ashley Brown, Roundpoint Mortgage Servicing Corp.
Marlene Chaker, AAA Appraisal Management Company LLC
Jina Choi, loanDepot
Chadwick Cloud, Accenture
Luis Contreras, Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp.
Kayla DeJessa, First Home Bank
Tonya Ellis, Crescent Mortgage Co.
Sharon Evans, SunTrust Mortgage
Jaime Fiore, Synovus Mortgage Corp.
Daniel Flores, New American Funding
Jonathan Forna, Colonial Savings F.A.
Tricia Fox, New American Funding
Michael Freeman, Freedom Mortgage
Henry Gomez, loanDepot
Mario Gonzalez, Colonial Savings F.A.
Rachael Gudgel, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Erin Harris, Mortgage Quality Management & Research
Ruby Hayes, Caliber Home Loans
Krissy Hefton, BOK Financial Mortgage
Amanda Hollingsworth, The Ohio National Life Insurance Co.
Theresa Irvin, SunTrust Mortgage
Cassandra Jackson, Navy Federal Credit Union
Maria James, Cenlar FSB
Katesha Johnson, loanDepot
Sharon Johnson, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Teresa Johnston, SunTrust Mortgage
Kim Lam, Kim, Caliber Home Loans
April Lindes, Cenlar FSB
Mauricio Antonio Lopez, SunTrust Mortgage
Alejandro Martinez, Synergy One Lending
Patricia L. McHugh, Greystone
James Mabalatan, loanDepot
Sarah Mecklenburg, Black Knight
Tenesha Melton, SunTrust Mortgage
Christa Meyer, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Lynsey Mulder, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Denise Neal, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Ky Nguyen, Freedom Mortgage
Meggan O’Connell, loanDepot
Erica Page, South State Bank
Kush Patel, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
Sabrina Petrakis, Cenlar FSB
Jessica Pilkington, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Michelle Richardson, loanDepot
Rebecca Richardson, Brand Mortgage Group
Jeanne Robbins, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Gregory Rouse, Fannie Mae
Liss Scalf, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
Mickey Schilling, First Landmark Bank
Steve Schreiner, Colonial Savings F.A.
Melissa Smith, Castle & Cooke Mortgage LLC
Chang Hyun Song, Suntrust Mortgage
Linghan Song, Suntrust Mortgage
Charles Sull, Fannie Mae
Karen Trader, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Stephen-Michael Washington, FirstBank
Kathryn Veazey, Mr. Cooper
Patricia Viscardi, Freedom Mortgage
Ashley Walker, M&T Realty Capital Corp.
Makenzie Warlow, HFF
Jennifer Whetstone, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Nicole Williams, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Chris Witherspoon, Simmons Bank
Rhonda Young, Colonial Savings F.A.