Personnel News from NorthMarq, Walker & Dunlop

William Ross to Retire From NorthMarq After 45 years in Mortgage Banking

NorthMarq President of Debt and Equity William Ross announced plans to retire from NorthMarq after 45 years in the commercial real estate mortgage banking industry, 12 of which were with NorthMarq. 

William Ross

“Ending my career at NorthMarq is special, as not everywhere has the culture and camaraderie we enjoy,” he said. “As I leave NorthMarq, I know the future will be bright as the company is in the capable hands of many younger leaders who will further expand the growth of the company.”

NorthMarq CEO Jeff Weidell has worked with William since 2009 when he joined the company, leveraging a relationship they had as competitors for many years. “William has been nothing but a plus for NorthMarq, boosting its people and commitment to clients 100 percent of the time,” he said.

Ross joined NorthMarq from GMAC/Capmark Finance as a member of the Executive Committee, focusing on leadership of the production offices, recruitment of new debt and equity experts and oversight of the production and analyst conferences. He received the Mortgage Bankers Association Distinguished Service award in 2017.

Ross began his career at Bright Mortgage Company in 1976 and became a founding principal of Keystone Mortgage in 1989, which in 2000 was sold to GMAC Commercial Mortgage (subsequently renamed Capmark Finance). As Executive Vice President at Capmark Finance, he managed the company’s nationwide mortgage banking network. He served on the executive council of the real estate finance and investment center at the University of Texas, on numerous life company correspondent advisory councils, and on the Mortgage Bankers Association COMBOG Board.

Walker & Dunlop Appoints Donna Wells to Board of Directors

Walker & Dunlop, Bethesda, Md., appointed Donna Wells to its board of directors as an independent director and member of the audit committee. 

Wells is the CEO of Valencia Ventures LLC, a strategic consulting and corporate governance firm she founded. Previously, she served as President and CEO of Mindflash Technologies Inc., an enterprise software company providing cloud-based training platforms to businesses. Prior to Mindflash, she held a number of senior marketing roles at Mint Software, Intuit, Expedia, American Express and Charles Schwab. Wells sits on a number of public and private company boards including Mitek Systems, Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation, Betterment and Happy Money.