Audra Agen of Accenture: Saluting Women in the Mortgage Industry
Audra Agen is Senior Manager of Credit Services with Accenture, Phoenix.
As Women’s History Month ends, I find myself reflective of my 25+ year career in this industry and the women that have played a part in shaping my experience. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge their impact on my career; they have mentored, trained, and at times, pushed me beyond what I thought my limits were.
Some believed in me before I believed in myself. My experience with the remarkable women of this industry is not unique. There are hundreds if not thousands of stories like mine that demonstrate their willingness to push forward, all while making room for others to follow. It is in that spirit that I asked some of the most incredible women I know to share some thoughts on their experiences:
Mentorship
“My mission is to inspire all who I touch to be the best version of themselves, as I believe leadership is all about one life influencing another.”
—Laura Escobar, President, Lennar Mortgage
“We’ve heard the quote ‘When women support each other incredible things happen.’ The resources, support, mentoring and encouragement that I’ve received over the past 37 years from so many women leaders in the mortgage and banking industry has truly been ‘incredible.’ I learned the importance of “thick skin conversations” by being able to have open dialogue in a safe zone environment where everyone is encouraged to share any concerns, ideas, and suggestions. It is critical for growth, effective communication, and building partnerships. I also learned another valuable lesson both in my professional and personal life: ‘Forget who’s right and just do what’s right!”
—Vickie Butler, Managing Director, Mortgage Finance Group Manager – Warehouse Lending
“My first mentor in the industry was a woman and from her I learned the most valuable lesson of my career. She taught me that mistakes happen and what matters is how you deal with them. I’ve tried to embrace that and teach it to others throughout my career. Our mistakes are our best teachers and there is nothing to be gained from guilt or avoidance. Own your mistake, figure out why you made the mistake and make sure that going forward the mistakes you make are new ones, not repeating the same errors over and over. Only by doing this can we learn, grow, and move on.”
—Melissa Kozicki, Director of Compliance, Mortgage Cadence LLP, an Accenture Business
I am a firm believer that you get the right mentor at right time as we grow as a person and our requirements grow with it. We are our best teacher. I learn from my mistakes; I fall down but the next day I am up and ready to handle a new task. Experiences are what make us wise
Monica Bhatla, EVP, Quality Engineering, Accenture
Opportunity
“I am so grateful to be involved in the mortgage industry because it has empowered me to do so many rewarding things with my life. First of course, without the experience I’ve had in this industry, I am not sure I would have the real estate portfolio I do today. Homeownership allowed my family to escape from generational poverty, and I find tremendous value in making sure that same opportunity for homeownership is available and easily accessible to any other family in America who desires it. Second, the mortgage industry has come together and enthusiastically supported NEXT, a community of women executives in mortgage lending. This NEXT community of women help and collaborate with each other, they help other women inside their own organizations, and ultimately, they work together to help more people into homeownership. This community has been transformational, letting us scale excellent ideas quickly so members can succeed no matter what the markets are doing. It has been a joy to watch it grow and have tangible impacts on important issues like affordable housing and fair lending. People have long said the mortgage industry is just an old rich white guy’s game, but no way! We’re out there proving that wrong every day.”
—Molly Dowdy, Co-Founder, NEXT Events
These women of our industry represent core beliefs; mentorship, leadership and opportunity all matter to each one of us as we propel our careers, as well as our families forward. While it may not always be evident, it’s life changing. For those of us that are rich with experience, it is our obligation to create more opportunity for the next generation of female leaders to continue this legacy. To the women that have come before us, we thank you and for those yet to come, we welcome you.
(Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect policy of the Mortgage Bankers Association, nor do they connote an MBA endorsement of a specific company, product or service. MBA NewsLink welcomes your submissions. Inquiries can be sent to Mike Sorohan, editor, at msorohan@mba.org; or Michael Tucker, editorial manager, at mtucker@mba.org.)
