MBA Promotes Wendy Penn, Amber Lawrence
(From left: Wendy Penn and Amber Lawrence)
The Mortgage Bankers Association announced that Wendy Penn has been promoted to Vice President for Affordable Housing Initiatives. In her elevated role, Penn will lead MBA’s ongoing efforts to develop market-based solutions and strategic initiatives that help to improve affordability for homeownership and rental housing.
MBA also announced that Amber Lawrence has been promoted to Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In her elevated role, Lawrence will oversee organizational-wide strategic DEI programs, assist teams in implementing equitable practices, partner with leadership to develop policies that promote inclusivity, and lead member-facing DEI initiatives.
More on Wendy Penn
“Wendy is a respected and successful leader in the housing affordability space and has an impressive track record before and during her time at MBA in leading initiatives that have made housing more accessible and affordable for all,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President. “Our members will continue to be served well by her outstanding leadership of MBA’s CONVERGENCE initiative and by her innate ability to bring housing leaders together to identify and develop solutions to solve complex challenges in our industry.”
Penn, who joined MBA in 2021 as the Associate Vice President for Affordable Housing Initiatives, will continue to lead the overall strategy and execution of CONVERGENCE, including providing oversight of its place-based initiatives in Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, and Memphis, Tenn. She will also work closely with consumer, civil rights and affordable housing stakeholders and will provide strategic leadership and management of MBA’s housing affordability efforts, including overseeing the work of CONVERGENCE advisory councils, and managing other special projects.
Prior to MBA, Penn excelled in ascending roles at the National Association of Realtors (NAR) for more than 15 years, where she managed its Housing Opportunity Program and worked with its members and state and local associations on housing affordability initiatives. Before NAR, Penn was Director, Member Services, at the National Retail Federation.
Penn is a member of the National Housing Conference’s National Advisory Council, the Up for Growth Action Board, and the LUCAS Home Loans Advisory Board. She holds a master’s degree in management from the University of Maryland Global Campus and a Bachelor of Science in Communications from James Madison University.
More on Amber Lawrence
“Amber’s nearly two-decade career at MBA has been shaped by an incredible amount of drive, commitment, and success, first as a leader on the Education team to more recently as a main lead of MBA’s DEI programs and initiatives,” said Michael Briggs, MBA’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Amber gathers people together and has a unique ability to lead, inspire, and take on new challenges. I am confident she will continue to excel in her expanded role and grow MBA’s DEI initiatives in support of all MBA stakeholders.”
Lawrence was most recently Associate Vice President of DEI, where she worked across industries and sectors to collaborate with cross-functional teams and implement data-driven DEI strategies. She has previously served in various ascending roles since joining MBA in 2006, including as a core member of MBA Education’s leadership team, where she managed the full suite of Residential and Commercial/Multifamily professional certification and designation programs. She also previously served as the primary liaison for the Society of Certified Mortgage Bankers (CMB).
Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University and an Executive Certification in Diversity Coaching, offered in partnership with Howard University and the Coach Diversity Institute.
