mPower Recognizes Inaugural Visionary Awards Nominees

June 30, 2026

mPower, MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach, announced a list of nominees for its first ever set of mPower Visionary Awards.

Aimed at recognizing women who are making an impact across the industry, the winners will be announced on stage at mPowering You, MBA’s Summit for Women in Real Estate Finance, on Oct. 10 in Chicago.

“We were thrilled to have such a fantastic slate of nominees for the awards this year,” said Mortgage Bankers Association Senior Vice President of Membership, Meetings and mPower Laura Hopkins. “Our nominees are emblematic of the characteristics we want to recognize with this honor and all stand as true visionaries for our industry.”

For more information on the history and purpose of the mPower Visionary Awards, please read our interview with Hopkins, here.

The full list of nominees is:

Alexandra Cooley, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Nuveen Green Capital
Alexandria Zarrick, Home Loan Specialist III, Pennymac
Aleyna Groves, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Groves IQ
Alisha Sears, J.D., Director and Regulatory Counsel, Mortgage Bankers Association
Amanda Padd, Chief Revenue Officer, Secure Insight
Amber Coleman, Vice President, Capital Markets – Debt & Structured Finance, CBRE
Amber DeKeyzer, Compliance Supervisor, Highlands Residential Mortgage
Amber Houston, Implementation Manager, DocMagic
Amber Lawrence, Vice President, Opportunity and Engagement, Mortgage Bankers Association
Andrea Malis, Executive Strategist, Special Projects & Customer Experience, PRMG – Paramount Residential Mortgage Group
Anita Padilla-Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Megastar Financial Corp
Barbara Roach, Senior Director, Resilience Insurance Analytics
Bhumika Sequeira, Team Lead, Moder India Solutions
Caren Castle, CA Managing Attorney, The Mortgage Law Firm
Carolyn Dalkiewicz, Senior Vice President, Operations, Cenlar FSB
Catherine French, Senior Vice President, Corporate Initiatives Group, Cenlar FSB
Chante Coury, Senior Vice President and National Sales Leader, Originations Mortgage Connect, LP
Christy Bunce, President, New American Funding
Christy Field, Senior Vice President, Corporate Performance Initiatives, MLD Mortgage, Inc. dba The Money Store
Christy Moss, CMB, Vice President, Scores Mortgage and Capital Markets Liaison, FICO
Coleen Bogle, Chief Marketing Officer, MLD Mortgage Inc. dba The Money Store
Dana C. Abernathy, CMB, AMP, Vice President, Servicing Business Development, Cornerstone Servicing
Dana Georgiou, Chief Revenue Officer, Dunmor
Dawn Hooper, CMB, AMP, VP National Accounts, Anza Mortgage Insurance
Deb Jones, CMB, Senior Vice President, Director of Capital Markets, Citizens Bank
Debbie Hoffman, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law (Corporations), Cleveland State University College of Law
Debbie Sousa, Executive Director, Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association
Desiree Townsend, Manager, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, NewRez, LLC
Diane Yu, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, TidalWave
Erica Acie, Head of Originations, Truist
Erin Wester, Chief Product Officer, Optimal Blue
Haley Rader, Head of Product, Ardley
Ingrid Jaschok, Senior Vice President, Default Servicing Cenlar FSB
Jane Kennedy,Executive Vice President, Servicing Products, Sales and Strategy, Mortgage Connect, LP
Janet Newton, Senior Vice President, Operations, First American
Jean Bradley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Essent Guaranty, Inc.
Jelaire Grillo, Assistant Vice President, Martech Strategy & Adoption, Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC
Jen Peachman, Vice President, Director of Strategic Lending, GVC Mortgage, Inc.
Jennifer McGuinness Lubbert, Chief Executive Officer, Pivot Financial, LLC
Jennifer Whip, Principal, Cambridge One, LLC
Julia Brown, Founder, Teloscope Advisors
Kamara Green, Executive Vice President, National Director of Affordable Housing Production, Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital, LLC
Karla Martinet, Vice President, National Field Sales Manager, Essent Guaranty, Inc.
Kasey English , Director of Business Development, Advisent
Katelyn Watkins, President, Mortgage Bankers Association of the Bluegrass
Kathy Farrell, Head of Truist Asset Finance, Executive Vice President, Truist
Kathy Keller, Senior Vice President, Mortgage Servicing and Support, Navy Federal Credit Union
Kim Collins, Senior Vice President, Marketing, eRESI Mortgage
Kim King, AMP, CMB, Senior Vice President, Mortgage Operations, Hope Credit Union
Kim Nichols, Chief TPO Production Officer and Senior Managing Director, Pennymac
Kimberly Lanham, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Client Services, Digital Risk, LLC
La Tawnya Belén, Assistant Vice President, Navy Federal Credit Union
Laird Nossuli, Chief Executive Officer, iEmergent
Laura Brandao, AMP, CMB, President, Wholesale and Correspondent Division, and Owner, MLB Wholesale
Laura LaRaia, CMB, AMP, Chief Legal and Enterprise Risk Officer, MLD Mortgage, Inc. dba The Money Store
Leah Price, Vice President, Tinman AI Platform, Better Mortgage
Leslie Winick, Co-Founder and Board President, CapitalW Collective
Lili Grbavac, Vice President, Debt and Structured Finance, CBRE
Lisa Rose, Investor Compliance Specialist, DocMagic
Mandi Feely, Executive Vice President, Production, Premier Mortgage Resources LLC
Marcetta Rhodes-Gaines, Senior Vice President, Head of Mortgage Lending Fulfillment, TD Bank
Maria Lamas Vice President and Senior Associate General Counsel, Rocket Companies
Melanie Cornelius, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Partnerships, Moder
Melanie Coulton, CMB, AMP, Regional Vice President, Correspondent Sales, Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc.
Melissa Langdale, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Praxis Lending Solutions
Michele Terry, Vice President, Risk Mitigation and Quality Control, Highlands Residential Mortgage, Ltd.
Mickey Schilling, CMB, Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer, Megastar Financial Corp.
Nada Saifan, Vice President, AAA Appraisal Management Company LLC
Nancy Arciga, Mortgage Community Development Loan Officer, Bell Bank Mortgage
Natalie Overturf, Vice President, Divisional Sales Leader, CMG Financial
Neena Vlamis, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, A and N Mortgage Services, Inc.
Nomi Smith, Senior Vice President, Business Development, LoanPASS
Nora Guerra, Senior Vice President, Community Lending Solutions, Guild Mortgage
Pam Forrester, Senior Vice President, Operations, First American
Patty Campbell, Executive Vice President, Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, Highlands Residential Mortgage, Ltd.
Rebecca Lorenz, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Infinite Success Strategies
Sage Nichols, Senior Vice President, Collateral Solutions, Cotality
Sally Garrison, Chief Executive Officer, The Mortgage Law Firm, PLC
Sara Holtz, Chief Marketing Officer, Optimal Blue
Sasha Hewlett, AMP, Associate Vice President, Secondary and Capital Markets, Mortgage Bankers Association
Sasha Stair, CMB, Chief Marketing Officer, Xactus
Stacy Ackermann, Global Managing Partner, K&L Gates
Stephanie Marie Shipley, Branch Manager and Senior Loan Officer, Guild Mortgage
Stephanie Mclane, Chief Executive Officer, AREMCO
Stephanie Ruiz, Senior Vice President, Default Servicing Operations, Celink
Sue Meitner, CMB, Chief Sales Officer, Success Mortgage Partners, Inc.
Suha Beidas Zehl, CMB, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Z Technology Solutions
Susan Galloway, National Account Executive, Mortgage Quality Management & Research (MQMR)
Tammie Gravlee, CMB, AMP President, Mortgage Bank of Tennessee
Tammy Brown, Mortgage Underwriter (CRU/FHA DE, VA Underwriting & SAR, Certified Encompass Administrator), First Western Bank & Trust
Tara Healy, CMB, Chief Compliance Officer, Lennar Mortgage, LLC
Tara Williams, Senior Vice President, Operations, AREMCO
Taylor Potter, Chief Operating Officer, Ardley
Tiffany Fletcher, Senior Vice President Compliance, Operational Support and Vendor Management, VRM Mortgage Services
Tisa JD Clark, CMB, President and Chief Executive Officer, J.D. Clark Professional Services, L.L.C.
Valerie Ausband, Senior Vice President, National Field Sales and Strategic Accounts, Arch MI
Venita Murray, AMP, Director, Member Relations, Mortgage Bankers Association
Veronica Vazquez, Mortgage Originator, Guild Mortgage

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