In Case You Missed It: A Look at the Second Annual mPact Summit and What’s Next

(Attendees at an mPact session. Image courtesy of Lupeny Photography)

This spring, more than 100 mortgage industry professionals gathered in Plano, Texas, for a day of learning and networking, largely aimed at young and early-career participants.

“It’s a full day packed with a lot of information, and then we end the day with a networking reception,” said Jacky Salazar, Director, Servicing Portfolio, Commercial Multifamily Finance at the Mortgage Bankers Association. Salazar is also the lead MBA staff for mPact, Commercial and the mPact Summit.

“These young professionals are hungry for more,” Salazar continued. “So trying to find the right topics to feed them has been great to see. And it’s been great to see all the support we’ve gotten from the summit.”

Inside This Year’s Summit

The second annual mPact summit, hosted April 4, tackled topics such as “evolving career strategies,” “styles of leadership” and “breaking glass ceilings/barriers,” among many others.  

It’s an “event created for the young professionals, but most importantly BY the young professionals. We really lean on them to tell us what is important to them when it comes to building their career, their network and their skills to develop professionally,” said Ashley Yarabinec, CMB, AMP, MBA Director of Member Relations. She is also the lead staff for mPact, Residential.

“I think what I remember most about this year’s event was how engaged participants were: During the general sessions and the breakout sessions, audience members were asking questions and offering their viewpoints,” said Lindsay Tarwater, an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. “That level of engagement was awesome, and you don’t see that at other large industry events.”

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. was the sponsor for this year’s summit. Tarwater has been very involved in the planning since the inception of the summit in 2023. She is also the immediate past Chairman of the mPact Servicing Advisory Committee.

“Our priority in planning the event was to build on what we laid out in last year’s inaugural summit,” Tarwater remembered. “We were very intentional with how we laid out the schedule of the day to maximize engagement, and were also very deliberate in picking a diverse set of speakers, fresh topics and a tangible ‘give away’ to participants. Our give away ended up being complimentary headshots taken by a professional photographer who was onsite.”

“What stood out to me most, more than any particular moments, was the overall quality of the content and the audience engagement. [MBA’s Jacky Salazar] and the planning committee did a great job putting together groups of panelists and moderators that blended senior executive leaders from across the commercial and residential with young professionals in the same age cohort as the target audience,” said David Sober, CMB, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Business Development at Voxtur.

mPact also partners with the Opens Doors Foundation, which provides mortgage and rental assistance to families with critically ill or injured children, and hosts several fundraisers each year. This year, more than $1,300 was raised via the partnership at the mPact Summit Opening Reception.

Looking Back

mPact was born about a decade ago as part of an effort to get younger professionals more involved in the industry, and provide those vital learning and networking opportunities.

Jay Donaldson, President of Agency and FHA Finance at Northmarq, was involved in some of the initial brainstorming for mPact. “We were observing the aging of the industry and the awkward transition to a new generation of professionals entering the workforce,” he recalled. “They craved different experiences and opportunities than we had in the past and from what we were (or weren’t) doing at the time to recruit and develop talent.”

While the original derivations had slightly more interest from the commercial side of the industry, all the current content is applicable across the board.

“One of the things that is special about the summit is that its content focuses on professional development which resonates regardless of job type and function. It might be the only in-person industry event that intentionally isn’t geared toward a specialty,” said Sober. “So whether you work in residential or commercial, or servicing or origination, or operations or production, or like me, for a vendor, you will get the same value out of the event.” Sober also serves as mPact Servicing Advisory Chair.

On the Agenda

mPact isn’t just a “summit-once-a-year” experience. The program hosts a number of webinars and other events throughout the year. Upcoming: “mPact Presents: Personal vs Professional Branding” will be hosted July 18, and “mPact Presents: An Entrepreneur/Founder/Young Professional” will be hosted Sept. 26.  

Both Salazar and Yarabinec pointed to a desire to raise awareness for the initiative and continue to grow it.

Long term, goals will include continuing “to build participation with leaders in the industry that also want to lift their young professionals up,” Yarabinec stated.

And, while it’s by young professionals and for young professionals, mPact has an effect on the industry as a whole, particularly as the next generation ascends to various leadership roles.

“Get involved with mPact and don’t wait,” counseled Christine Chandler, MBA’s 2024 Vice Chair and Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer, and Chief Operating Officer at M&T Realty Capital Corp. “Networking–with similar age colleagues as well as seasoned executives in the industry–is one of the keys to success.  We all learn from each other and making connections allows you to have a group of professionals that share your passion for the industry that you can call on when you need advice in your career, your work or just to bounce ideas off of.” 

To get more involved with mPact, reach out to Jacky Salazar, Commercial, or Ashley Yarabinec, Residential.