NFL Coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Leaders are made, they are not born.” And he’s right. Hard work and perseverance through experiences, whether they are good or bad, help shape leadership.
As 2017 wraps up and the mortgage industry faces a new year that will undoubtedly bring successes, as well as challenges, HousingWire is proud to present the 45 winners of our 2017 Vanguard award. These 45 leaders from all areas of the mortgage industry, from lending to servicing to real estate and investing, demonstrate that the industry is fluid and adept at meeting each challenge that comes its way.
Although each of our Vanguard winners excels in a wide range of skill sets, from overseeing technological advancements to managing legal departments to lobbying for industry change, all share one common trait: the ability to lead, motivate and rally their employees. Each of them are outstanding leaders who utilize their resources to solve problems, create solutions and drive innovation in their respective areas in the industry. We are proud to share an industry space with each of these winners and pleased to honor the hard work they do.
- Patty Arvielo, New American Funding
- Rick Arvielo, New American Funding
- Nate Baker, Qualia
- Jay Bray, Mr. Cooper
- Sean Buckner, Informative Research
- John Cady, Mountain West Financial
- Terrell Cassada, LoanLogics
- Franklin Codel, Wells Fargo
- Casey Crawford, Movement Mortgage
- Alex Elezaj, Class Appraisal
- Jason Frazier, Mason-McDuffie Mortgage
- Dan Hanson, loanDepot
- Mark Hikel, Chronos Solutions
- Brian Hughes, Title Source
- Matt Humphrey, LendingHome
- Brew Johnson, PeerStreet
- Kyle Kamrooz, Cloudvirga
- Tawn Kelley, Taylor Morrison Home Funding
- Colleen Lambros, Auction.com
- Benjamin Madick, Matic Insurance Services
- Gary Malis, Paramount Residential Mortgage Group
- Mary Ann McGarry, Guild Mortgage
- Claudia Merkle, National MI
- Chad Mosley, MCS Solutions
- Ryan O’Hara, Move
- Stavros Papastavrou, The Money Source
- Jay Plum, Huntington Bank
- Brad Rable, Stewart Title
- Mohammad Rashid, Tavant Technologies
- Andrew Rippert, Arch Capital Group
- Barry Sando, CoreLogic
- Terry Schmidt, Guild Mortgage
- Dave Sims, Floify
- Steve Smith, Stearns Lending
- Scott Stoddard, Quandis
- Crystal Sumner, Blend
- Gregory Teal, Ernst Information Services
- Steve Thompson, PrimeLending
- Joe Tyrrell, Ellie Mae
- John Vella, Altisource
- Jimmy Walby, Nationwide Title Clearing
- Mike Weinbach, Chase Home Lending
- Teresa Whitehead, Citywide Home Loans
- Melinda Wilner, United Wholesale Mortgage
- Bruce Witherell, Promontory Mortgage Path
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
– Vince Lombardi
