Conference Speakers

Michael Aguillio SB/DVBE Liaison, Procurement Division, Certification and Outreach, State of California, Department of General Services

Michael Aguillio has over 20 years of experience within State Government. He represents the State of California as a customer liaison educating Small Businesses and Disable Veteran Business Enterprises on how to do business with State Government. He also has experience working in the federal & private sector.

His State service includes Chair for the SB/DVBE Advocates Committee, Co-chair for the San Joaquin Regional Public Agencies Consortium, Senior IT buyer for the Energy Commission, Cal-Fire Small Business (SB) and Disable Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Program administrator, and Contract administrator specializing in fuel acquisitions for State of California.

Sharon Asar Deputy Ombudsman, CFPB Ombudsman’s Office

The CFPB Ombudsman’s Office provides an independent, impartial, and confidential resource to informally assist consumers and financial entities in resolving process issues with the CFPB. Prior to her current role, Sharon held positions with other federal agencies to include work in alternative dispute resolution and as an Attorney. Sharon has a B.A. from American University, a J.D. from the New York Law School and an LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation, with distinction, from the Georgetown University Law Center. An active participant in professional associations relevant to the ombudsman field, Sharon also completed a certificate program in the area of organizational governance via Harvard Business School Executive Education.

Hope Atuel Executive Director, Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA)

Hope Atuel has served as Executive Director of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) since January 2012. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director for the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) in 2012, Hope served in other trade and membership organizations such as the College of American Pathologists, the Appraisal Institute and school districts in Chicago.

Hope’s professional experience spans from the private sector to nonprofit association management for over two decades. In addition to her experience in association management, Hope has worked in the private sector with companies such as Harland Financial Solutions, Crane Company and Westfield Corporation. Throughout her career, Hope has been involved in launching successful B2B marketing campaigns with a strong focus on customer growth and retention.

Hope completed her communications degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois and attended De Paul University in Chicago for her graduate studies in multi-cultural communications.

In her spare time, you will find Hope spending time with her family and her rescue pug, Pooka. She’s also involved in her church, San Diego Christian Fellowship, a multi-cultural congregation that serves the San Diego community.

Laura Hartsgrove Baker Sales Director, The Herbert H. Landy Insurance Agency, Inc.

Laura has over 25 years of technical and managerial experience in the insurance industry. Laura has held various positions in insurance and reinsurance operations including; Senior Excess & Special Risk Underwriter for Crum & Forster, Facultative Casualty Reinsurance Underwriter for Employers Re, and Reinsurance Program Manager for Swiss Re. Laura is currently the Director of Sales for the Herbert H Landy Insurance Agency. Laura is 2-20 Licensed, holds CPCU, ASLI, ARe and AFIS designations and is a graduate of Bentley University.

Tami Bonnell CEO of EXIT Realty Corp. International

EXIT Realty Corp International’s CEO TAMI BONNELL is an internationally renowned leader in the real estate industry and was instrumental in building three major brands.Among her many achievements, she was recognized by Real Estate trend watcher, Stephan Swanepoel, as one of the 200 most Powerful and influential people in residential real estate, among the top 20 corporate executives and among the top 10 women leaders.

 

Ms. Bonnell has been a featured speaker at the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTOR’S® convention to the Top 500 power brokers, The National Women’s Council REALTORS®, Inman News Connect Conference and the RIS Media’s Leadership Conference. She was named to the National Association of Women in Real Estate Business ‘ Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council and She was named a finalist in the category of Best Executive in a Service Business by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world’s premier awards for women in the workplace.

Ms. Bonnell is a 30 plus year veteran of the real estate industry and joined EXIT Realty in 1999. She was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2012.

She is a wife, mother of three and grandmother of three. In her spare time she is a martial artist, coach and referee.

Rosalind Booker Broker/Owner, Arbrook Realty Group, LLC.

Rosalind (Roz) Booker is Broker/Owner of Arbrook Realty Group, LLC. – A full-service real estate company in Dallas-Ft Worth. She is a trusted advocate in the community and remains true to her heart-inspired convictions to inspire and empower others. In 1996, Roz began her real estate career after leaving her Corporate career to pursue a higher education and to enrich her family’s lifestyle. Roz has been named a Top-Producer throughout her real estate career.

In 2005, Roz earned her BS/BMGT. Since 1990’s, in her former position as Minority & Women-owned Supplier Development Coordinator at a Fortune 500 Retailer and as an Elite Board Member & Certified Delegate Spokeswoman of National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses (NAWRB,) Roz has been an advocate in connecting the wealth opportunities for diverse classes and businesses to work together. As a leader in the housing eco system, Roz will receive NAWRB’s Roaring Thirty’s The Innovator Leading Lady Award at the NAWRB Nexus 2017 Conference, July 16-19, 2017, which recognizes women innovating the way of conducting business and forging their own path as an entrepreneur.

Roz is a member of the Allen/Fairview Chamber of Commerce and an Ambassador of the 5-star Plano, TX Chamber of Commerce. She is Women’s Ministry Leader and a Worship Leader at River of Glory Church in Plano, TX. She loves to sing, have fun, travel, and enjoy tasty food!

Lynn Burrows Bunim Director – Special Projects, Women in Public Policy (WIPP)

Lynn Burrows Bunim currently serves as Director – Special Projects for Women in Public Policy (WIPP). Following a forty year career in government and community relations at “the phone company”, commencing with Pacific Telephone and concluding with AT&T, Lynn brought hercoalition building and public policy experienceto WIPP.

Lynn has been both an advocate for women and a female trail blazer. At Pacific Telephone she was one of the first women hired into management in the early 1970s. She created Women of AT&T, an organization to help other women compete successfully in the large corporate workplace. Lynn also led a campaign to pioneer new, part-time ways to workin order to combine work and family.

A native San Franciscan,Lynn’s volunteer and community impact started as a teenager at Mt. Zion Hospital and the Bay Area American Red Cross. With deep roots across the San Francisco community, she has served on a number of boards, in both the Jewish and the general communities. Lynn currently serves on the Mt. Zion Health Fund, and Jewish Community Endowment Fund boards, as well as the Planned Parenthood Second Century Campaign Committee. She dedicated a decade to workforce development, including chairing the San Francisco Workforce Investment Board under Mayors Willie L. Brown and Gavin Newsom. Caring about education, Lynn served as Chair, JCC Pre-School Committee and with a handful of other bold 30-year olds founded San Francisco’s first co-educational, non-denomination elementary school, San Francisco Day School. An interest in the well-being of San Francisco’s youth led Lynn to serve on the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center Board. Today she dedicates herself to the YMCA Board, helping the organization raise funds for the Y’s youth programs.

Lynn earned a B.A. at the University of California – Berkeley and an M.A from Occidental College in Urban Studies. Additionally she received a Coro Fellowship. Lynn is devoted to her two grown daughters, Dede Kramer and Lesley Bunim, along with their husbands and five grandchildren. She is married to Alexander Fetter, Professor Emeritus in Physics at Stanford University. Lynn received awards from the League of Women Voters, the National Council of Jewish Women, and the Jewish Community Federation for her leadership and community contributions.

Deborah Canady Enterprise Partnership Manager

Deborah Canady started her career as a loan officer over 20 years ago and has held a variety of positions in the housing industry including Marketing Operations Manager, Regional Branch Manager, Team Leader and Vice President of Community Development Outreach. She is currently Division Director, affinity Initiatives, Central Division at JP Morgan Chase Home Loans. She has an in depth knowledge of mortgage sales and mortgage lending in the banking industry and has a proven record of developing partnerships, negotiating proposals and creating and implementing sales strategies.

She is a certified homebuyer counselor and conducts monthly workshops utilizing expert housing resource professionals that include appraisers, inspectors, lenders and realtors. She counsels participants on budgeting, credit restoration and develops a plan of action through a homebuyer club. Ms. Canady also has certifications in loss mitigation and credit counseling.

Ms. Canady has received numerous performance awards including National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) Mortgage Professional of the Year; Dallas Association of Realtist (DAR) Realtist of the Year; Dallas Association of Real Estate Brokers Women’s Council President Award; Concord Missionary Baptist Church Beau and Deb Community Partner Award; and Century 21 Louis Laurent Partner of the Year Award.

Despite her busy schedule, the Dallas native is a member of numerous trade organizations including Women’s Council of the Dallas Association of Real Estate Brokers, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, DFW Metro-Tex Community Outreach Committee and the Advisory Board for Enterprise Foundation Dallas.

Because of her expertise in the housing industry, Ms. Canady has been featured in the Dallas Morning News, Beat News and Eclipse Magazine and a guest on The Willis Johnson Show on KKDA-AM and The Robert Ashley Show on KHVN-AM.

Victor Christiansen Chief of Minority and Women Business and Diversity Inclusion Branch of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion,
 FDIC

Victor Christiansen is the Chief of Minority and Women Business and Diversity Inclusion Branch of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Arlington, VA. In this position, he is responsible for spearheading FDIC outreach activities and for implementing Section 342 of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. He provides leadership to all matters relating to: (1) developing and implementing policies to ensure the fair inclusion and increased participation of minorities and women and minority and women-owned businesses in all FDIC business activities and programs; (2) establishing assessment programs and developing standards to assess and evaluate the diversity and inclusion policies of financial entities regulated by the FDIC; (3) assessing the workforce of FDIC and contractors to ensure the inclusion of minorities and women; (4) overseeing implementation of all elements of Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Act; and (5) conducting outreach activities to provide minority and women-owned businesses with information on doing business with the FDIC and opportunities to obtain FDIC contracts.

Mr. Christiansen was formerly employed by the United States Department of the Interior in a number of different managerial positions. Most recently, he worked in the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development where he worked with Native American and Alaskan Native businesses to assist them in developing and improving business opportunities through a nationwide outreach program that provided technical assistance and training. The assistance was provided to establish new businesses and to assist existing businesses in improving and becoming more successful. This included establishing and overseeing the Native American Business Development Initiative that provided grants to Tribal entities to perform feasibility studies on proposed business opportunities.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Christiansen worked at the Government Accountability Office (formerly the General Accounting Office) where he was responsible for evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of a variety of Federal Government programs.

Pamela Smith-Cressel Director, Office of Small Business Utilization, U.S. General Services Administration

GSA Small Business Utilization office is responsible for ensuring that small, minority, HUBZone, women and veteran-owned companies receive access to agency procurements.

The Director for the Office of Small Business Utilization for the GSA is Pamela Smith-Cressel. She has been employed with the U.S. Federal Government for 32 years. During those years, she has worked with the Internal Revenue Services Department, United States Air Force, U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Naval Weapons Station.

Pamela meets with lead procurement officials on a regular basis to develop new acquisition strategies that will afford small businesses an opportunity to provide services in areas where there participation has been minimal.

Pamela works tirelessly as an advocate to increase procurement opportunities for small, minority, veteran, service disabled and woman-owned businesses in California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. Her passion is to help bridge the gap between Federal Government and aspiring entrepreneurs. Pamela has been an instructor at local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), where she teaches entrepreneurs how to become successful Government contractors. She hosts monthlyGSA Schedules workshopsand attend Small Business roundtables, procurement conferences and more.

Pamela is a sought after speaker for small business conferences and seminars. She’s developed a notable reputation as a GSA resource on small business programs, the GSA Multiple Awards Schedules Program and marketing strategies for successfully doing business with the Federal Government.

She also serves as a board member on GSA Child Care Centers and an officer on the Department of Defense Western Region Council for Small Business Education and Advocacy, provides pertinent information by participating in seminars, workshops, and individual counseling.

Pamela is a great advocate for all small, minority, HUBZone, women and veteran owned businesses.

Zeeda M. Daniele Senior Business Manager Fannie Mae

Zeeda M. Daniele is Fannie Mae’s senior business manager of the Western Region. With responsibilities to help preserve homeownership, increase affordable homeownership and rental housing opportunities for low-, moderate-, and middle-income families through partnerships with lenders, pubic, private and community stakeholders and other organizations.

Prior to joining Fannie Mae in February 2002, Daniele was assistant vice president of Business Development Emerging Markets for Citigroup’s CitiMortgage lending operations in Southern California and Nevada where she managed retail, wholesale, and correspondent community lending strategies for the area. In this capacity, she managed all nonprofit, city, county, corporate, multifamily, and single-family housing relationships and was responsible for coordinating all affordable housing programs.

Daniele is a former chairman of the Board of Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation and current Board of Director for LA Family Housing, and serves on the Los Angeles Enterprise Community Partners Advisory and Local Initiative Support Corporation Advisory.

She has a degree in political science from Mesa College and is a licensed California General Contractor.

Chairwoman: Marcia Davies is Chief Operating Officer for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)

As COO, Marcia is responsible for ensuring cross organizational alignment and facilitating the implementation of strategic initiatives, as well as maintaining oversight of key organizational priorities. She is also the lead strategist for MBA’s external activities, providing leadership, guidance and overall management to the public affairs and marketing divisions. In addition, Marcia provides strategic direction and management of MBA’s Conferences, Membership, Education, Information Technology and Office Services divisions. She also provides management oversight to and is a Board member of MBA’s Opens Doors Foundation. Previously, Marcia worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner. She directed HUD’s industry relations program to strengthen relationships, garner support, streamline communications and resolve policy and regulatory issues. Before joining HUD, Marcia spent 21 years at Freddie Mac, where she held a variety of officer positions in communications, customer outreach, marketing, servicer relations and policy. Marcia leads MBA’s networking platform for women in the real estate finance industry, mPower – MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach. Marcia is a member of Women in Housing Finance and the International Women’s Leadership Association. In 2015, she was honored by HousingWire as one of its 2015 Women of Influence. Marcia is a graduate of the Katharine Gibbs School in Montclair, N.J.

Lorena S. Fimbres VP, Chief Business Development Officer, Stem Connector and Million Women Mentors

Lorena serves as Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer for STEMconnector® and Million Women Mentors. In this capacity, Lorena works every day to expand business opportunities and to serve her corporate portfolio through customized STEM strategies and consulting. Lorena has been instrumental for the development and implementation of the STEMconnector® and Million Women Mentors brands, positioning them as two of the most recognized STEM brands.

Lorena has developed a unique approach to working with Fortune companies. She has a track record of driving collaborative projects involving over a hundred Fortune companies and their executives. She is the publisher of STEMconnector’s100 Leaders in STEM, which has profiled almost 500 executives across 282 corporations. Lorena´s publications include: The American Institute of Architects´ Small Business Resource Guide: Contacts to Contracts (2010) and the Women´s Business Leadership Tribute, published by Adecco (2011). Most recently, she was a contributor to Women Quick Facts: Compelling Data on Why Women Matter.

Lorena has been a speaker at national forums on women and diversity leadership, including LATINAStyle, Diversity Woman, Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy and Verizon’s Global Diversity Conference, among others.

Prior to moving to the United States, Lorena held several positions of increasing responsibility within the government of Sonora, Mexico. Lorena was a member of the strategy team that oversaw 101 parallel campaigns at the local and state levels (2009).

Lorena holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the recognized Tecnológico de Monterrey. A native of Sonora, Mexico, Lorena lives in San Diego, CA with her husband Francisco and their two kids Lorenza and Agustin.

Robert Fragoso Realtor, CEO, Investor 


Robert Fragoso has been exposed to real estate investing from an early age. Having grown up in Hollywood, CA his exposure to the urban lifestyle came at an early age. Growing up with his parents in their self managed apartment building gave him early experience into the real life working scenario’s regarding owning real estate.

At the age of 17 a chance meeting introduced him to an experienced real estate investor which mentored him. Within the first 30 days, Robert started finding opportunities for him to purchase. Shortly thereafter, Robert expanded his network of investors and met one which allowed him to begin flipping his own properties. Due to market conditions, Robert found opportunity in apartment buildings caused by the exit of aerospace and the closing of military bases in California which had created a high vacancy rate. Understanding this was a temporary problem, Robert raised funds and started syndicating apartment buildings in the Long Beach area.

In 1996 the opportunity arose to assist many families purchase homes at far below market value and help charities in the process. Robert participated in the helping Non-Profit Organization’s raise capital and complete the necessary repairs through his construction company. It was here that Robert began to expand his network and realized the value of networking.

It was through networking that he met several more investors which propelled him into the lending world. Specifically lending money to non-profit organizations with missions of revitalizing the battered South Central Los Angeles which had been heavily damaged by riots. It is this basis which helped form the basis for Robert to meet his future partners at Anchor Loans.

Robert assisted in building Anchor Loans for 17 years and served as the Executive Vice President. Anchor Loans now funds over 1 billions dollars in loans to investors that fix and flip properties throughout multiple states in the country.

Now, with over 28 of years experience on both sides of a real estate transaction, his ability to identify untapped opportunities, combined with his expertise in maximizing the potential value in properties, remains fundamental in fostering continued success. Today, after exiting from Anchor Loans in 2014 he continues to embody a true love of the real estate business, embracing new techniques and creating win-win opportunities as well as assisting others tap into opportunities they could not otherwise find without his expertise.

It is because of his love of the industry that Robert is now partnering with agents wanting to flip properties and other flip investors capture more of the opportunities they come across.

With experience in construction, syndicating apartment buildings, business development, networking, fixing and flipping homes, purchasing at trustee sale and spending 17 years of his career helping to build Anchor Loans as the lead originator for the company, Robert has helped 100’s of investors expand their business and increase their yields through real estate investments.

Robert’s experience has given him a unique outlook which crosses many boundaries as he has seen and participated in over 10,000 transactions flip transactions helping those who know him tap into the vast experience only available to a few people in the country.

Today, Robert is seeking new ways to communicate and help others as well as he continues to flip properties.

Melanie Gass Sr. Partner Channel Marketing Manager SMB&D, USSMB Business Development, Microsoft

As senior partner channel marketing manager for Microsoft’s U.S. Small-and-Midsized Business group, Melanie Gass focuses on national initiatives that help small businesses achieve more. Her background as a technology industry entrepreneur gives her unique perspective on the needs of small businesses and brings an added layer of commitment to her role.

At Microsoft, Gass leads the small business partnerships and business development efforts with strategic national influencer organizations, including the U.S. Small Business Administration and several other government entities. Her efforts focus on ensuring initiatives like Microsoft Community Connections deliver strong value to customers and organizations engaged in the program, while ideating and negotiating new scalable methods to engage more small businesses nationwide. In addition, Gass aligns efforts with broader Microsoft teams to help demonstrate to small businesses the power of Microsoft technologies to realize their dreams.

Gass has been a Microsoft certified product expert since 1998, fostered through ten years’ experience as the owner of a technology firm. Her company performed technology consulting, Microsoft platform solution implementations and training for clients around the world. Throughout her tenure as owner, Gass personally trained more than 1 million employees at companies large and small to maximize the capabilities and value of technology investments.

Her affinity for Microsoft products and enabling business success through their use sparked the idea for a weekly syndicated radio show, where Gass was dubbed “The Microsoft Princess.” The show attracted nearly 500,000 listeners worldwide each week.

Gass was named to the 2015 ChannelPro 20/20 Visionaries list, which honored her as one of the most influential leaders in small business technology. She also is a 15-time Microsoft product reference book author.

Gass earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics with a minor in finance from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. Outside of the office, she enjoys sailing, golfing and flying airplanes, as she holds a private pilot’s license.

Loreen Gilbert Founder and President, WealthWise Financial Services

Loreen Gilbert is an experienced wealth manager who has spent more than 25 years creating comprehensive wealth strategies for her clients. Upon graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Business Administration, she launched her career at Fidelity Investments where she assisted clients with investment management services. Gilbert then worked for a private company selling retirement plans to municipalities and their employees. She has been in private practice as a wealth manager since 1997, and is the founder and president of WealthWise Financial Services, which offers securities and investment advisory services to individuals, business owners and corporations through her affiliation as a registered principal with LPL Financial.

Loreen Gilbert serves on the Executive Board of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), representing more than 13 million women business owners in the US. Gilbert was also awarded the Remarkable Woman Award as “2016 Business Owner of the Year” and “2017 Advocate of the Year” for NAWBO-Orange County, California. She was recently honored by Enterprising Women Magazine as the national winner of the 2017 Enterprising Women of the Year award in her category. Gilbert currently sits on the regional board of HOPE International, a micro-lending organization helping mainly women in third world countries to start or expand a business. She has recently been appointed to the Trump Pence Small Business Advisory Council, one of only 19 appointees in the U.S. and the only representative in California. She was selected by Facebook to broadcast globally from their HQ in celebration of Women’s International Day. Gilbert has been covered by Investor’s Business Weekly, Yahoo! Finance, Money Magazine, Reuters, Financial Advisor. She also hosts on-air segments for KX 93.5 FM where she resides in Laguna Beach, California, to educate listeners on financial matters. Her iTunes podcast is called WealthWise Moment. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wealthwise-moment/id1166429488?mt=2. Gilbert is also celebrating her 20th year running a private wealth management practice.

Gilbert’s business licenses and credentials include registration as an Investment Advisor Representative with LPL Financial; FINRA Series 7, 63, 24, and 65, registrations held through LPL Financial; Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation; Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation; Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC) designation; Corporation for Long Term Care (CLTC) certification; “member, Qualified Kingdom Advisor” certification; insurance licensed in Life, Disability, Variable Life, and Long Term Care; and Bachelor of Business Administration. For seven years including 2017, Ms. Gilbert was published as receiving the Five Star Wealth Manager Award as published in Orange Coast Magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

Gloria Gomez Business Opportunity Specialist, 8(a) Business Development Program, U.S. Small Business Administration, Santa Ana District Office

Gloria has worked with the federal government a total of 11 years plus 2 years as a government contractor. Prior to SBA, Gloria worked for the U.S. Department of Treasury-Fedsource, where she served as a Sr. Program Specialist to the Vice President of Operations. Her role was to oversee the daily contracting operations of 6 field offices throughout the United States. Her expertise includes Government contracting, Performance-based contracting, Budget and Strategic Planning, and Procurement. Prior to working for the government Gloria worked in the private sector in the fields of Manufacturing and Retail.

Gloria attended the California State University, Fullerton to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management.

Sylvia Gutierrez Economic Development Specialist and Women’s Business Outreach Representative, U.S. Small Business Administration

Sylvia works for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Santa Ana District office, as Economic Development Specialist and Women’s Business Outreach Representative. She has more than 20 years of experience in business development. Her marketing and outreach activities reach the tri-county area of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino. She is invited to speak on SBA Programs and Services by various organizations and TV networks like Univision.

Sylvia is tasked with participating at events that assist, inform, and educate entrepreneurs and business owners to start, expand, and run successful businesses.

Sylvia holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from USC, and an M.A. degree from The American University in Washington, D.C., in International Economic Policy, Business, and Finance.

Sylvia is an active member of Toastmasters and she holds an Advanced Toastmaster Silver Certificate.

Ali Haralson, Executive Vice President, Client Management, Auction.com

Ali Haralson is executive vice president of client management at Auction.com, a Ten-X company and the nation’s leading online real estate transaction marketplace focused exclusively on the sale of bank-owned and foreclosure properties via online auctions as well as live trustee sale events. A mortgage servicing industry veteran of more than 20 years, she is responsible for growing Auction.com’s market share while assisting its clients to effectively mitigate the risks commonly associated with distressed assets.

Prior to joining Auction.com in early 2017, she served as chief operations officer of Specialized Loan Servicing, LLC, of which she was a founding member. Her other prior leadership roles include senior vice president of load administration for Olympus Servicing, LP, where she developed and managed a primary, sub- and special-loan servicing platform that realized a 900 percent growth rate for the company, and vice president of mortgage operations for Direct Mortgage Partners, where she was responsible for overseeing servicer and sub-servicer relationships.

Haralson is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and licensed mortgage loan officer.

Michelle Hollis Director, 6thStreet Consulting

Joining the 6thStreet Consulting team in 2014, Michelle brings many years of sales growth and consulting experience to the organization with a key focus on strategy and partnering with Microsoft. She is responsible for driving new business and revenue streams for 6SC.

Following a passion for technology soon after moving to California in 1983, Michelle attended UCLA and approached systems and integration like puzzle pieces, putting them all together to create a masterpiece. After years of service delivery and project management, Michelle moved into sales and management roles for varying organizations from emerging startup companies to growing regions for larger companies serving Fortune 100 clients across the globe.

Michelle and her family are local to the South Bay. She has a large extended family and enjoys volleyball and golfing or winding down with a good book. Michelle is the Treasurer and Chairperson for Women in Technology for the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP) SoCal.

HYEPIN CHRISTINE IM, CPA, MBA, Master of Divinity

Ms. Hyepin Im served as a U.S. Presidential Appointee on the Board of the Corporation for National and Community Service from 2009 to 2015. She currently serves as President and Founder of Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD), a national nonprofit involved in empowering churches and nonprofits to leverage their resources by building capacity, leadership, and partnerships in economic development and serving as a bridge between the Korean/Asian American community and the greater community at large. Since its inception in 2001,KCCD has had over 300 partners, ranging from the White House to Fortune 500 companies. Successful initiatives include educating over 8000 homebuyers and helping them receive over $1.4 million in downpayment assistance, saving over $85 million in mortgages from foreclosure, partnering with both FDIC and Freddie Mac in developing a Korean curriculum in financial literacy and homeownership, implementing a historic $5 million U.S. Department of Labor workforce development program, and hosting joint conferences with the White House and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to mobilize 5000 Korean American churches for economic development. In the recent years, through community advocacy and mobilization, KCCD worked with other organizations to win a historic community benefit from a developer who received $17 million in public resources. As a result, KCCD was designated as a nonprofit partner for affordable housing and is currently building a 100 units of affordable housing that is scheduled to open in 2017. KCCD is also involved in other economic and community development efforts including REO rehabilitation, disaster readiness, computer literacy, affordable care outreach, mental health outreach, job training, small business training, immigration outreach, and leadership training amongst others.

Ms. Im is a frequent speaker who has been on CNN and NPR and who has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. In 2013 and 2014, she was invited by President Obama to the Oval Office for discussion with select key leaders with faith leaders and then API leaders on immigration reform.

She has presented at numerous conferences including at the White House, U.S. Department of Labor, Christian Community Development Association, and Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and has emceed for Board of Equalization Jerome Horton’s Connecting Women to Power – a business conference with over 2000 participants.

She serves on the U.S. Army Advisory Board, Union Bank Community Advisory Board, Torrey Pines Bank Community Advisory Board, Southern California Leadership Network Board, and FTE (Forum for Theological Exploration) Board of Trustees, and AAPIC (Asian American Pacific Islander Clergywomen) Board. Past memberships include the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Western Partner for the Council on Foreign Relations, and L.A. County Supervisor’s Empowerment Congress Leadership Council.

In 2012, she was honored as Woman of Action by California Speaker of the Assembly John Perez. She was selected twice as Pioneer Woman of the Year by Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Tom Labonge. She was also recognized by LAUSD School Boardmember as a Trailblazer for her work and advocacy for students. Los Angeles Magazine featured Ms. Im as “Ten Inspirational Women of Los Angeles in their September 2013 issue. She was also honored by Southern California Leadership Network as one of the “Visionary Honorees.”

Her previous positions include venture capitalist for Renaissance Capital Partners, Sponsorship Manager for California Science Center, and Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young. She has a B.S. from U.C. Berkeley, M.B.A. from University of Southern California, and M.Div., summa cum laude, from Wesley Theological Seminary.

Stuart Ishimaru, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

He previously served as a Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2003-12, and was Acting Chairman of the Commission, 2009-10. Mr. Ishimaru served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, 1994-2001. He served as the Acting Staff Director of the Commission on Civil Rights, 1993-94, and was on the professional staffs of the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees of the House of Representatives, 1984-1993. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and the George Washington University Law School.

Tanya Wattenburg Komas, Ph.D.

Honored as one of Five Most-Influential People in the Concrete Industry in 2013 by Concrete Construction Magazine. Ph.D., Texas A&M University; Master of Science, Columbia University, New York; Bachelor of Science, University of California, Davis. Founding Director/CEO of CPI, an official US military Career Skills Program for active duty military and partner of US National Park Service at Alcatraz Island and Pearl Harbor restoring landmark structures and training service members for civilian careers. Professor Emeritus, California State University, Chico, College of Engineering. Research and projects with NASA for Co2 reduction and durable cement development, concrete repair technology and certification development, pavement durability with Caltrans, rehabilitation of Historic Havana Riverwalk Inn, San Antonio, Texas, and appearances on several History Channel shows. Named 2012 Professor of the Year for California State University, Chico, by the Chico Economic Development Council.

Ann Krishnan Vice President and Senior Partner, CAK International, LLC

Ann, a savvy business owner, is Vice President and Senior Partner at the helm of the global business consulting firm of CAK International, LLC (CAK), with corporate offices in Newport Beach-CA, Dallas-TX, Washington-D.C., and New Delhi-India. CAK specializes in Business Infrastructure Development & Capacity Building within companies based on Biblical principles since the year 1999. CAK is Certified as an 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Women owned Business, GSA FSS Professional Services Schedule Holder, and the highly coveted 8(a) STARS II GWAC IT Contract.

In her career path Ann has worked alongside some of the world’s powerhouse entities. She began her illustrious career with the United States Senate working alongside Senator Charles MacMathis, Jr. (MD), Ann worked on the Information Technology Systems Analysis to develop, implement, and update as necessary a strategic planning process and plan for the functional and technical infrastructure support for the Senator and the (3) Satellite Offices. After a successful Senate Re-Election Campaign, she was asked to join the U.S. Senate Rules Committee. Ann, quickly became a specialist at the Rules Committee, and the differing rulings that all legislative bodies need to abide with to transact the business of the government in an orderly fashion. Ann also was key in organizing many exciting events included the inauguration of the President & Vice President of the United States, and the Members of Congress. She was instrumental in the official declaration of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday as a National holiday. Ann was also the Committee Vice Chair for the CSPAN Television airing of the Senate & House floor proceedings.

This foundation of governance and orderly business transactions has since led Ann to be the champion for small businesses when it comes to strategic planning and execution for market success. Since the days on the Hill, one of the hallmarks of Ann’s career has been her involvement with the small business sector. Through her firm CAK she has reached over 100 small business and 600 individuals, in the past 18 years of operation. The measurement of success in this case extends beyond simple numbers and ratios. It is the intangible sense of satisfaction & pride in the lives of others, especially the small business owner and their employees. Through the strategic alliances developed with the Small Business Administration (SBA), Orange County Chapter of SCORE, TriTech SBDC, and various Non-Profit & Community Organizations, Ann has assisted hundreds of clients in Planning, Funding, Forming, Running, and Growing a business. She holds advanced educational qualifications including Degrees in International Marketing & Business Administration, Certifications in Accounting, Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor and is Certified as a Specialist in Sarbanes Oxley Compliance (CSOX) & Corporate Governance.

God continues to be the ‘Rock’ in her life and is evident in her daily walk with HIM. She is married to her wonderful husband CP for over 24 years and maintains residences in Southern California and Washington D.C.

Sharron P.A. Levine Director of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI), 
 FHFA

Sharron P. A. Levine is the Director of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA or Agency). She is responsible for oversight of diversity and inclusion programs at FHFA’s regulated entities, which include Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance. She also overseestheAgency’s efforts to promote diversity and ensure inclusion internally inFHFA’s workforce andits contracting activities. Sharron advises the FHFA Director on the impact of Agency policies and regulations on minority- and women-owned businesses, and develops standards and procedures for assessing whether such businesses have failed to make a good faith effort to include minorities and women in their workforces. She leads a dedicated staff of equal employment opportunity specialists, diversity and inclusion specialists, and diversity and inclusion financial institution examiners.

Previously, Sharron worked in FHFA’s Office of General Counsel as an Associate General Counsel.Before joiningAgencyin 2012, shespent more than a decade at Fannie Mae in the General Counsel’s office and left asVice President and Deputy General Counsel. At Fannie Mae, she managed a team of attorneys and paralegals supporting the Multifamily Housing Division’soperations, debt and equity production,and asset management businesses, among other areas.

Her legal career, which spans over 30 years, also includes practicing real estate finance law at large multi-national law firms and corporations involved in diverse sectors of the real estate and finance industries.Sharron earned both her B.A. and J.D. degrees fromNew York University.

Leslie A. Lochner Workforce Management Manager, HKP

Leslie joined HKP in 2014 after seven years of experience in sales/consulting and four years of experience in outsourced workforce management solutions. Leslie is responsible for leading the workforce management team in establishing relationships with clients and developing new opportunities for partnership. She specializes in providing a streamlined solution which will allow clients to eliminate time-consuming administrative processes, allowing for better, more informed business decisions.

In addition to overseeing the workforce management consulting team, Leslie develops new partnerships for organizations with accounting and total workforce management needs. Her experience includes the restaurant, hospitality, health care,financial and manufacturing industries.

Leslie is focused on adding value to firms by listening to their needs and forming a business partnership. Her goal is to help businesses increase their efficiencies,increase their ROI with their existing business systems, empower management with better data access and increase an organization’s bottom line.

Alicia Lopez Branch Manager, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Alicia is a highly motivated, result-oriented professional with over 20 years of experience in Business Management, Finance, Accounting, Sales, Marketing and Mortgage. She started her mortgage career with Wells Fargo in February 2007 in Georgia as a Home Mortgage Consultant. In 2010, she relocated to Texas as a Mortgage Sales Supervisor and in 2012 she transitioned into the Branch Sales Manager role after increasing market share and recruiting top talent. Throughout her career, Alicia has been recognized in multiple occasions as a leader for serving the local communities. Alicia is bi-lingual in Spanish/English, highly proficient in government lending. She is passionate about establishing strong relationships by providing financial education in local communities.

Alicia is the proud mother of 2 beautiful young ladies Alyssa age 16 and Leslie age 15. She holds a Bachelor degree in Business Management (2005), a Masters of Business Administration (2007) and is currently scheduled to complete a Doctor of Business Administration degree in 2019.

Philip D. Lovas Regional Advocate – SBA Region IX, Office of Advocacy, U.S Small Business Administration 


He was elected to a full term in November 2012 and won re-election in 2014 and 2016.  During his time in the legislature he chaired the Rules and Insurance committees and served on the Health, Education, Transportation, Government, and Children and Family Affairs committees.

Outside the legislature, Phil worked in the hotel business for 15 years as a franchise developer.  He has sold approximately 200 franchises during his career, mostly in the western U.S for Cendant, InterContinental Hotels Group and Red Lion Hotels Corp.

In April 2017 he was appointed as the Regional Advocate for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy in Region 9 covering Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada.   In this role he works with small business owners and proponents advocating against overly burdensome federal rules and regulations.

Phil lives in Peoria with his wife Corinne and three children.

Jennifer Meagher REO Senior Director – HomeSteps®, Freddie Mac

Jennifer Meagher is the Single-Family REO Senior Director overseeing Operational Support areas for HomeSteps®, the real estate unit for Freddie Mac-owned homes. Jennifer has been in the REO industry for more than 25 years and has been with Freddie Mac since 1994. Jennifer’s experience and areas of responsibility cover REO Vendor Network Management, Systems Design and Management, SOX Compliance, Operational Risk Management, Strategic Planning, Budget Planning, Quality Assurance, and Management Reporting. Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Jennifer worked for Texas A&M University, a hospital conglomerate, one of the larger Resolution Trust Corporation subcontractors, and Cendant Asset Services. Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Texas A&M University and is a licensed CPA and CRMA.

Logan Mohtashami Senior Loan Manager,
 AMC Lending Group

Logan Mohtashami is the senior loan manager at AMC Lending Group which has been serving California Residence since 1987. Logan as been in the business for over 20 years and is a financial writer and blogger covering the U.S. economy with a specialization in the housing market. His work has been published by Benzinga.com, Business Insider, and in his own highly respected blog, LoganMohtashami- Financial Truth. His blog articles are frequently reposted by economic insiders sites such as David Stockman’s Contra Corner, The Wall Street Examiner,dshort.com, Advisor Perspectives and quoted by HousingWire, BankRate.com, AmericanBanker, Danielle DiMartino Booth and many others. Housing experts such as Professor Amir Sufi, (Booth School of Business), Professor Anthony Sanders (George Mason University) and reporters from CNBC and the Wall Street Journal have quoted Logan. Audio interviews with Logan have been featured on Jason Hartman’s Young Wealth Show, and he is a recurring guest on David Lykken’s Blog Talk Radio and Bloomberg Financial where he does the national housing market preview at the start of each year.

Called a social media star by National Mortgage News, and “the chart guy” and “housing guru” by nearly everyone else, Logan’s astute analysis of economic data and years of direct lending experience allow him to present a unique, informed and unbiased perspective on the financial markets. Logan is perhaps best known for his highly prescient yearly predictions articles, and his weekly predictions on the health of the housing market and mortgage rate trends on Bankrate.com

Vanessa Montanez Business Consultant, former VP, Mortgage Business Development Manager,
 East West Bank

Vanessa has been in residential lending for the last twenty years where she has applied her expertise in loans. She has worked for major lending institutions such as Countrywide Home Loans, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and most recently was the Regional Business Development Manager for JPM Chase. In this capacity she oversaw the business development, CRA, REO, Short Sales, and Builder/Condo in California. For the last fifteen years, she has been managing loan officers, sales managers, and processors. She is the former Vice President, National Mortgage Business Development Manager at East West Bank, responsible for the overall strategic plan and execution of increasing mortgage production in existing territories and reaching underserved borrowers. Demonstrating her abilities as an entrepreneur, she owns and operates a Farmers Insurance agency since 2008 and is a real estate investor/developer. Vanessa holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a MBA from Pepperdine University.

John Moon District Manager, Community Development, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

John Moon leads outreach and engagement at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s community development department. His team supports a wide range of initiatives that address the needs of low-income communities and individuals throughout the Fed’s nine-state western region. Facilitating financing/investing, supporting multi-sector collaboratives, and focusing on larger systems barriers in lower-income urban and rural markets are a particular focus of the team.

John has extensive social change experience in the public and private sectors including work at Living Cities, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, U.S Treasury’s CDFI Fund, the City of Seattle, Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, Fleetbank, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. John has also advanced national community development programs and policies, including those involving social investments, healthy communities, small business credit, and affordable housing. He has also published articles and papers and spoken nationally on these topics. John earned his Bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Toni Moss CEO, AmeriCatalyst, LLC

Toni Moss, the CEO of AmeriCatalyst LLC, is a rare resource with more than 25 years of experience in markets around the world specializing on the impact of globalization on the housing finance ecosystem. Ms. Moss will offer an overview of the Global Financial Markets and her insight on how recent events are likely to affect your business and impact your personal wealth and investments.

Marlene Nantell Director of MBE Services and Community Outreach, Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council (SCMSDC)

Marlene Nantell is the Director of MBE Services and Community Outreach for the Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council, a non-profit organization headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles that provides minority-owned entrepreneurs opportunities to compete for large corporate contracts by providing MBE Certification, as well as professional development programs, relevant workshops and networking events. Her role is to represent the council at various diverse business events and provide presentations on the value of certification; cultivate and maintain relationships with entrepreneurs, partnering organizations and Corporate sponsors; create and develop programs and services for MBEs, specifically seeking to build capacity for large contracts; provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to partner and build their businesses through networking; serve as a liaison to the Minority Business Entrepreneur Input Committee (MBEIC), a standing committee of the SCMSDC Board of Directors, and ensure that MBE Certification is in compliance with national guidelines under the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC).

She is a Board member and Executive Secretary for the Asian Business Association of Orange County (ABAOC), on the Corporate Advisory Board for the American Indian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) and a member of the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW). She received her undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of La Verne and a Master’s degree in Social Science from Humboldt State University.

Helen O’Sullivan President & CEO, NeighborWorks Orange County

Helen O’Sullivan is President and CEO of NeighborWorks Orange County, a 501(c)(3) Community Development Financial Institution certified by the United States Treasury. In furthering its mission to strengthen communities and enhance the quality of life of residents,NWOCseeks to empower people to build a stronger financial future and a thriving community.

Since her employment with NeighborWorks Orange County in 2010, Helen has held the positions of SVP of Programs and Administration, EVP Operations, and President/CEO. During this time, the organization has expanded itsHomeOwnership Center in funding resources, staffing and geographic locations.

Prior to joining NeighborWorks Orange County, Helen was Director of Operations for AOF/Pacific Affordable Housing Corp., and was responsible for the asset management of the company’s 5000 unit portfolio. Before entering the non-profit sector, Ms. O’Sullivan spent 35 years in the banking industry, initially in real estate lending and laterin community relations as a CRA Officer.

From 2000-2010, Helen served as a director on the board of NeighborWorks Orange County. Additionally, Helen has served on several non-profit community development boards of directors, including: Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services-Neighborhood Lending Services, Clearinghouse CDFI,and Jamboree Housing Corporation.

Kinnery Patel at Kinnery Patel, Esq.


Kinnery Patel, Esq., is among the one percent (l %) of the nation’s lawyers admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court due to the high standards required by the Court for admission. Kinnery was chosen a California Super Lawyer in 2015 and 2016. In and in 2017, she was and awarded “Top Lawyer” recognition for excellence and achievement in the legal community. These ratings are the pinnacle of professional excellence, in both legal ability and ethical standards, reflecting only the top five percent (5%) of lawyers in California. Upon completing her legal education in England, Kinnery became licensed to practice law in England and Wales and 49 other Common Law Countries. After attaining her Masters in International Business Law, she traveled to the United States and passed both the New York and California Bar examinations on her first attempt, becoming licensed in both New York and California in 2003. As a proud citizen of both the United States and England, her legal experience in both countries has resulted in greater and more extensive legal insight which has provided, providing her with the ability to be creatively unique in resolution and prevailing when prevailing for her clients. In 2010, Kinnery became the Principal of Mozingo & Patel, a boutique Law Firm in Orange County.

Silvia Rathell Washington, D.C. Government Relations Chairwoman, NAWRB

Silvia N. Rathell is a small business owner and co-owner of Rathell Properties LLC, a small investment company that focuses in real estate. She joined NAWRB in 2017 as the Washington D.C. Satellite Office Government Relations Chairwoman assisting the organization’s growth in government advocacy on behalf of women’s gender equality and women-owned businesses in the housing ecosystem.

Planning to pursue her doctorate degree in the near future, Rathell sits on several national boards and advisory councils—the White House Policy Briefings for Latino Leaders, The National Farmworker Alliance and the Social Security Administration’s Latino Advisory Board, to name a few—always mindful of the fact that there remains much work to be done for women and minorities.

Mrs. Rathell lives in Maryland with her husband Brooks Rathell, her 17-year-old daughter Maya, 7-year-old daughter Adrianna and 5-year-old son Brooks Jr.

Elan Chambers Sherman Senior Vice President, Client Management, Auction.com

Elan Sherman is the Senior Vice President of Client Management at Auction.com (a Ten-X company), where she oversees business development and client management forthe nation’s leading online real estate transaction marketplace.

Prior to joining Auction.com in 2016, Elan held senior management positions within the housing and mortgage industry specializing in alternative disposition.She has over 10 years of experience having served as Vice President of Strategic Disposition at Wells Fargo, Senior Vice President of Alternative Disposition at Bank of America, and Vice President at Kennedy Wilson, a global real estate investment company.

Elan holds a BA from the University of Vermont and a JD from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Leia Smith Director, Isaiah House in Santa Ana, CA

Leia graduated from UCLA and studied for her Masters in Theology at Loyola Marymount University. Formerly she served as a Chaplain and coordinator for Catholic Detention Ministry. Currently she lives with and serves people experiencing homelessness and poverty. She invites and guides hundreds of people each week, including youth, into active love through their service at the Catholic Worker home, Isaiah House.

Valerie Torelli Owner and Founder, Torelli Realty

Real Estate Specialist and Consultant, Valerie Torelli, is the owner and founder of Torelli Realty, a residential realty firm based in Costa Mesa, CA. For over 30 years Valerie has been engaged in the full time sale, lease and property management of residential real estate. With 12 full time agents and a support staff of 5, her firm has been the #1 real estate company in Costa Mesa, dominating the Mesa Verde section of the city, out producing companies 10 times her size year after year.

Valerie has personally closed escrow on over 2,000 homes. With a combination of community events, new technology and “old school” communication the agents of Torelli Realty adhere to the 4 C’s (commitment, connection, compassion, community) and enjoy unparalleled success and sustainability in the marketplace.

Cheryl Travis-Johnson COO, VRM Mortgage Services

Since joining VRM Mortgage Services in 2008, she has been an agent for change and innovation at the company including championing the development and roll out VRM University (VRMU), which is one of the leading training vehicles for mortgage and real estate professionals. Cheryl also leads the development of non-traditional solutions for lenders, servicers and investors that mitigate losses associated with non-performing loans. Under her leadership, VRM Mortgage Services continues to grow and develop new, innovative solutions that encompass the entire mortgage and asset life cycles.

Cheryl’s career in mortgage banking spans over 30 years and includes leadership roles in lending, loan servicing and real estate. Her extensive experience enables her to recognize industry trends and proactively address operational challenges with creative perspective and innovative solutions.

Cheryl’s passion for community and commitment to diversity drive her to continually advocate for new approaches to developing small and diverse businesses including creating business mentoring and coaching solutions to assist them in participating in today’s dynamic market. Additionally, Cheryl is an executive participant on the MBA Diversity & Inclusion Committee. As a part of her involvement, she led the co-development of a new Diversity and Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool. The new tool will enable Lenders, Servicers and Investors to assess, document and measure their compliance with the proposed OMWI standards for diversity and inclusion developed in response to Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Her strategic vision and organizational leadership is deeply rooted in creating sustainable, complaint solutions that protect reputations and revenues while protecting and preserving communities. Cheryl serves as a director on the board of the non-profit organization, PCV|VRM Seeds of Hope where her leadership through philanthropy serves to educate, enable and empower homeowners in an effort to stabilize neighborhoods and breathe new life into communities.

Cheryl Travis-Johnson exhibits leadership, commitment to progress and dedication to change in every area of her profession. From philanthropy and thought leadership to driving operational excellence for her clients and the industry, Cheryl is making a lasting impact on housing and, more importantly, on the homeowners and families that each of those homes represents.

Stacey Walker Director, Housing Outreach, Affordable Lending & Access to Credit, Single Family Business, Freddie Mac

Stacey M. Walker is the Director of Housing Outreach in the Affordable Lending & Access to Credit Department within the Single Family Division. In this capacity, Ms. Walker is responsible for building relationships with National and Local Intermediaries and other Stakeholders to provide responsible lending opportunities to first time homebuyers, low-to-moderate income borrowers, and families in underserved markets. In her position, she also oversees various neighborhood stabilization initiatives that engage communities, consumers and customers to help achieve business objectives through outreach.

Ms. Walker joined Freddie Mac in 1992, as part of the Mortgage Acquisitions Department. Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Ms. Walker began her career in single family affordable lending at the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, in Lansing, Michigan. In this capacity, she served as a single-family loan underwriter and loan servicer, responsible for ensuring loans were in compliance with the State of Michigan’s affordable program guidelines.

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing.

Monda Raquel Webb Senior Business Consultant

Monda Raquel Webb has over 25 years of extensive corporate, government and non-profit experience with specialties in marketing, mortgage finance, business development, content creation, training, communications, outreach, public relations and partner engagement.

Monda personifies the trifecta experience in the Mortgage Finance industry as a licensed real estate agent (residential market) in MD/DC since 2003, as well as holding positions with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (primary market) and Fannie Mae (secondary market). She recently completed a 5 year tenure with Making Home Affordable, U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Monda is also a small business owner, with a media and film production company. The publishing arm of Monda Media has published four books and manages author brand, public relations,and marketing/sales of product and ancillary items. Monda then established Little Known Stories Production Company, LLC as the production arm of Monda Media. In 2015, she wrote, directed and produced her first short film, “Zoo (Volkerschau)”, which has won 11 U.S. and International Film Festival Awards, including awards from Spain and Indonesia, for “Best Short (film)”, “Best Script”, “Excellence Award” and other categories. “I’m DNA purposed to create literary and visual art that celebrates humanity,” Monda says. I’m an independent filmmaker dedicated to telling little known stories hidden in the crevices of history’s pages. A visual archeologist, I’m committed to organic storytelling that elevates, educates and uplifts humanity.”

With the depth and breadth of her experiences, Monda brings a unique perspective of the mortgage finance market, which allows her the benefit of understanding all aspects of the industry and communicate effectively to any audience, from first-time homebuyer to seasoned veteran.

Tomaneci A. Waller-Day
Supplier Diversity Director, Freddie Mac

Tomaneci A. Waller-Day is the Director of Freddie Mac’s Supplier Diversity Program. In this role, she works to develop programs and other opportunities for integrating diverse owned businesses into the procurement of goods and services for Freddie Mac business initiatives.

She started her career in Supplier Diversity at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), as the Outreach Coordinator for the Small, Local and Minority Business Enterprise Office, branding and marketing the core elements of the supplier diversity program and office and building community relationships.

Deeply committed to the inclusion of minority and women-owned businesses in all procurement engagements, Mrs. Waller-Day champions diversity in contracting at Freddie Mac by proactively introducing innovative programming, advocating for transparency in contracting and preparing remediation plans for deficiencies in targeted diverse spend.

Tomaneci is responsible for launching the Vendor Academy, Freddie Mac’s signature Diverse Vendor Development program. This corporate-wide initiative engages highly talented diverse vendors and provides a platform for diverse business owners to strengthen their business and establish business relationship with Freddie Mac.

As a Maryland native she actively participates with local diversity councils such as the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Councils, the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the D.C. based Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO). Tomaneci is a proud graduate of Norfolk State University, located in Norfolk Virginia – receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication and Account Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia.