Tag Archives: women leader

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Sharron P.A. Levine, Director of FHFA’s Office of Minority & Women Inclusion!

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NAWRB is proud to award Sharron P.A. Levine with the 2020 Government Official Leader Award! Levine is the Director of FHFA’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion. She leads the Agency’s oversight of the diversity and inclusion (D&I) programs of FHFA’s regulated entities, which include Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Common Securitization Platform (CSS), the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance. Sharron has more than 35 years of legal experience in the financial services industry representing corporate, institutional, governmental, and private entities in many aspects of real estate law, including construction and permanent loan financing; housing finance; leveraged buyouts; and more. Levine has delivered numerous keynote and other speeches across the industry and has been nominated several times for awards in Diversity and Inclusion for the work that FHFA has accomplished in this critical area.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor women leaders in the housing ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise and passion to break glass ceilings in the corporate world and facilitate the growth of their local communities. Congratulations, Sharron P.A. Levine!

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Nicole Cober, Cober Johnson & Romney!

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NAWRB is proud to award Nicole Cober with the 2020 Women-Owned Business Leader Award! Cober is the Principal Managing Partner of Cober Johnson & Romney, an award-winning legal & business consulting firm. She is currently serving as a member of the National Women’s Business Council(NWBC), a bipartisan council that advises the White House, Congress, and the SBA on matters concerning women in business. Cober’s first book, CEO of My Soul, was published in 2016 and blends valuable business advice with true accounts of relationships struggles, family triumphs, and self-refection.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor women leaders in the housing ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise and passion to break glass ceilings in the corporate world and facilitate the growth of their local communities.

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Elizabeth Karwowski, CEO Get Credit Healthy, Inc.!

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NAWRB is proud to announce Elizabeth Karwowski as the winner of the 2020 NAWRB Consumer Advocate Leader Award! Karwowski is the CEO of Get Credit Healthy, Inc. Elizabeth is recognized as a credit expert, and has been featured on NBC and Fox News, and published in Scotsman’s Guide and Today’s Chicago Women. In 2018 Elizabeth was named one of Mortgage Banking’s Most Powerful Women; and, one of the most Influential Mortgage Professionals Under 40. In 2019, Elizabeth was selected as the winner of the Woman with Vision Award; and, one of the Most Powerful Women in Fintech. Elizabeth believes that the only way to truly help consumers become financially healthy is to educate and change their behavior to improve their financial health.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor exceptional women leaders in the housing and real estate ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise, passion, and drive to redefine leadership and facilitate additional growth in their industry and local communities. Congratulations, Elizabeth Karwowski!

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Elizabeth Perez, CEO & Founder GCG!

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NAWRB is proud to announce Elizabeth Perez as the winner of the 2020 NAWRB Veteran Leader Award! Perez is a Native American with Latin roots, a service-disabled veteran with a proud history of advocacy, entrepreneurship, and public service. Despite the adversities she has faced, Perez persevered and secured a job with a construction company and eventually started her own construction company, GC Green Inc. She later was appointed to the position of Deputy Secretary of Minority Veterans at CalVet where she spearheaded successful programs focused on a pathway to citizenship for deported veterans; became a tribal veteran representative connecting them to benefits they earned while serving; facilitated collaboration within the veteran LGTBQ community; and focused on reducing fraud within the Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (CA DVBE) contracting spear.  Before she took the position, there had not been very much emphasis on any of these subset groups within the veteran community and she created awareness and made long-lasting positive change for veterans not only in California but across the country through groundbreaking policy and programming.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor exceptional women leaders in the housing and real estate ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise, passion and drive to redefine leadership and facilitate additional growth in their industry and local communities. Congratulations, Elizabeth Perez!

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Leora Ruzin, CMB, Director of Real Estate Lending!

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NAWRB is proud to announce Leora Ruzin, CMB as the winner of the 2020 NAWRB Media Leader Award! Ruzin is the Director of Real Estate Lending at Valley First Credit Union and managing editor of Mortgage Women Magazine. With her involvement in a host of committees within ACUMA, MBA, CU: REALM, and Mortgage Women Magazine, Ruzin has been able to share her knowledge and passions with a vast audience that spans across all financial sectors. Leora was acknowledged for her passion and willingness to help others in 2019 by being selected as one of the “Most Powerful Women in FinTech” and “Lending Luminary” by Progress in Lending, and as one of 30 “Women with Vision” by 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching. In addition to her volunteer work, she lends her time to teach the next mortgage professional as an instructor for the MBA’s School of Mortgage Banking and Certified Mortgage Banker program. She uses every opportunity she can to pay it forward and share her passion with the world.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor exceptional women leaders in the housing and real estate ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise, passion, and drive to redefine leadership and facilitate additional growth in their industry and local communities. Congratulations, Leora Ruzin!

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Regina Lowrie, President & CEO, Dytrix Inc.!

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NAWRB is proud to announce Regina Lowrie, CMB as the winner of the 2020 NAWRB Corporate Leader Award! Lowrie is the President & CEO of Dytrix, Inc. (@dytrixinc) with more than 30 years of experience as a C-suite executive. Regina served as the first female chairperson of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, and continues to serve on a variety of committees. She has testified before Congress on public policy to include GSE Reform, and has served as an expert witness for the financial services industry. She is an exceptional leader, mentor to other women, and a highly respected individual in the mortgage industry while giving back to the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, The Forum of Executive Women and Credit Counseling Community Services of Delaware Valley.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor exceptional women leaders in the housing and real estate ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise, passion, and drive to redefine leadership and facilitate additional growth in their industry and local communities. Congratulations, Regina Lowrie!

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Twyla Hankins, EVP – Operations, American Financial Network, Inc.

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NAWRB is proud to announce Twyla Hankins as the winner of the 2020 NAWRB Finance Leader Award! Hankins is the EVP of Operations at American Financial Network, Inc. and strives to make mortgage operations leadership look easy. With a career that spans more than three decades, she has a big-picture vision of how operations must adapt to meet the challenges and developed a cohesive team of talent that works well together, even while apart.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor exceptional women leaders in the housing and real estate ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise, passion, and drive to redefine leadership and facilitate additional growth in their industry and local communities. Congratulations, Twyla Hankins!

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner DeAnn Golden, Senior VP & Managing Broker, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties!

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NAWRB is proud to announce DeAnn Golden as the winner of the 2020 NAWRB Residential Leader Award! Golden is the Senior VP & Managing Broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties. In the course of her career, Golden has fulfilled multiple leadership roles in the real estate markets of Athens, Charleston, South Carolina, and Atlanta and successfully launched total and company-wide performance coaching initiatives to engage and stimulate the production of real estate agents during the downturn of the market. When she mentors others, she focuses on accountability, communication, lead generation and sales call reluctance, and the mastery of sales and negotiation skills.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor exceptional women leaders in the housing and real estate ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise, passion, and drive to redefine leadership and facilitate additional growth in their industry and local communities. Congratulations, DeAnn Golden!

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Fabiola Candlish, CRA Branch Manager US Bank!

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NAWRB is proud to announce Fabiola Candlish as the winner of the 2020 NAWRB Mentor Leader Award! Candlish is the CRA Branch Manager at US Bank and has held executive positions for multiple organizations such as the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America, Oak Park Regional Housing, and more. From residential partners to non-profit organizations, she has been able to gather influencers together to bring forth awareness and education that empowers women and families altogether.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor exceptional women leaders in the housing and real estate ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise, passion, and drive to redefine leadership and facilitate additional growth in their industry and local communities. Congratulations, Fabiola Candlish!

NDILC Women Leadership Principle #9: Prepare for the Future with Council Member Dr. Chitra Dorai

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NAWRB’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC) introduced their Ten Women Leadership Principles in 2020, which they collectively created to help women in the workforce become more effective leaders at any stage of their careers, and empower other women to reach their full potential. This is a universal guide for all levels of leadership, and any woman can benefit from applying them. This week, NDILC presents the ninth principle, “Prepare for the Future” shared with a personal story by NDILC Member Dr. Chitra Dorai, AI Scientist, Founder & CEO, AmicusBrain.

In the upcoming weeks, each of these principles will be presented in detail with a personal message from an NDILC member about her experiences applying these principles to her professional and personal life. To learn more about the NDILC, please visit www.NAWRB.com/NDILC/.

Women Leadership Principle #9: Prepare for the Future by Dr. Chitra Dorai

Prepare for the Future: Women with advanced skills today will be ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

The harsh truth from the latest report from the World Economic Forum, WEF (https://www.weforum.org/reports/gender-gap-2020-report-100-years-pay-equality) is that we will not see the gender gap close in our lifetimes, and nor will parity be experienced in the lifetimes of our children. The single most disheartening finding I read in recent times is that the world will need another 99.5 years to close the gender gap.

Gender parity is all about closing the gender gap that persists in access to Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment — the four critical dimensions used by WEF to track and benchmark progress made by countries across the globe.

Too wide to bridge is the gender gap in economic participation. What stands in the way of attaining economic gender parity? Among a number of challenges that slow down making progress, women’s under presentation in emerging roles that show the highest wage growth is a big one. Obviously technology roles that require advanced skills also provide one of the best ways to increased economic opportunity. There are other job roles requiring advanced skills as entrepreneurs and business owners that pave the path to prosperity. Statistics are rife about the deteriorating numbers in terms of women’s participation in STEM fields. Only 15% of engineers are women!

To deal with the rapidly changing, increasingly automated world, women need to focus on acquiring advanced skills by reskilling or upskilling. Learning advanced skills that matter today and beyond is critical in order to take advantage of the opportunities for wage growth and increased access to capital. Women with advanced skills of today will then be able to shape the future and be the future.

Check out Dr. Chitra Dorai on the Know the Rules of the Game Podcast: Defining the Future – Click here

NDILC’s Ten Women Leadership Principles

  1. Acknowledge Trailblazers: Know and learn from the women who came before you. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants: “So, what does a trailblazer even mean? Defined in the formal context, it is a person who blazes a trail for others to follow through unsettled country or wilderness; pathfinder; a pioneer in any field of endeavor; a vigorous independent; a person who is the first to do something that other people do later.  Implied in this definition is the fact that these people are leaders, risk-takers, and are not afraid to push boundaries.” Read More.
  2. Keep Achieving: Effective leaders always keep learning. There is always something to learn and improve upon: “Achieving. Learning. Growing. Changing…all words that are used very often to tell us what we should be doing and what we must be doing in order to survive and be effective in today’s world.  No one would debate the need for continuous learning and growth.  Information continues to bombard us from every angle, but is that really knowledge?” Read More.
  3. Believe: Whatever the mind can conceive, it can achieve. Believe: “Think and Grow Rich is not about money. Does it seem out of place or sorts to reference a book whose title suggests financial aspirations during a once in a century pandemic when everyone is thinking about safety and survival instead of personal growth?” Read More.
  4. Pass the Torch: Give opportunities to future generations of women. Your legacy will be the people you help along the journey: “Doesn’t everyone want a legacy?  A reason to be remembered? What do you want to be remembered for?  As most people mature in their lives, they start to realize that their relationships, and specifically the people they have helped along the way, are more important than material things.” Read More.
  5. Know Yourself: Be authentic and lead in a way that is true to you. Own your unique talents and strengths, and empower those around you: “Authentic leadership is grounded in who you are not who you want to be or who you think you should be. This profoundly shapes how you act and what you accomplish.  Authentic leadership empowers you to draw on your strengths to bring out the best in others.” Read More.
  6. Speak Out: Unconscious bias is present, but ignoring it only perpetuates it. Take a stand and speak out: “How many times should it feel comfortable not to say something when you see unconscious bias? Never! Until recently, most of us were all consumed in catching a flight, running the household from afar, postponing our health checkups, being briefed from one meeting to the next, and fitting in a bite to eat as part of our work agenda.” Read More. 
  7. Listen: Never assume anything about anyone. Everyone has their own story that makes them who they are: To truly “LISTEN” is one of the most powerful words in this decade. In 2017 at NAWRB’s Annual Conference, Marcia Davies was the moderator for the Women’s Trade Associations Power Lunch, and through her questioning, “Listen” became my mantra on how to improve the narrative.” Read More.
  8. Be Present: Sharing your time is one of the most valuable gifts you can give. Do it with intention by truly being present. Staying in the present tense can be difficult, we have more distractions than ever, especially with technology, having so much of your world on your phone. The more you stay present the better you will get at it. It is excellent for your overall health and the quality of your relationships. In leadership, people follow leaders they trust and you cannot build trust without a good relationship. Read More.
  9. Prepare for the Future: Women with advanced skills today will be ready for tomorrow’s challenges. Learning advanced skills that matter today and beyond is critical in order to take advantage of the opportunities for wage growth and increased access to capital. Women with advanced skills of today will then be able to shape the future and be the future
  10. Lead by Example: Inclusion isn’t enough. Press for parity and strive for excellence in everything.

Stay tuned for other articles that will expound on each of these principles to assist women professionals in applying them to their individual goals.

About NDILC

The NDILC is dedicated to raising the number of women leaders and growing women’s employment and empowerment at all levels in the housing ecosystem. The Council, composed of senior executive women, works diligently toward gender equality and obtaining equal opportunity for women across America. To learn more about the NDILC, please visit www.NAWRB.com/NDILC/.