Industry veterans take charge of MBA's 2025 agenda
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has introduced its new leadership team and board members for 2025, including executive roles and the organization’s key governing bodies.
The association named Laura Escobar (pictured), president of Lennar Mortgage, as the 2025 chair during its Annual Convention & Expo. Escobar brings nearly four decades of industry experience to the role and expressed enthusiasm at addressing the real estate finance sector’s challenges.
Joining her are Christine Chandler, of M&T Realty Capital Corporation, as chair-elect and Owen Lee, of Success Mortgage Partners, Inc., as vice chair. Both Chandler and Lee bring extensive backgrounds in mortgage lending and strategic growth and, together with Escobar, will shape the association’s vision for the year.
“I am committed to developing new ideas and strengthening MBA’s ongoing commitment to increasing housing supply and affordability for ownership and renting as well as investing – through mortgage education and training programs – in the next generation of industry leaders,” Escobar said in a press release.
New board of directors
The 2025 MBA board of directors, with representatives from across the mortgage industry, will oversee strategies addressing housing supply shortages, affordability, and regulatory issues.
The newly elected members of the 2025 board include:
- Timothy Bowler, ICE Mortgage Technology
- Jack Cohen, CMB, CRI, ArrowMark Partners
- Deborah Jones, CMB, Citizens Bank
- Karen Kreutziger, Flat Branch Mortgage, Inc.
- Hilary Provinse, Berkadia
- Kevin Reen, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
- Robert Slatt, Gantry
- David Smith, Truist
- Susan Stewart, SWBC Mortgage
They join returning board members, including Escobar, Chandler, Lee, Bill Banfield (Rocket Mortgage), David Battany (Guild Mortgage), Jay Bray (Mr. Cooper), David Brickman (NewPoint Real Estate Capital), Kate deKay (Eustis Mortgage), Pat Dodd (CoreLogic), Quentin Fogan (Bank of America), David Gansberg (Arch Global Mortgage), Eric Gates (MAA Chairman), Jack Gay (Nuveen Real Estate), Christopher George (CMG Financial), Sean Grzebin (Chase), Rohit Gupta (Enact Holdings), Brian Hanson (CW Capital Asset Management), Michael Innis-Thompson (TD Bank), Mark Jones (Union Home Mortgage), Tawn Kelley (Taylor Morrison Home Funding), Jeff Majewski (CBRE Capital Markets), Greg Michaud (Voya Investment Management), Peter Norden (HomeBridge), Eddy Perez (EPM), Steven Plaisance (Gateway First Mortgage), Chrissi Rhea (Mortgage Investors Group), James Sias (Fifth Third Bank), Debra Still (Pulte Financial Services), Daniel Sugg (Michigan First Mortgage), and Jeffrey Taylor (Mphasis Digital Risk).
Policy and governance committees
MBA also announced the latest appointments to its Residential Board of Governors (RESBOG) and Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG).
RESBOG, led by David Battany of Guild Mortgage, will focus on single-family residential policies, aiming to address pressing legislative and regulatory concerns in residential lending.
New RESBOG members include Scott Fletcher, of Fairway Independent Mortgage, and Nolan Turner, of Carrington Mortgage, joining existing members from companies like New American Funding, Chase, and TD Bank.
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COMBOG, the body responsible for commercial and multifamily real estate finance, will be chaired by Jeff Majewski of CBRE Capital Markets.
Key objectives for COMBOG include policy leadership, best practices, and supporting the growth of commercial lending. Newly elected COMBOG members, such as Sharon Briskman, of Greystone, and David Effler, of BWE, will join leaders from Moody’s Analytics, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae on the committee.
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