Promotions aim to drive initiatives in housing affordability and inclusivity
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has announced two key promotions within its leadership team.
The trade association has named Wendy Penn (pictured left) as vice president for affordable housing initiatives and Amber Lawrence (pictured right) as vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Wendy Penn, who joined MBA in 2021, will take on an expanded role, wherein she will continue to spearhead efforts aimed at making homeownership and rental housing more affordable. Penn’s work includes leading MBA’s CONVERGENCE initiative, which is focused on finding market-based solutions to the growing affordability crisis.
Penn’s efforts will extend to place-based initiatives in cities like Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, and Memphis, Tennessee, where MBA is working to improve housing affordability. She will also collaborate with consumer advocacy groups, civil rights organizations, and affordable housing stakeholders to tackle the complex challenges facing the housing market today.
Before joining MBA, Penn spent over 15 years at the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), where she managed housing affordability programs.
“Wendy is a respected and successful leader in the housing affordability space and has an impressive track record before and during her time at MBA in leading initiatives that have made housing more accessible and affordable for all,” MBA chief economist Mike Fratantoni said in a media release.
Amber Lawrence, a longtime MBA staffer, has been promoted to Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Lawrence, who has been with the organization for nearly two decades, will now oversee MBA’s DEI strategy, working to implement equitable practices across the organization and the broader mortgage industry.
In her new role, Lawrence will help guide MBA’s DEI programs, partnering with leadership to develop policies that support inclusivity. She has been a key figure in advancing MBA’s DEI efforts, collaborating with teams to create data-driven strategies aimed at improving diversity and inclusion across the industry.
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Lawrence’s experience at MBA includes managing the organization’s education programs, as well as overseeing certification and designation programs for both residential and commercial/multifamily sectors.
“Amber’s nearly two-decade career at MBA has been shaped by an incredible amount of drive, commitment, and success, first as a leader on the education team to more recently as a main lead of MBA’s DEI programs and initiatives,” said Michael Briggs, MBA’s senior vice president and general counsel. “Amber gathers people together and has a unique ability to lead, inspire, and take on new challenges.”
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