Speaker Spotlights

Jeff Evans
Adventurer & Speaker

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As a highly sought after speaker / facilitator with over 20 years delivering engaging and impactful keynotes to hundreds of clients, Jeff has made appearances at dozens of Fortune 500 companies around the world. Jeff takes the audience on a journey to high peaks around the globe, detailing his exciting endeavors as mountain guide, adventurer and philanthropist. These experiences have allowed Jeff to hone his skills of servant leadership, teamwork, communication and handling adversity which he shares in a way that is applicable to everyone in their business and personal lives.

Check out his website here: http://jeffbevans.com/index.html 


 

Nora Guerra
Affordable Lending Manager


Nora Guerra is the Affordable Lending Manager in the Affordable Lending and Access to Credit in the Single Family organization. The Affordable Lending team is committed to ensuring Freddie Mac has the offerings to support responsible lending and provide sustainable homeownership, and to improve access to credit for all borrowers. Mrs. Guerra supports the Sales and Lending partners to develop and execute Seller plans for meeting affordable lending, community outreach and CRA goals. She analyzes market data to identify trends/opportunities and develops strategic direction from market information.

A veteran of 24 years in the mortgage industry. Mrs. Guerra joined Freddie Mac in 2019 and has held positions of leadership in sales origination, production and sourcing areas in a variety of areas including multicultural and low to moderate income segments.

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. For more information please visit www.FreddieMac.com and Twitter @FreddieMac.)


 

Ken Perry
Founder of Knowledge Coop

Ken Perry fell in love reading laws in 2003 and has been researching and delivering seminars and training videos on compliance ever since. Ken has been a featured speaker at numerous industry events and is an expert on countless mortgage laws. As the founder of a mortgage training company, Ken has focused on helping compliance officers understand the importance of building a complete compliance management system and deliver training in a way that people want to experience. The Knowledge Coop has revolutionized training in the industry and Ken can help attendees understand the power of training to create a compliant company

  


Eric Post
Founder of Huzi.ai

Eric has built a remarkable career in consulting and investing in real estate and businesses. The combined gross sales on the businesses he has owned or co-owned exceeds $4 billion.

He has successfully owned and operated multiple businesses in a variety of industries, including Better Homes & Gardens Realty Partners, Windermere Realty Partners, Boardwalk Mortgage, Global Health and Fitness, and Joule Crafted Nutrition, among others.

A captivating public speaker, Eric has been on stages around the world, sharing his invaluable insights on business, wealth, personal development, and fitness.

His thought-provoking articles or achievements have been talked about in publications like Market Watch, Task & Purpose, and Maxim Magazine, while his engaging social media presence has been viewed of over 600 million and has a following of 500,000 cross platforms.

Eric is also a passionate individual who embraces personal challenges, be it completing a 100-mile bike race, participating in 70.3 Ironman events, or summiting Mount Kilimanjaro.

He strongly believes in the transformative power of embracing discomfort for personal and professional growth.

In his spare time, Eric also nurtures his creative side, working on projects such as art, writing a book, and producing a documentary.

As the founder of Huzi.ai, Eric is at the forefront of innovation, revolutionizing the way businesses operate by integrating artificial intelligence tools with traditional methods. With Huzi.ai, he has created a platform that showcases the potential of AI in transforming the workflows and success of various businesses. 


Eric Wiley
Executive Vice President & Founder of PacRes

Eric is a dedicated advocate for the mortgage lending industry, actively involved with the OMBA for many years. He places great emphasis on education and consistently produces insightful articles on leadership and home financing. Additionally, he shares his expertise as a speaker at industry events, enlightening mortgage originators, real estate agents, and consumers alike. Through his presentations, Eric educates individuals on the intricacies and processes of the mortgage lending industry, offering valuable insights and knowledge.

Eric began his mortgage career as a loan originator, honing his skills in building lasting connections with clients and teammates. Recognizing that strong relationships are the key to success, Eric prioritizes delivering exceptional customer service that exceeds expectations, even in his current leadership role.

He is deeply passionate about helping individuals achieve their lifelong dreams of homeownership. With his extensive experience and expertise, he now fulfills this mission by providing unwavering support, guidance, and mentorship to other loan originators, empowering them to meet the needs of their clients and partners.


Jean Bradley
VP of Strategic Business Development at Essent Guaranty

Jean Bradley is an executive with Essent Guaranty, responsible for Strategic Business Development. With over 30 years of mortgage industry experience, ”Connecting people everywhere” is a motto she lives by.  Jean is an active leader and mentor throughout the MBA mPower community, promoting the advancement of women in the mortgage insurance and mortgage industry in the areas of sales leadership and relationship development.  Jean was nominated to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the MBA Opens Doors Board in 2018,  promoting the mission of helping vulnerable families with critically ill or injured children stay in their homes while being treated. Jean holds a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism with a minor in Business from St Bonaventure University as well as the Executive Advanced Leadership program at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

 

 


Francois Madath
CEO and President at American Reporting Company (ARC)

Francois is the CEO and President at American Reporting Company (ARC). He is responsible for all aspects of the growth and success of the company. Prior to ARC, Francois held senior level positions at Washington Mutual, Bank of America and Great American Bank in their Credit Risk Divisions.

Francois has been a certified appraiser in multiple states for over 30 years, was a Past President for WMBA/SMBA, and served as an advisory member for the Appraisal Foundation’s PAREA initiative (modernizing appraisal experience) 

 

 

 


Daniel Jerrett, PhD
Director of Global Economics at Arch MI

Daniel joined Arch MI in February 2023 as the Director of Global Economics. Prior to joining Arch, he spent three years managing a global investment fund in Denver Colorado. Daniel spent six years working on housing and urban development issues as Chief Economist at the Denver Regional Council of Governments. He has been a professor at the University of Colorado Denver for the past ten years and has advised central banks, investment management firms, and government agencies on issues related to macroeconomic modeling. 

Daniel completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa earning a bachelor’s degree in economics. He holds a master’s degree in economics from DePaul University and a doctorate in mineral and energy economics from the Colorado School of Mines.  


 Marina Walsh, CMB
Vice President, Industry Analysis, Mortgage Bankers Association

Marina Walsh has worked in the MBA’s Research & Economics group for over two decades.  She specializes in industry performance benchmarking for lenders and servicers.  She leads the management and direction for the Mortgage Bankers Performance Reports, Servicing Operations Study, Peer Group Survey and Roundtable Program, Compensation Survey Program, Home Equity Lending Study and other surveys and policy analyses.  She is also MBA's spokesperson for the National Delinquency Survey and Loan Monitoring Survey.  Prior to joining MBA, Walsh was a manager in Ernst and Young's Real Estate Advisory Services Group.. She has previously been named to HousingWire's "Women of Influence" list.  She received her Certified Mortgage Banker designation in 2020.

 

 


Mike Olden
Vice President, Sales and Education at American Reporting Company, a division of Ascend Companies, Inc.

At American Reporting Company (ARC), Mike’s primary responsibility is developing and managing business with mortgage lenders. Mike has worked in the mortgage banking industry since 1984 and at American Reporting Company since 1997.

 Mike also helps develop and deliver educational programs related to credit reporting and credit scoring for lenders and consumers. He has been a featured presenter to national audiences for MGIC’s Designs for Learning series and at the CUNA Lending School.

He is a Past President of the Washington Mortgage Bankers Association and a former member of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s State and Local Advisory Board. 

 


Carl Vescera
Director of Collateral Production at American Reporting Company, a division of Ascend Companies, Inc.

Clay Vescera serves as the Director of Collateral Production at American Reporting Company (ARC). In this role, he oversees Appraisal Review, Appraisal Compliance, Appraiser outreach, and leads the Staff Appraiser team. 

Clay began his appraisal journey with World Savings as a Staff Appraiser, following his tenure as a Branch Manager for the same institution, where he also held both Regional and District Manager roles. Before joining ARC, Clay made his mark at LandSafe/CoreLogic Valuations, where he held positions ranging from Regional to National Manager. There, he spearheaded the Staff Appraiser operation and was instrumental in managing the fee panel and the Appraiser outreach program.


Ryan Vondrak
Chief Executive Officer at NOVA Financial & Investment Corporation

After graduating from the University of Arizona Ryan began his career in mortgage banking with First Magnus Financial Corporation in 2003 as a member of the Product Development team to design and develop a proprietary mortgage product eligibility and pricing engine.  Once the engine was launched he transitioned to managing the Product Development Division responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, communication, training and on-going support of over 250 new and existing loan programs.  In 2007, Ryan joined StoneWater Mortgage which would be acquired by Caliber Funding in 2009 to oversee the expansion of the Product Development Division responsible for managing the growth and implementation of mortgage products, guidelines and product eligibility and pricing engine.  Ryan joined NOVA Financial & Investment Corporation in 2010 to support the creation of a Capital Markets Division.  Since joining NOVA, Ryan has produced an organized Lock Desk directed by lock policies, hedge strategy and procedures, a Product Development team, a Mandatory team selling to multiple investors and agencies direct, and a Specialty Lending team to manage unique loan programs.  In January of 2021, Ryan was promoted to the Chief Operating Officer where he oversaw Capital Markets, Operations, and Production.  He was promoted to Chief Executive Officer on January 1st, 2022 where he currently oversees NOVA Financial & Investment Corporation, NOVA Financial Services, and NOVA Insurance Services.


Giancarlo Gatto
Mortgage Loan Officer & Sales Manager

Giancarlo Gatto is a top-producing Mortgage Loan Officer and Sales Manager with two decades of experience in the mortgage industry. His expertise in the mortgage industry spans a career in mortgage banking, as well as traditional brick-and-mortar bank environments. His exceptional leadership skills and personalized approach with clients have defined his career. In addition to his career in finance, Giancarlo is a committed supporter of Bend’s arts and culture community.

 

 

 

 


 Colleen Phillips
Account Executive with Sierra Pacific Wholesale

Colleen Phillips graduated from Oregon State University and has been a lifelong Oregonian.

She has been an Account Executive with Sierra Pacific Wholesale for 8 years and in the industry for 20 years.

Colleen is a president’s club member, a product expert and loves the challenge of a tough deal.  She spends her days visiting offices and deepening her long-term partner relationships.