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8 | M R EP O RT MCROWD LENDERS/SERVICERS JULIA BATES LESTER OWENS Wells Fargo an- nounced two recent new hires, including Lester Owens as Head of Operations and Julia Bates as Technology Control Executive. The newly cre- ated role of Head of Operations is respon- sible for building a more unified, more integrated approach to Wells Fargo's business operations functions. Owens, who joins Wells Fargo in late July 2020, will report to COO Scott Powell and will serve on the company's Operating Committee. "Lester is a highly regarded opera- tions executive with more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and a passion for excellence, customer experience, ef- ficiency, and transformation," Powell said. "While everyone at Wells Fargo shares the responsibility for opera- tional excellence, Lester's team will enable us to deliver the best experi- ence possible for our customers while driving consistent execution across our business operations functions, including contact center operations, client servicing support, money movements within our businesses, lending operations, and other func- tions. We will all benefit from having Lester's deep experience and talent in this critical role." As the Technology Control Executive, Bates will help implement and execute Wells Fargo Technology's risk management program, with a fo- cus on continuing to develop a strong risk and control function that aligns with the overarching Wells Fargo strategy. She will provide counsel on technology risk and control issues as well as direct issue management and remediation efforts. "The Technology Control func- tion is key to maintaining strong risk management across the organization. Julia's broad risk and control experi- ence, as well as her demonstrated leadership across a variety of finan- cial management functions, make her a tremendous addition to the team," Van Beurden said. "I am thrilled to welcome Julia to Wells Fargo." SHONDRA B. JENKINS Homespire Mortgage (HMC), a national residential mortgage lender, announced Shondra B. Jenkins has joined its team as Director of Philanthropy and Community Engagement, to further develop and enhance its corporate social responsibility programs and outreach. Homespire Mortgage is a national mortgage lender and approved Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seller and servicer, providing affordable loan options now across 34 states. Jenkins comes to Homespire Mortgage with nearly 20 years' experi- ence designing, implementing, and measuring corporate social responsibil- ity programs. Prior to joining the team, Jenkins founded and was CEO of SBJ Consulting, and led the philanthropy efforts for Sodexo, a leading food ser- vice and facilities management com- pany, creating targeted, and impactful social responsibility programs. In her new role, Jenkins will work to strengthen and further develop Homespire Mortgage's "Inspired to Impact" social responsibility program. This initiative is focused on creating meaningful change in the communities the company serves by helping to eradicate homelessness and to increase homeownership for veterans through charitable contribu- tions, philanthropic partnerships and employee volunteerism. "I am excited to join Homespire Mortgage, a company that shares my belief in supporting local communi- ties and inspiring fellow employees to give back through meaningful activi- ties that really make a difference," Jenkins said. "I'm excited to be a part of the team and look forward to get- ting started." JIM MCDONALD Planet Home Lending, LLC, a national lender, servicer, and private client sub-servicer, has named Jim McDonald as CMO. McDonald manages Planet Home Lending's marketing and customer experience initiatives. "Jim has a terrific combination of industry, technology, and digital marketing expertise acquired from po- sitions in the mortgage industry and with well-known consumer brands, in- This month, some of the industry's largest companies saw significant changes to their corporate lineups. Who's moving on and who's moving up in the industry cluding Match.com and Verizon," said Michael Dubeck, CEO and President of Planet Financial Group, LLC. "He'll create modern, customer-focused marketing for our multiple business channels." McDonald believes customer expe- rience is key not just for Planet Home Lending's home loan, renovation, and servicing divisions, but also for its correspondent, residential transition lending, and private client sub-servic- ing business lines. "I believe that product and mar- keting are at different ends of the same spectrum, and the customer experience is the glue that holds them together," McDonald said. "Planet has great products and services. It also has great leadership, passionate em- ployees, and a strong business model, which makes my job of building the brand much easier. My primary objective is to tell the Planet story, via its great customer experience, to as many people as possible." McDonald is also a Business Learning Center instructor at the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business, where he routinely lectures on the topic of the Experience Economy. EUGENE MIZIN NewDay USA, a VA mortgage company, announced Eugene Mizin as SVP of Operations and Finance. NewDay USA has built a leadership team to achieve its mission to serve 1 million veteran families. "Eugene has been instrumental