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M R EP O RT | 11 MCROWD to acquire, refinance and rehabilitate commercial properties." Sabal is a nationwide leader in agency finance solutions, with pro- grams including Fannie Mae® Small Loans, Freddie Mac Optigo® Small Balance Loans, and Sabal's new- est offering, Freddie Mac Optigo® Conventional Loans. Before joining Sabal, Hussey served as SVP, Head of Multifamily Production for Agency Lending at SunTrust Bank, now Truist Bank, where he managed a nationwide loan production platform and served as the primary liaison to both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He also played an instrumental role in preparing Pillar Financial for acquisition by SunTrust Bank. Prior to that, he held several VP roles at Freddie Mac, overseeing multifamily credit risk for the Enterprise Risk Management divi- sion, credit policy and asset valuation for the Credit Management division, and terms of business manage- ment for the Multifamily division. Hussey also previously held roles as Chief Underwriter and SVP of Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital and Chief Underwriter and VP of Standard Mortgage Corporation. "Sabal is a powerhouse in the agency lending space, and I am honored to be joining this nationally respected team," Hussey said. "I look forward to leveraging my expertise to further expand Sabal's presence in the market while delivering excellent service for brokers and borrowers." Hussey earned an MBA from George Washington University and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and earned his sustainable management certificate from Duke University. SERVICE PROVIDERS ELIZABETH BLAKE Agents National Title Insurance Company (ANTIC), part of the Incenter family of companies optimizing lending processes, has promoted Elizabeth Blake, CPA, from Controller to Chief Financial Officer. Blake, who joined ANTIC in 2015, brings a strong background in ac- counting and taxation to ANTIC at a time of rapid national expansion. Over the past two years, the com- pany's headcount has grown by more than 40%, and premium sales have more than tripled. ANTIC has also added 25 state licenses since 2019 for a current total of 44. "ANTIC has depended on Elizabeth's deep accounting ex- pertise, regulatory knowledge and steady hand as we have executed our growth plan. I am excited to work closely with her on our senior leader- ship team," said David Townsend, President. Before coming to ANTIC, Blake was an accountant with Marberry & Eagle, CPAs, P.C., where she was the lead CPA for a major real estate company. Blake is an active volunteer with the Sunrise Southwest Rotary in Columbia and is Board Member/ Treasurer of Heart of Missouri CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration, ac- counting and finance from Columbia College. CORY ELLERD TRINH LE-COULTER MELANIE WACHA LenderClose announced the addition of leader- ship team employee Trinh Le-Coulter who will fill the newly created role of Director of Operations. Along with the addition of Le-Coulter, the fast-growing lendtech firm is announcing the promotion of Melanie Wacha to Lead Operations Specialist and the hiring of Cory Ellerd, who will serve as an Operations Specialist. LenderClose's approach to product develop- ment includes an expansion of the operations team and distinct leader- ship roles for operations and product development departments. "As a result of accelerated growth, we were in a position to create two separate teams with expert leader- ship for each," said Ben Rempe, COO at LenderClose. "This will enable each team to excel at a faster rate while still maintaining close col- laboration cross-departmentally. We anticipate that a change in reporting structure will lead to even quicker project completion, increased product performance and innovation advancement. Our strong, talented teams are the reason LenderClose is becoming an indispensable lending technology partner to the nation's community financial institutions." Le-Coulter is filling LenderClose's newly created director of op- erations role, a position that resides on LenderClose's now eight-per- son leadership team. Le-Coulter has more than five years of leadership ex- perience in shared services opera- tions, which she gained in successive roles, including client operations manager, shared services team lead, and director of shared services at Businessolver, a provider of employee benefits administration technology. During her time there, Le-Coulter pioneered and implemented a shared services model that increased profit- ability and scalability. She also helped maintain a 90% job satisfaction rating from 27 direct reports and 45 indirect reports while facilitating company growth and client retention. Trinh's expertise in organizational transformation, team member devel- opment and her ability to build key relationships with stakeholders fits perfectly with the LenderClose com- mitment to building high-performing operations and product teams. Le-Coulter's depth of knowledge in strategic planning, cultivating tal- ent, as well as increasing workflow proficiency and efficiency, will bring additional strength to the leader- ship talent at LenderClose. Promoted to lead operations spe- cialist, Wacha will drive operational change, serving as a key partner to cross-functional leaders. With more than 10 combined years in mortgage and real estate customer service and management, Wacha places high value on exceptional service. At LenderClose, she's dem- onstrated a proven ability to think strategically while ensuring every interaction with financial institution clients exceeds expectations. She will work to ensure LenderClose solutions inject speed and efficiency into the lending processes while also prioritiz- ing the borrower experience. Wacha joined the company in December 2019 as operations spe- cialist. According to Rempe, she has been an asset to LenderClose, as well as vendors and lenders, facilitating conversations that inspire new ideas and solutions. Ellerd joins the company as an operations specialist. He brings a broad range of expertise in sales, client development, operations and administration. In his most recent role as an administrative as- sistant at UnityPoint Health, Ellerd co- ordinated the delegation of projects and monitored staff progress and results. He also managed multiple projects and tasks for the executive- level. This experience overseeing multiple priorities under pressure will be an asset to the LenderClose op- erations team. Ellerd also brings a rich expertise in credit and financial services having led day-to-day operations at Equifax. There, he relied on strong follow-up processes and sales presentations to build valuable customer relationships. In his LenderClose position as operations specialist, Ellerd will be involved in developing better, faster processes and building on effective follow-up procedures. He will help en- sure client satisfaction with products, relationships and overall experience with the company. LenderClose is a proprietary, tech- nology-focused lending platform that injects speed and efficiency into the lending process, greatly enhancing the borrowing experience. Based in Des Moines, Iowa, the rapidly-grow- ing company is focused on helping credit unions and community banks keep lending local through innovative workflows and process automation. Obsessive about the end-user experi- ence, LenderClose developers work closely with client users to continu- ously iterate the platform, generating elegant interactions for both lenders and borrowers across the entire lend- ing journey. To learn more, visit lend- erclose.com. Know someone moving up in the industry? Email us at Editor@theMReport.com.