TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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10 | M R EP O RT MCROWD GOVERNMENT DIONNE WALLACE OAKLEY Freddie Mac announced that Dionne Wallace Oakley will serve as the company's SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). In this role, Wallace Oakley will be a member of the company's senior operating committee and will report directly to Michael DeVito Freddie Mac CEO. "It is with great pleasure that we announce Dionne Wallace Oakley as our next head of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer," said Michael DeVito, CEO of Freddie Mac. "Ms. Wallace Oakley has extensive experience across the insurance and financial services industry, and she will be at the forefront of many very important initiatives for the company, including talent acquisition, leader- ship development, and our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. I thank Angela Locke for her dedication to our company by serving in an interim role for the past seven months." Wallace Oakley brings over 20 years of human resources experi- ence to Freddie Mac, most recently serving as executive vice president, human resources and strategy at Erie Insurance. In this role, she oversaw human resources, strategic commu- nications, strategy, and privacy. She also spent more than two decades at State Farm Insurance where she progressed through multiple posi- tions and disciplines ranging from underwriting, public affairs, auto claims, and human resources. "I am excited to join Freddie Mac at this critical moment for the company and our country," Wallace Oakley said. "I'm looking forward to sup- porting Freddie Mac's strong culture and talented workforce as we seek to address important issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion we face as a nation. I'm also pleased to contrib- ute to the company's mission of making home possible for millions of homeowners and renters from every background." Wallace Oakley earned a bach- elor's degree in marketing and busi- ness from Delaware State University and master's in human resource development from Towson University in Baltimore. She is active in the com- munity, a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a member of the HR Policy Association, the lead public policy organization of CHROs. LENDERS WINDI GERBER Open Mortgage, a multichannel mortgage lender dedicated to empowering the dream of homeown- ership, welcomes Windi Gerber as SVP of Human Resources. In this position, Gerber will be an integral member of the senior leadership team and will be account- able for the people operations of Open Mortgage, managing all aspects of the employee life cycle, ensuring team members are equipped with the training required to perform their roles, managing performance objectives, and working with other departments to plan for and support continued company growth. "Windi's demonstrated skillset for cultivating strong company culture and talent development in the mort- gage banking industry makes her an ideal fit for Open Mortgage," said Scott Gordon, Founder and CEO of Open Mortgage. "As we continue our momentum of exceptional growth, we need those valuable skills now more than ever. With her proven expertise in change management, employee relations and workforce optimization and planning, Windi's leadership acumen allows us to further empower the success of our team members and ensure the sus- tained health of the company." As SVP of Human Resources, Gerber will be responsible for manag- ing the HR department to meet or exceed service level expectations, ensuring compliance with associ- ated laws, regulations, and company policies and standards. She will be in- strumental in developing short-, mid-, and long-term goals for improving processes and optimizing technol- ogy, leading organizational change initiatives with relevant stakeholders and generating a corporate environ- ment that recognizes and values employees. Working in partnership with all other departments to achieve corporate objectives, Gerber will stay abreast of industry trends and best practices in the marketplace and contribute to the setting of strategic direction of the company. Prior to joining Open Mortgage, Gerber held various senior-level positions in human resources for several leading mortgage companies. Most recently, she served as SVP of Human Resources for Premier Lending, VP of Human Resources for Movement Mortgage, and carried the title of Director of Human Resources 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 for Deephaven Mortgage, as well as Goldman Sachs. In addition to those roles, Gerber has served as a board member on both the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and AdvisoryCloud. Other profession- al affiliations include the Mortgage Bankers Association, Mortgage Bankers Association of the Carolinas, and the Society for Human Resource Management. Gerber attended North Carolina State University, earning her degree from the College of Engineering, and has attained a Professional in Human Resources certification from HR Management Institute. MARC HERNANDEZ Alterra Home Loans LLC, an independent mortgage bank headquartered in Nevada, announced it has promoted Marc Hernandez to President following his leadership and contributions as Alterra's EVP of Retail Lending. Hernandez, who was appointed to the role by previous President and Co-Founder Jason Madiedo, will be responsible for sales, operations, and marketing. Hernandez joined Alterra in 2015 when he established a branch in Chicago and ultimately grew a region- al presence for the company. He later moved into a divisional leadership po- sition overseeing Alterra's East Coast production where he was instrumen- tal in driving results for the company. Hernandez brings with him 17 years of mortgage industry experience in both sales and operations, including roles at Countrywide, Bank of America, and Huntington Bank. He holds a Bachelor of Science in information systems from the University of Notre Dame. "Marc's a by-product of our culture and a prime example of our com- mitment to professional growth and grooming our leaders so they can be promoted from within. He knows the mortgage business well, but more importantly, he knows the people side of the business and excels at working well with a wide range of personali- ties," Madiedo said. "In an industry that's constantly changing, Marc has an incredible ability to articulate his vision, set the direction for the company, and execute. A successful leader needs to be very curious about what needs to change, and Marc is always challenging the status quo and questioning what we as an industry and company can do better. I also