TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/868742
56 | TH E M R EP O RT Emerging Leaders Katie Jo Keeling (34) MANAGING PARTNER, MCCARTHY HOLTHUS LLP Katie Jo Keeling is the Managing Partner overseeing Default Service Practice Groups for McCarthy & Holthus, LLP. She is licensed to practice law in California, Washington, and the Southern and Central California District Federal Courts. Keeling earned her undergraduate Business Economics degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and went on to obtain a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. She's described by her colleagues and superiors as a talented, ambitious, and thoughtful forward-thinking woman with a natural tendency to mentor and lead. Keeling is a member of the United Trustees Association and ALFN WILL (Women in Legal Leadership) Practice Group. She was formerly the Associate General Counsel, Risk Management and Compliance Director, and then President of a nonjudicial foreclosure trustee company. Jacquelyn S. Pardue (29) AVP OF VENDOR MANAGEMENT, RUSHMORE LOAN MANAGEMENT SERVICES Jacquelyn S. Pardue, AVP Vendor Management at Rushmore Loan Management Services, would be lieing if she said she grew up dreaming of working in the mortgage industry, but she quickly fell in love with it, and became inspired by the intricacies of the industry. Pardue's innovative thinking, as well as her ability to not take things personally qualifies her a leader in housing. She's a firm believer that these two qualities go hand-in-hand. She is always looking to solve problems innovatively by seeking better, faster, and sometimes-cheaper solutions. The qualities she loves about the mortgage industry is that every day is different, her exceptional colleagues, and the opportunity to provide effective solutions. She looks forward in the coming year to tackling the changes in regulation with the CFPB, transition to the SSAE 18 from the SSAE 16 and the effect of it, and continuing to seek the best solution for the industry standardization of the vendor management process. Jessica Russell (35) PROGRAM MANAGER, MORTGAGE DATA ASSETS, CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU Jessica Russell is an economist in the office of Mortgage Mar- kets at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, serving as Program Manager for mort- gage data assets, while running the market monitoring program, which includes producing a monthly chart book, answering ad hoc requests from within and outside the bureau, and working with Office of Research on projects and data procure- ments. Before joining the CFPB in 2012, Russell spent five years as an economic consultant building analytical models for complex business litigation cases. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her colleagues describe her as a gregarious, upbeat and gracious person, and say they have never met another economist that brings the level of rigor and creativity to the task of analyzing mort- gage market behaviors and trends. In addition to creating standard charts, Russell and her team identify new and trending issues that cannot be quantified but do shed light on market movements and their impact on consumers. Even today, there are few female economists in the mortgage industry who have the potential to impact national public policy in the way Russell can. Elena Sells (31) DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, THE PIP GROUP, LLC Originally from the small country of Moldova, Elena Sells is fluent in four different languages and has risen to Director of Operations at the PIP Group, LLC. Sells dreamed of moving to America since she was a little girl, and was lucky enough to come when she was 20 to work on a college visa. Real estate is her passion—she eats, sleeps, and breathes real estate investing. She once dreamed of living in America, of becoming an American citizen, of being able to travel, and being financially secure enough to one day bring her parents to America— and she's accomplished all that, and more. And she has her mother to thank for her successes, who came from a small village and now runs a manufacturing plant with nearly 100 employees under her. Crystal Sumner (34) HEAD OF LEGAL, BLEND As Head of Legal at Blend, Crystal Sumner leads day- to-day legal affairs, includ- ing commercial contracts, corporate governance, and intellectual property, among other areas. Prior to joining Blend, Sumner was a "Found- ers Club" member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The opportu- nity to be a part of the solution to issues that are negatively impacting the housing market and the economy, and make the mortgage process better for the consumer is what inspired Sumner to enter the housing industry in the private sector after leaving the public one. This varying experience has enabled her to further un- derstand the industry's issues, and how technologies like Blend can drive the industry to a more consumer friendly and transparent mortgage process. At Blend, she sees herself working with some of the most innovative leaders in the mort- gage and technology space to transform the multitrillion-dol- lar mortgage ecosystem. Her work is an integral component to departments across the company—from product to sales to risk management teams—and she cannot describe how much she values that opportunity.