Recognizing the Female Trailblazers Advancing Equitable Homeownership

This article originally appeared in the September 2025 edition of MortgagePoint magazine, online now.

The annual Five Star Conference and Expo in Dallas is just weeks away, and MortgagePoint is continuing its tradition of recognizing and honoring the extraordinary accomplishments of the industry’s women executives. 

Each year, industry colleagues nominate their peers across five categories, and those nominees are then narrowed down further to a final list of 25 finalists. These are the women who are making a difference in the industry and making a mark on their colleagues and team members. Our final recipients in each of those five categories will be honored at the Women in Housing Leadership Awards, happening on Wednesday, October 1 at the Five Star Conference. 

Today, we spotlight the five finalists for the Public Sector Champion Award, an honor bestowed upon outstanding female leaders from government agencies and government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) whose work has profoundly impacted the housing and mortgage finance landscape. Whether through policy development, program innovation, regulatory leadership, or public-private collaboration, these trailblazers have advanced equitable access to homeownership and have strengthened the stability of the U.S. housing market.  

Cyndi Danko

Single-Family Chief Credit Officer and SVP, Fannie Mae
Why she was nominated:
“Cyndi Danko is a trailblazer in America’s housing system, driving innovation and responsible access as Chief Credit Officer and SVP for Fannie Mae’s Single-Family business. She leads credit risk strategy for a $3.6 trillion portfolio and oversees credit policy, mortgage product design, counter-party risk oversight, and credit performance. Cyndi also directs the development of Fannie Mae’s underwriting and acquisition solutions, including Desktop Underwriter, Loan Delivery, and DU Validation Service. She helped modernize the mortgage experience through innovations like Day 1 Certainty and Fannie Mae’s Income Calculator, delivering greater speed, simplicity, and confidence to lenders and borrowers. A frequent speaker at housing forums, Cyndi’s insights are sought by lenders, servicers, and industry partners alike. Respected for her strategic foresight and collaborative leadership, she brings a deep commitment to promoting safety and soundness while driving meaningful change for the industry and for generations of homebuyers.” 

What this nomination means to her:
“Being named a finalist for the Women in Housing Award is a meaningful honor. It reflects the collective progress we’ve made in building a more collaborative, innovative, and responsible housing system. I’m proud to represent the mission-driven work we do at Fannie Mae to increase access to affordable and lasting homeownership opportunities that improve lives and strengthen communities. This recognition affirms the power of teamwork, a commitment to doing what’s right—for lenders, for borrowers, and for future generations. I’m inspired by the incredible women in our industry and grateful to be part of this transformative journey.”  

Kendra Gray

VP of Single-Family Collateral & Loan Performance Products, Fannie Mae
Why she was nominated:
“Kendra Gray models visionary leadership in housing finance, driving innovation across different functions in the mortgage lifecycle. As a senior leader at Fannie Mae, she leads transformative initiatives that enhance operational excellence, improve loan quality, elevate servicing standards, and expand access to sustainable homeownership. Her portfolio includes industry-shaping tools like Collateral Underwriter and Condo Project Manager, and initiatives like Valuation Modernization—delivering over $2.9 billion in borrower savings while reducing overall appraisal turn times. Kendra has developed several servicing-facing tools and programs, such as Servicing Management Default Underwriter. She also helped launch Fannie Mae’s Pre-Foreclosure Property Inspection & Preservation program. Kendra’s career spans decades across the GSEs and U.S. fintech, including foundational work on eMortgages, Loan Prospector (now Loan Advisor Suite), and the Making Home Affordable program. Through her strategic foresight and customer-centric innovation, Kendra is not just imagining the future of housing finance—she’s building it.” 

What this nomination means to her:
“Being nominated as a finalist for the Five Star Conference Public Sector Champion Award is both humbling and deeply meaningful. My career has been driven by a passion for expanding access to homeownership by implementing industry standards and driving innovation that removes friction from the mortgage finance process. Every improvement—whether saving borrowers time, reducing costs, or easing the path to financing—represents more families achieving the dream of homeownership. To me, this recognition affirms the importance of purposeful work that creates tangible impact, ensuring that the housing finance system works better for everyone it touches.” 

Casey Kinser

EVP, Military Warriors Support Foundation
Why she was nominated:
“Casey was instrumental in helping the veteran and Gold Star home donation program into the first of its kind. She worked to market ideas, write tax code, and help develop mentoring programs that shaped the way donations are done. The work she helped accomplish paved the way for many other nonprofits to follow. She was an engineer of taking ideas to structures, along with the reporting that the major bank partners responded to. Hundreds of millions of dollars of inventory have been successfully donated because of the efforts of Casey. She is a remarkable leader who inspires all.”

What this nomination means to her:
“I am incredibly grateful to be named a finalist among the many other inspiring women who have accomplished so much. While this recognition carries my name, I know it reflects the trust, mentorship, and opportunities given to me by incredible leaders—both men and women—throughout my journey, as well as the hard work of the amazing team I am privileged to serve alongside. Veterans and their families have already sacrificed so much for us. Serving them is not work—it’s a privilege I feel called to do. This recognition is a reminder of how fortunate I am to serve such deserving heroes and to do work that truly matters. I’m a winner already!”  

Katherine Mossop

VP and Portfolio Product Owner, Single-Family Portfolio and Servicing Division, Freddie Mac
Why she was nominated:
“Kate Mossop’s leadership and innovation have significantly advanced Freddie Mac’s mission and helped to transform the mortgage servicing industry. She has spearheaded the development, deployment, and launch of groundbreaking servicing technology solutions as VP of Servicing Products and Offerings in the Single-Family Portfolio and Servicing Division, playing a pivotal role in defining servicing technology standards and enabling the modernization of servicing. Kate drove the successful completion of Freddie Mac’s Reimagine Servicing program, which unlocked path-breaking servicing enhancements and significantly improved operational efficiencies, data strategies, and sustainable homeownership for borrowers. Currently, Kate is integral to the next iteration, Servicing Excellence, focused on delivering consistent products, services, policies, and partnership opportunities. Since joining Freddie Mac in 2007, she has championed the adoption of modernized servicing tools and data-driven strategies, empowering her teams to deliver transformative servicing experiences while cultivating a culture of innovation and excellence in the servicing industry.”

What this nomination means to her:
“I am grateful to be nominated and chosen as a finalist for the Five Star Women in Housing Awards. Acknowledging the importance of servicing in the mortgage finance landscape, this honor recognizes the hard work of many teams across Freddie Mac to make home possible through our servicing technology solutions. I am proud of the impact we have made and remain passionate about how we can continue to drive meaningful changes and create opportunities for homeownership. Thank you to the Five Star Conference and to the leaders at Freddie Mac who continue to support this work.”  

Cristi Richey

VP Business Account Management Solutions, Fannie Mae
Why she was nominated:
“Cristi Richey leads Fannie Mae’s servicer engagement teams and has been instrumental in shaping the company’s servicing strategy, ensuring strong oversight of its $3.6 trillion single-family portfolio. She helped lead Fannie Mae’s COVID loss mitigation efforts that helped over 1.5 million homeowners stay in their homes. Cristi also played a key role in developing fair-servicing best practices and contributed to the development of loss mitigation policies to help struggling homeowners retain their homes in the event of natural disasters or other hardships. She has implemented critical measures to strengthen servicer oversight and performance. Cristi’s commitment to sustainable homeownership is further reflected in her mentorship of future leaders and her leadership in promoting servicing excellence across the industry.”  

What this nomination means to her:
“I have been in the mortgage industry for just over 20 years, and I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by highly talented colleagues, leaders, and business partners my entire career. Much of my work has been focused on supporting homeowners through the development and implementation of enduring solutions. The first industry crisis I faced as a young mortgage professional was navigating through Hurricane Katrina. It was a great opportunity to learn how to lead with empathy and compassion while learning how to mitigate credit losses. Each year brings new opportunities and challenges, and I have never had to figure out how to solve problems or work towards accomplishments alone. I cannot take credit for any success on my own. It truly takes a village.”