27 minute read

2021 NAWRB Leadership Award Winners

from NAWRB Magazine Volume 10, Issue 2 Technology Human Balance

by Women in the Housing & Real Estate Ecosystem

from NAWRB Magazine Volume 10, Issue 2 Technology Human Balance, page 64

Article from: NAWRB Magazine Volume 10, Issue 2 Technology Human Balance

Moments

sheCENTER(FOLD)

NAWRB Leadership Award Winners

Women in the Housing & Real Estate Ecosystem (NAWRB) is pleased to announce the Winners of the 2021 NAWRB Leadership Awards! This year’s award theme is Technology Human Balance ® as we recently marked eighteen months since our transition to the realm of digital interfaces and virtual work. Although the pandemic affected everyone worldwide, these women leaders showed tenacity, adaptability, and strong leadership through it all in the Housing & Real Estate Ecosystem.

Mentor Leader

Suha Zehl is an award-winning executive leader who has over 35 years of experience in various industries including financial services, mortgage lending, technology, business intelligence, and higher education. She is the Chief Innovation Officer at Blackfin Group and the Founder/President of her own consulting firm, Z Technology Solutions. In addition to serving as a Certified Delegate with Women in the Housing and Real Estate Ecosystem (NAWRB), Suha also serves on the Board of Directors for Women with Vision, the Board of Governors for the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) and is a Visionary Ambassador with NAMMBA.

Suha is a regular contributor to various industry magazines including Mortgage Women Magazine and The Vision Magazine. She also frequently publishes articles on several social media platforms including LinkedIn. Suha is a sought-after speaker and podcast guest; she has appeared on stage and at virtual events, including NEX- TWinter19, 2021 Mortgage Star Conference, WWV Celebrity Coach Webinar Series, NEXTSummer21, and Fintech Hunting. She has interviewed several executive leaders, including Marcia Davies, COO of MBA and Founder of mPower. Suha is also the host of her own LinkedIn series, In the Spotlight with Suha, where she shines the light on the next generation of leaders in the real estate and financial services space.

Suha is the recipient of the Women of Influence award (2021) and a Tech Trendsetter award (2019) by HousingWire, the Mortgage Star award (2021) by Mortgage Women Magazine, the NEXT Powerhouse award (2021) by NEXT Mortgage Events, the Most Powerful Women in Fintech award (2019 and 2021) by Progress in Lending, and the Woman with Vision award (2019) by Mortgage Women Magazine. Suha has also been recently recognized by Women in the Housing and Real Estate Ecosystem (NAWRB) with the Mentor Leader Award (2021).

Suha is currently pursuing several certifications as a professional coach from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. She is also a Project Management Certified Professional and has completed the Harvard Management Development Program. Suha speaks four languages and is an avid scuba diver, travel, and culinary enthusiast.

“ The Human-Technology Balance – a puzzle that we have to solve for. We can all agree that technology has introduced new tensions as well as opportunities to help transform the way business is done. As disruption and innovation rages around us, we cannot forget to maintain a human approach to doing business. We must remember to use technology to improve human relationships; we can find ways for technology to complement, not replace, what we do. We must strive to place people, customers and employees, at the heart of everything that we do, ensuring that we are focused on solving real human problems. ”

Woman-Owned Business Leader

Monica LeBlanc is the Broker/Owner of Diamond State Realty Coop and Diamond State Property Management. She is the 2021 Vice President of the Delaware Association of Realtors, President of the Women’s Council of Realtors Sussex County Network, and President of the Dover Downtown Rotary Club.

She served as the 2020 President of the Kent County Association of Realtors and was named both Kent County Realtor of the Year and Delaware Realtor of the Year in 2019. She serves as the Co-Coordinator for the motorcycle rights group ABATE of Delaware Kent County Chapter and sits on the First State Animal Shelter and SPCA Board of Directors.

Community service is also important to her. Monica is the 2018 recipient of the Good Neighbor Award given by the Kent County Association of Realtors. Licensed since 2005, Monica holds several Real Estate designations including being a GRI which is a Graduate of the Real Estate Institute. Throughout her career, she has always believed that education in the industry is the key to her success. Monica has helped guide new Realtors to become successful, no matter what company they work under. Her own agents have also followed in her footsteps, winning the Good Neighbor Award the past four years in a row. Sales have always been a passion as she was the first woman car salesperson in 1980 at the young age of 18, opening the doors for other women to get into that industry. Monica is the go-to gal when it comes to Real Estate and Property Manager issues and is a proven leader in her industry. In her spare time, she enjoys boating and spending time with her two children.

Board Leader

Neely Tamminga is CEO and co-founder of DISTILL - a strategic advisory services company to CEOs and board directors in the consumer sector. Since co-founding DISTILL in 2017, Neely has helped CEOs form better strategies for growth in the apparel, home furnishings, media, e-commerce, beauty, and food industries. Though each engagement differs in its needs, actions, and initiatives, the approach remains the same: creative collaboration, expert research, and swift deliverables easily synthesized by leadership teams for actionable ideas while also presenting board-ready solutions aligned with key stakeholders.

Prior to launching DISTILL, Neely had a successful 20-year career on Wall Street as a managing director and senior research analyst covering the consumer sector. During her career, Neely led the consumer research practice as a Group Head at Piper Jaffray, a growth-company investment bank. In addition to ongoing research responsibilities for more than 30 companies during her tenure, Neely helped develop and lead the longest, consistently running, longitudinal consumer survey project in the United States of teen research consumption behaviors called, “Taking Stock with Teens.” While serving as a research analyst, Neely helped more than a dozen companies move their statuses from privately held to publicly traded by participating in their initial public offerings. A few of these highlighted companies include Wayfair, Bare Essentials, Ulta Beauty, Vera Bradley, and Coty. Beyond the initial public offering process, notable research coverage included Nordstrom, Williams-Sonoma, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Urban Outfitters.

Key career awards include top sell-side analyst in The Wall Street Journal Best on the Street analyst survey in 2006 and 2011 for coverage in broad line and apparel retailers. In 2010, FT/Starmine ranked Neely No. 2 in Stock Picking for her 2009 coverage in Specialty Retail. In 2009, FT/ Starmine ranked Neely No. 2 Industry Estimator for her 2008 coverage in Personal Products. In 2007, Neely was named by Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as a 40 Under Forty award winner. Neely has also received recognition by Institutional Investor magazine for her coverage in the apparel & footwear, department stores, and hardline retailing sectors. Frequently quoted in the media and featured on such channels as CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business News, Neely is considered an expert in consumer behavior and the retail industry.

Since DISTILL’s launch in 2017, Neely has co-authored more than 30 whitepapers, articles, and research studies on the consumer economy, consumer behavior, and the competitive landscape for retailers and brands. A frequent keynote speaker, Neely has presented multiple times at companies and organizations including Google, ShopperTrak, Tyco Retail Solutions, Turnaround Management Association, and more. In 2020, Neely debuted as a TEDx speaker with the launch of her talk about the graying of the U.S. economy titled, “Let’s Shape an Economy that Values Connection Over Consumption.”

Commercial Leader

Sheila is the Founder & CEO of CoeoSpace (pronounced co-ee-oh). CoeoSpace is a free and open platform where Landlords and Brokers can supercharge their leasing and sales efforts. Occupiers find your space through our custom-matching algorithm. Landlords and Brokers can then boost their listing’s reach to decision-makers by 1000x via Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram with the Promote Space services.

Sheila is a commercial real estate veteran and launched CoeoSpace, an open data platform company, in 2019 with the vision of using technology to bring digital tools, transparency and efficiency to the commercial real estate industry. Sheila has 25 years of experience working in all aspects of commercial real estate including brokerage, development, investment and now CRE tech. She most recently was a Managing Partner of Cresa Global prior to launching CoeoSpace.

Sheila is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Illinois and she is a member of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Executive Women), The Economic Club of Chicago, The Urban Land Institute and is a longtime sponsor of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award program. She is also on the advisory board of the Youth Impact Program at Northwestern University and on the Chicago Board of CareerSpring.

Sheila received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana and an MBA degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business.

Residential Leader

As Vice President of Real Estate Operations for the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), Jennifer McKinney oversees the agency’s Property Management department.

Ms. McKinney is responsible for the administration of various affordable housing programs, as well as the day-to-day maintenance operations for more than 2,000 units of affordable-housing owned by SDHC.

She has more than 25 years of real estate management experience, including commercial and multifamily properties. Her areas of expertise include property repositioning, rehabilitation, financial management, budgeting and forecasting, and employee development. Prior to joining SDHC, she worked in real estate management in the private sector.

Ms. McKinney has a bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and holds a certification in Real Estate Finance, Investment and Development from the University of San Diego.

Diversity & Inclusion Leader

Patty Arvielo is the President and Co-Founder of New American Funding. She is a champion of diversity and inclusion who creates and maintains a supportive, inclusive work environment for all. She is a passionate mentor who believes in inspiring and guiding younger generations to find their own success in business and in life. Patty Arvielo has been a leader in the mortgage industry for nearly 40 years. She has worked her way up from the bottom rung and gained extensive knowledge of the entire industry along the way. Over the course of her career, she functioned in a variety of capacities, from underwriting to processing to her current role as Co-Founder and President of New American Funding.

A first-generation Hispanic American, Arvielo learned the value of hard work from her mother, who built a successful cleaning business in California. At age 16, Arvielo entered the workforce with an entry-level clerical position at TransUnion Credit. From there, she landed a job at a prominent mortgage company, where she would rise through the ranks from a Clerical Loan Opener all the way to Branch Manager to Assistant Vice President.

Living by the credo “with risk comes reward,” she and her husband Rick Arvielo launched their own mortgage company in 2003. In the years since, Arvielo has transformed New American Funding into one of the largest independent mortgage lenders in the U.S., one that helps tens of thousands of families achieve the dream of homeownership every year. In fact, New American Funding is now the largest Latina-owned private mortgage company in the nation, appearing on Inc.'s list of 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America six times. But Arvielo’s company isn’t only defined by its size. Thanks to Arvielo’s dedication to creating an inclusive and encouraging environment, New American Funding has also become one of the best places to work in the entire country.

Arvielo and New American Funding recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion. As a result, New American Funding is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture that respects and appreciates differences among employees, whether those differences are in ethnicity, gender, race, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, education, or religion. Arvielo has also driven New American Funding to become an industry leader in lending to minorities. In that spirit, Arvielo established the company’s Latino Focus and New American Dream initiatives to improve the lending experiences of Hispanic and Black home buyers, respectively.

Those initiatives have led New American Funding to far exceed all other large lenders in lending to minority borrowers. As a result, Arvielo is a coveted national voice on lending to minority communities, frequently advising federal and state lawmakers, federal and state regulators, governmental agencies, other large lenders, and much more on this critically important issue. Arvielo’s work both at New American Funding and as an advisor has earned her numerous national awards from prominent organizations and media outlets, including being recognized in 2016 by Ernst and Young as an EY Entrepreneur of The Year® for Orange County.

Technology & Stem Leader

Lisa is a VC, Entrepreneur, and Fashion Tech Community Catalyst. She is Co-Founder and GP of REFASHIOND Ventures, CEO and Co-Founder of REFASH- IOND OS (rOS) and is Co-Founder of the Worldwide Supply Chain Federation.

Lisa Morales-Hellebo is passionate about helping fashion tech and supply chain startups achieve industry adoption, growth, and scale. As a VC, seasoned entrepreneur, product strategist, and community builder, Lisa knows what it takes to spot and coach a winning team — backed by 25 years of working with startups to F500s on strategy and execution across branding, product development, and innovation.

Lisa takes R&D seriously and is currently Co-Founder of REFASHIOND OS (rOS), a startup that is building a network of on-demand apparel Microfactories across the USA and its public marketplace, ASSEMBLY.fashion. She is also Co-Founder of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation, an organization that is changing how supply chain professionals learn about, collaborate, and adopt supply chain innovation around the world. The New York Supply Chain Meetup is its founding chapter, attracting hundreds of attendees from around the globe to its monthly events.

Lisa has co-founded and is General Partner of REFASHIOND Ventures — an NYC-based, early-stage supply chain technology venture fund that invests in startups refashioning global supply chains. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, serves on select Advisory Boards, and has been featured in numerous publications.

Consumer Advocate Leader

Monda Raquel Webb is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and performing artist. Currently, Monda combines producing, writing, performing, and publishing under her consulting company Monda Media, LLC, where she pursues her passion for the written word, spoken word, social media, television and film under one umbrella.

After graduating with a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Rhode Island in 1990, Monda began her production career as a traffic coordinator for CityCable 16, a municipal channel in Washington, DC. She quickly climbed the ranks and served in all aspects of production, from grip, to production assistant, to producer to on-air talent. As producer, she won awards from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) for Production in several different categories.

Additionally, Monda has over 25+ years of corporate, government and non-profit experience. Her specialties lie in mortgage finance, FinTech, outreach (grassroots, multicultural), partner engagement, TV/Film production, business development, content creation, (web, print, broadcast), training (development, instructor-led, instructional design), communications (b2b and b2c), and marketing Monda has led strategic communications/ marketing/training efforts for the Government, Mortgage Finance, Telecommunications and IT Industries. By nature, Monda is a super-connector and has spent years building and sustaining relationships with people in the government, non-profit and for-profit sectors.

Monda established Little Known Stories Production Company, LLC as the production arm of Monda Media in 2014. In 2015, Monda wrote, directed and produced her calling card to the film industry, “Zoo (Volkerschau)”, a short film about the last known human zoo at the 1958 World Fair in Brussels, Belgium. Zoo has won 11 U.S. and International Film Festival Awards, including awards from Spain and Indonesia, for “Best Short (film)”, “Best Script”, “Excellence Award”, “Best International Short” and other categories. Monda’s sophomore film “Pooch Sitter”, a film about a quirky pet-sitter who seeks love and affection from other people’s dogs in an untraditional way, is currently on the film festival circuit. This modern-day Goldilocks-ish tale is giving paws to audiences worldwide.

A staunch advocate of giving back to the community, Monda is a proud member of the NAWRB Consortium, and Board Member for three non-profit organizations, which include “Wings for Joy”, “Consumer Action” and “Women in Film and Video DC (WIFV-DC),” for which she is an Executive Board Member and Treasurer.

Nonprofit Leader

Jacqueline Castillo is a philanthropist, visionary, author, advocate, life coach and businesswoman. She is founder and President of a not-forprofit organization called Legacy Ladies, Inc. Our mission is to be a premier organization that transforms the lives of disenfranchised girls. We foster character, confidence and grace through our academic and experiential programs; with the goal of developing extraordinary thinkers who are courageous leaders that will become productive global citizens.

Legacy Ladies is celebrating their 14th anniversary and has awarded over a million dollars in in-kind offerings and financial support for their programs, Adopt-a-Family and Adopt-a- School, with a committed board of 9 people. Jacqueline has continued the legacy of leadership by establishing an experiential leadership program called, “From the School House to The White House Leadership Academy,” which is the organization’s best practice in serving students in disenfranchised communities.

Jacqueline Castillo’s professional experience ranges from capacity building at the University of North Florida to Regional Sales Manager for Nicholas Earth Printing to on-air television talent. She is a strong advocate of community service and has served on many boards such as the Visiting Nurses Association, Jacksonville Women’s Network, and the Hubbard House. While there she coordinated and trained 75 volunteers in the recruitment of potential donors, resulting in more than 600 African-American donors within 18 months. She was appointed by the Mayor of Jacksonville, FL, to the Jacksonville Housing Authority Committee Task Force and served on the Health and Human Services Sex Education Task Force and the Conflict Resolution Committee. Jacqueline also organized and spearheaded a grassroots task force, African American Citizens for Change, designed specifically to create awareness of political and social consequences.

As a result of her leadership, she has received numerous awards: “Women of the Year ” award from Assemblymember, Mike Davis, “Women Making a Difference,” the “Bernard and Shirley Kinsey Award” for the humanitarian works of Legacy Ladies, Inc., received by Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s (FAMU), the Meritorious Award from the NAACP Los Angeles Youth Council, recognized by the “Our Authors Study Club” for outstanding community service, recipient of the “Public Service Award” from the Ebony Guild, “Woman of the Year” award from the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, the “Golden Glow Award” from the L.A. Chapter of Chums, Inc., Women in NAACP, “We See You Awards,” “Faith Awards,” and Biddy Mason Award for community service. Jacqueline holds a B.S. degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. She is married to James and they have a son, Justin, who is their pride and joy.

Government Leader

Lucy Dunn is President and CEO of Orange County Business Council. She leads a dynamic organization of business members, working with academia and government, to ensure the county’s economic prosperity and high quality of life.

Before joining OCBC, she served as Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development under Governor Schwarzenegger, who also appointed her to the California Transportation Commission in 2008. Governor Jerry Brown reappointed her two more terms. She helped develop Orange County’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness and serves as a business advisor for the South Coast Air Quality Management District and Southern California Association of Governments. She is founding co-chair of the R.E.A.L. Coalition of 23 CEOs of California’s largest business organizations from San Francisco to San Diego advocating for infrastructure, education, water, and governance reform.

Lucy received the California State Legislature “Woman of the Year” and an Assembly Certificate of Recognition as “Person of the Year.” She was the first woman President in the 80-year history of the Building Industry Association of Southern California. She serves on the boards of Pacific Symphony, Mobility 21, UCI Foundation, California Economic Summit, Homeful Foundation, Orange County Housing Trust, and Orange County Taxpayer Association.

She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards from advocacy for housing to mobility and education. In 2014, OC Register named her as one of “Orange County’s 100 Most Influential.” In 2016, the Endangered Habitats League honored her for her work in advancing the protection of habitat and cultural resources, while providing South Orange County mobility options. In 2018, Orange County Business Journal named her one of OC’s 500 Most Influential. She is an attorney, singer, world-traveler, and the mother of two sons and a remarkable daughter-in-law.

Finance Leader

Nancy Obando is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Products and Affordable Lending at Mountain West Financial Inc. Through various leadership roles, Nancy learned the true importance of external public relations at the corporate level to effectively be a voice within the community and develop deep relationships with key players to maximize quality and exposure. During this journey, she discovered her passion for being an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As a previous President running the largest Asian based real estate organization and with current seats in the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America Los Angeles and National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Association, Nancy Obando received many awards from the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles and U.S House of Representatives for her various contributions within the community.

Nancy’s vision is to ensure that she and her team are enabling members of minority groups and professionals that invest time and talent in the underserved and emerging communities to establish a deep-rooted foundation to becoming leaders in the real estate, finance, and development sector. She considers being helpful an important part of her identity, holding the belief that “only when your desire to help is authentic can it reward you with new real connections and trust within the community.”

“ I am extremely honored to receive the 2021 Finance Leader award. As a Finance Leader, I believe we are a part of a cohort revitalizing the US Economy and breaking the cycle of generational renters. Now more than ever we are tasked to reset our minds to reach beyond our traditional methods of finance and communication. By doing so, we can influence for impact and sales digitally and more importantly, turn successes into a source of generational wealth for households. ”

Corporate Leader

EXIT Realty Corp International’s Co-Chair Tami Bonnell is an internationally renowned leader in the real estate industry and was instrumental in building three major brands. Among her many achievements, she was recognized by Real Estate trend watcher, Stefan Swanepoel, three years consecutively as one of the 200 Most Powerful and Influential people in residential real estate, among the top 20 corporate executives and among the top 10 women leaders.

Ms. Bonnell has been a featured speaker at the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTOR’S® convention to the Top 500 power brokers, The National Women’s Council REALTORS®, Inman News Connect Conference, and the RIS Media’s Leadership Conference. She was named to the Women in the Housing and Real Estate Ecosystem (NAWRB) National Diversity & Leadership Inclusion Council (NDILC).

Ms. Bonnell was honored by STEM connector as one of its 100 Corporate Women Leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). She is also the recipient of NDILC’s 2020 Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Award. Ms. Bonnell is a 30 plus year veteran of the real estate industry and joined EXIT Realty in 1999. She was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2012 and promoted to Co-Chair in 2021.

She is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of three. In her spare time, she is a martial artist, coach and referee, an information junkie and reads over 300 books a year!

“ Technology can take over if we allow it. It is supposed to be a tool to get more done in less time, to be efficient. The difference between efficient and effective? Efficient is doing things right, effective is doing the right things. To insure close relationships and effective leadership it’s important to have real communication, not just through our devices. I try to use the time it saves to build stronger relationships. Set time aside to truly connect. Harvard business did a study on Happiness and determined strong relationships to be a key factor. Showing people you value them and that they matter is imperative for building a successful team, people grow in an atmosphere of trust, that can only be built by investing in people, not just technology. ”

Family Office Leader

The organizer of Win This Fight, Stop Human Trafficking, Mitzi Perdue, is an author, speaker, and businesswoman who specialized in real estate. She holds a BA with honors from Harvard University and an MPA from George Washington University.

She is a past president of the 35,000-member American Agri-Women. She’s also a former syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard and her column, The Environment and You, was the most widely syndicated environmental column in the country. Her television series, Country Magazine, was syndicated to 76 stations. She currently hosts The Pen and the Planet on EarthX TV.

As a woman in real estate, she founded CERES Farms in 1974. Today it’s a second-generation commercial and agricultural real estate investment company that has owned rice fields, vineyards, and commercial and residential real estate. CERES Farms is a major supplier of wine grapes in California, and if you’ve tasted any of the following wines, you may have tasted grapes grown from her vineyards: Joel Gott, Robert Mondavi, Kendall Jackson, Gallo, McManis, Sutter Home, Diageo, and the Wine Group.

Today Mitzi is working to combat human trafficking by “cutting the head off the snake.” She’s working to combat the money laundering that enables the $150 billion human trafficking industry.

As part of raising awareness about trafficking, she has published close to 100 articles on human trafficking just in the last year in outlets such as Psychology Today and Wealth Management. She’s also been on more than 100 podcasts, talking about trafficking.

“ In recent decades the real estate management industry has evolved tremendously due to technological advancements. I have found this must be tempered with human oversight and involvement in order to yield the bestoutcome. Moreover, the approach to striking a perfect balance between technology and humans starts with analyzing the issue, the business needs, and the proposed solution. The best solutions are achieved when people and technology work in harmony. ”

Media Leader

CEO of Temin and Company – a boutique risk, reputation, and crisis management consultancy – Davia Temin works with some of the most talented and impactful leaders in the world, helping them to refine and strengthen their vision, voice, and market position in times of crisis and opportunity.

Temin and Company specializes in ethically-based crisis, reputation, and culture management; risk assessment; and corporate governance for global companies, professional services firms, foundations, colleges and universities, and governments. During crises, Davia serves as a spokeswoman, strategist, and leadership and communications coach at the board, CEO, and executive committee levels.

A nationally recognized writer, commentator, and coach, she has worked with literally hundreds of business and world leaders and appeared on CBS, CNN, NBC, Bloomberg, PBS, ABC, and in The Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications and networks around the world.

Prior to founding Temin and Company 23 years ago with the backing of GE, Davia headed Corporate Marketing, Crisis Management and Public Affairs for GE Capital, Schroders, Scudder, Citi Investment Bank, and Columbia Business School.

Profiled in many business and leadership books, she writes the “Reputation Matters” column for Forbes.com, is a contributor to Huffington Post, American Banker, Directors & Boards, Corporate Board Member, and Chief Executive Magazine and has written chapters on “Rebuilding Trust in the Financial Markets” for the book Trust, Inc., and on crisis leadership for Women on Board – Insider Secrets to Getting on a Board and Succeeding as a Director.

An honors graduate of Swarthmore College, she attended Columbia University for her master’s degrees. She served as First Vice Chair of the Board of Girl Scouts of the USA for 9 years, and board member of Swarthmore for 11 years. She has received numerous awards, including the Woman of Power & Influence Award by the National Organization for Women and The Girl Scouts Pinnacle Award for Leadership – their highest honor.

Veteran Leader

Leora Ruzin, CMB, AMP is the Senior Vice President of Lending at Coloramo Federal Credit Union. Leora is also the Managing Editor of both “The Vision” and “Women with Vision” magazines and is currently on numerous industry Boards, including Folds of Honor. A 14-year veteran in the lending industry, Leora is incredibly passionate about spreading awareness on helping everyone achieve the American dream of financial freedom.

Leora is a fierce advocate for housing finance reform and common-sense credit policy. She is the winner of numerous prestigious industry awards, including Housing Wire’s 2020 “Women of Influence,” National Mortgage Professional Magazine’s 2020 “Women of Inspiration” and is a two-time winner of the “Women with Vision” award, given by 20/20 Vision for Success coaching.

An Army veteran, she understands the importance of ensuring no one is left behind, and truly feels that anything can be achieved through perseverance and teamwork. Her experience with trauma, both as a cancer survivor and a survivor of sexual and physical abuse, has given her the drive and passion to help other women find hope and strength during similar circumstances. When Leora is not spending her time advocating for homeownership and spreading the word about the importance of investing in personal goals, she continues to expand her own knowledge through reading and attending industry workshops.

Leora holds an Associate’s degree in Accounting, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and is a veteran of the United States Army. She currently resides in Palisade, Colorado with her husband and daughter.

“When I think of the term “Technology Human Balance,” I immediately recall how difficult it was to retain the credit union model of serving our members while being thrust in the craziness of a COVID-19 shelter-in-place. Out of nowhere, credit unions across the country were forced to look at their technology offerings and pivot on a dime to ensure the needs of members were being met, while shutting down our lobbies. What was born of out that crisis was the evolution of the modern-day credit union, and the building of services that were available to members from their homes, while still ensuring that access to human beings was possible … At the core of it all remains the understanding that nothing will replace the importance of human-to-human connection and collaboration. That will never go away, and for that reason alone, credit unions are here to stay.”

“ We are honored here at NAWRB to leverage our unique bandwith to connect these incredible leaders to create greater social impact with solutions”

- Desirée Patno, CEO

This article is from:

NAWRB Magazine Volume 10, Issue 2 Technology Human Balance

by Women in the Housing & Real Estate Ecosystem