SPECIAL REPORT
ELITE WOMEN 2018 KELLY CROWTHER
DANETTE CONWAY
Sales manager
Director of customer service
loanDepot
Credit Plus
A producing sales manager at loanDepot in California’s Inland Empire, Kelly Crowther started out in the industry in her teens and has more than 20 years of experience in mortgages. A leader, confidant and source of knowledge to many, Crowther has worked in a variety of roles and has gained the knowledge needed to submit a complete, detailed loan upfront. She carefully examines the needs of a prospective homebuyer, whether a firsttimer or a move-up buyer, and tailors her approach to each client to assist borrowers in achieving their short- and long-term goals. Among her many accomplishments, Crowther was named Mortgage Professional of the Year and a Chairman’s Elite member at loanDepot in 2017.
Danette Conway joined Credit Plus when she was 19 years old and has worked in nearly every position since. Now in her 31st year with the company, Conway has been instrumental in Credit Plus’ growth, tirelessly working with each of the company’s three offices as well as the corporate team, and visiting each office at least once a month to ensure that Credit Plus maintains top-notch service. Conway has also been a key advocate for improved training programs and new bonus and incentive plans, and she leads by example with her commitment to mentoring fellow team members. She is also dedicated to philanthropic causes: Following the loss of a team member to breast cancer, Conway led company efforts to raise funds for Relay for Life.
MICHELLE WILKES Senior vice president, national sales executive ServiceLink
Michelle Wilkes has played a pivotal role in shaping new technologies and services for the mortgage industry. As senior vice president and national sales executive for the default division of ServiceLink, she is responsible for maintaining productive, results-based partnerships with all of ServiceLink’s clients and serves as a lead facilitator, establishing the initial operating protocols between clients and ServiceLink operations management. Her exceptional understanding of how to convert client goals and objectives into service-level agreements that produce results, meet client needs and exceed expectations has made Wilkes a respected authority on structuring third-party relationships. Prior to joining ServiceLink, Wilkes held senior sales positions with Clayton, PHH, Prudential Asset Recovery and IMX Exchange. Outside of the industry, she supports many nonprofit organizations in Austin that benefit children.
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ABBY POLIN Vice president of residential lending Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corporation
Abby Polin entered the mortgage industry in college as a summer intern at a brokerage. Upon graduation, she joined Citibank’s real estate group as a construction and rehab lender and began developing a vast network of architects, developers, lawyers and Realtors. In 1992, Polin joined forces with two young attorneys who had set up a real estate development company and were looking to start a mortgage brokerage to service their own clients’ needs. That company, Prism Mortgage, grew from three people in a storefront office in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood to more than 2,600 employees with offices from coast to coast. In 1999, Prism Mortgage went public through an IPO and was acquired by Royal Bank of Canada in 2000. The following year, Polin joined a Chicago mortgage company before moving to the Chicago office of a New York-based company, with licensing to lend to her clientele nationally. She also spent time at other local and national mortgage companies and with the mortgage affiliate of one of the fastestgrowing real estate companies. Polin has been featured on Fox News, ABC News and in an Oprah documentary, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal. She is involved in various philanthropic organizations and serves on the executive board of the Women’s Division of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.