GENERAL SESSION: Economic and CRE Market Outlook

Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement, Mortgage Bankers Association

Jamie Woodwell is Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), where he oversees the association’s public policy and member engagement efforts across all commercial real estate finance sectors, working closely with member leaders and staff to advance MBA members’ business and policy objectives Jamie and his work are regularly cited in the media, on Capitol Hill and in regulatory settings. He is a regular speaker at industry and corporate events; has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg and in other popular and trade press; and testified before the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP. Jamie initiated many of MBA's research activities and created MBA's Peer Business Roundtables. He co-founded MBA’s CREF Careers program. Woodwell joined MBA in 2004, and most recently served as Vice President and Head of Commercial Real Estate Research, where he oversaw the association’s economic research and analysis covering commercial and multifamily real estate finance markets. He has also served as senior director of business development at CapitalThinking in New York, research director at the WMF Group in Virginia, and research manager at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. Jamie is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association and other professional and industry groups and a past member of the Counselors of Real Estate. He has served on various advisory groups, particularly around climate change and ESG, including for the National Institute of Building Sciences, Fannie Mae and Bright Power. Jamie received his bachelor's degree in economics and American studies from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He earned his master's degree in urban and regional planning from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Jamie lives in Washington DC.

Chief Economist, Senior Vice President, Research and Business Development, Mortgage Bankers Association

Mike Fratantoni, Ph.D. is MBA’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Industry Technology. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing MBA’s industry surveys, benchmarking studies, economic and mortgage originations forecasts, industry technology efforts and policy development research for both single-family and commercial/multifamily markets. Additionally, Fratantoni is president and member of the Board of Directors of MISMO and serves on the CSP’s Industry Advisory Group and the membership committee of MERS. Prior to joining MBA, Fratantoni worked in the industry in risk management and senior economist roles at Washington Mutual and Fannie Mae.

Associate Vice President, Commercial Real Estate Research, Mortgage Bankers Association

Judith Ricks is Associate Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research at the Mortgage Bankers Association. In this role, she is responsible for developing commercial and multifamily industry surveys and reports, managing the commercial real estate forecasts, and policy development and research for mortgage markets. Ricks has extensive knowledge of mortgages markets and real estate finance. She has published dozens of economic analysis and reports for academic and policy audiences. Prior to joining MBA, Ricks was Deputy Assistant Director of Consumer and Household Research and Policy in the Office of Research at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She received a Ph.D. in economics from Syracuse University and a B.A. in economics from Vanderbilt University. Ricks also previously served as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University.