CREF Track Session 3: Remarks from Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD)

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 10:45 AM-11:00 AM U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, CVC 217, 1st Street SE, Washington DC 20515
General Session
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Hear from Senator Mike Rounds, a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee and a leading voice on housing, insurance, and financial services, as he discusses the policies influencing affordability and shaping the future of the GSEs. Throughout his career, he has championed rural housing access, supported community lenders, and advanced efforts to modernize financial regulation. His work spans protecting the deferred tax treatment of MSRs in the 2017 tax reform package, strengthening veterans’ housing stability, addressing affordability and zoning challenges, and promoting responsible AI innovation in financial services. He is also widely recognized for his leadership on national security and foreign intelligence policy.

Speakers

Introductions

  • Photo of Lorre Buhler
    Lorre Buhler

    President, South Dakota Association For Mortgage Professionals

    Lorre Buhler began her journey in the industry in 2005 and has played a key role in expanding mortgage lending opportunities in South Dakota. Her career in mortgage origination and management spans nearly two decades. In 2016, she helped bring Gateway Mortgage to South Dakota, followed by the introduction of Granite Mortgage to the state in 2023, further strengthening access to lending resources and homeownership opportunities in the region. In 2024, Buhler founded the South Dakota Association for Mortgage Professionals, an organization dedicated to advancing education, fostering professional development, and growing industry membership across the state. Now retired from mortgage origination and management, she remains actively engaged in supporting the industry through leadership, education, and advocacy efforts, continuing to contribute her experience and passion to the mortgage professional community.

    • Featured Speakers

  • Photo of Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD)
    Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD)

    Senator, U.S. Senate

    On January 6th, 2015, Senator Marion Michael “Mike” Rounds was sworn into the United States Senate. Senator Rounds serves on five committees: Senate Appropriations; Senate Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Indian Affairs; and the Select Committee on Intelligence. Rounds previously served as the 31st governor of South Dakota from 2003 – 2011. From 1991 to 2000, he was elected five times to the South Dakota State Senate. In 1995, his colleagues selected him to serve as Senate Majority Leader, a position that he held for six years. During his time in state government, Rounds was committed to growing the economy, keeping taxes low and strengthening South Dakota families. A lifelong South Dakotan, Senator Rounds was born in Huron, the eldest of 11 children. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from South Dakota State University. In the private sector, Rounds built a successful insurance and real estate business with offices throughout the state. He resides in Fort Pierre and is the proud parent of four grown children and 11 grandchildren.

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