General Session: Beyond Dues – Creative Ways to Drive Revenue and Member Value
Discover how associations are leveraging creative programs—such as Future Leaders initiatives, compliance and education webinars, and executive forums—to generate revenue, strengthen member connections, engage young professionals, and advance the industry. This session offers actionable ideas for engaging members, enhancing experiences, and growing non-dues income.
Speakers
Moderator
Dana Abernathy serves as Vice President of Servicing Business Development at Cornerstone Servicing and as the MBA’s Tennessee Ambassador. A sales executive with more than 20 years of experience in the financial services and banking industries, she is deeply engaged in industry advocacy at both the state and national levels. Abernathy has been highly active in supporting the Mortgage Bankers Association’s grassroots lobbying efforts and previously served on the MBA Mortgage Action Alliance (MAA) Board of Directors. She has participated in the MBA’s National Advocacy Conference for the past 13 years and is passionate about ensuring mortgage bankers’ voices are heard by legislators. In 2018, she co-created the Tennessee Mortgage Bankers Future Leaders Academy and, in 2019, was named Affiliate of the Year by the Tennessee MBA. A graduate of the MBA School of Mortgage Banking, MBA Future Leaders, and the Virginia Mortgage Lenders School of Mortgage Banking, Abernathy remains active in several industry trade groups, including the MBA’s CMB Society, where she served as Secretary in 2014 and Chairman in 2015.
Speakers
Aimee Macilveen, CMB, AMP, has been a loan officer in Knoxville, Tennessee, for 28 years. She served as a local chapter President in 2021 and currently serves as President of the Tennessee Mortgage Bankers Association. She was a member of the inaugural TNMBA Future Leaders class started by mentors Retta Gardner CMB and Dana Abernathy CMB. Macilveen serves as a facilitator for the TNMBA Future Leaders program today. She founded the TNMBA Future Leaders Alumni Association and is proud to have a TNPAC fundraising named in her honor,. She has twice been recognized as TNMBA Mortgage Banker of the Year, and was recently awarded the Chrissi Rhea Award for outstanding contribution to advocacy in TNMBA.
Deb Meogrossi brings more than 50 years of experience in mortgage lending and related industries, having served as a lender, vendor, and consultant. She currently serves as Advisory Council Liaison for the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association (CMLA) and was asked to step in as Interim Executive Director to help guide the association through a strategic reset focused on long-term sustainability, drawing on her prior leadership as Chair of the Board of Governors and Past President of the Board of Directors. Meogrossi is also Vice Chair of the Colorado Homeownership Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Colorado homeowners navigate temporary financial disruptions and sustain homeownership. In addition, she supports Mortgage Forums, LLC—an organization she founded in 2009—in an advisory capacity, continuing its mission of facilitating peer-to-peer executive forums for mortgage industry leaders.
Katelyn Watkins is a mortgage loan originator and the current President of the Mortgage Bankers Association of the Bluegrass, representing a new generation of industry leadership focused on advocacy, education, and the long-term sustainability of mortgage lending. She is passionate about financial literacy, first-time homebuyer education, and strengthening trust between consumers, lenders, and policymakers. Through her work at the state and local levels, Watkins promotes collaboration, clear communication, and greater engagement among professionals shaping the industry's future. A first-generation homeowner and lifelong Central Kentuckian, she brings a modern, relationship-driven perspective to housing advocacy. Watkins credits the mortgage industry with changing her life and is committed to helping ensure it remains accessible, ethical, and resilient for future generations.
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