GENERAL SESSION: Lessons in Leadership
Leading women in finance and communications share insightful stories from their careers. You’ll be inspired by the lessons they’ve learned and will leave with new approaches to handle the challenges ahead of you. Sponsored by Lennar Mortgage.
Speakers
Moderator
Marcia M. Davies is MBA’s Chief Operating Officer, responsible for ensuring cross-organizational alignment and facilitating the implementation of strategic initiatives, as well as maintaining oversight of key organizational priorities. She provides leadership, guidance and overall management to the Public Affairs, Marketing, Conferences, Membership, Education, Information Technology and Office Services divisions. She also provides management oversight to, and is a Board member of, MBA’s Opens Doors Foundation. Previously, Marcia worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner and in various roles at Freddie Mac for 21 years. She is the founder of mPower — MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach — MBA’s networking platform for women in the real estate finance industry. She is a member of the NAWRB Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC), three-time recipient of Women with Vision award, and was honored by HousingWire as one of its 2015 Women of Influence.
Speakers
Jean Bradley is an executive with Essent Guaranty, responsible for Strategic Business Development. With over 30 years of mortgage industry experience, ”Connecting people everywhere” is a motto she lives by. Jean is an active leader and mentor throughout the MBA mPower community, promoting the advancement of women in the mortgage insurance and mortgage industry in the areas of sales leadership and relationship development. Jean was nominated to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the MBA Opens Doors Board in 2018, promoting the mission of helping vulnerable families with critically ill or injured children stay in their homes while being treated. Jean holds a B.A. in Mass Communications and journalism with a minor in Business from St. Bonaventure University as well as the Executive Advanced Leadership program at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Teresa Bryce Bazemore has over 30 years experience as a Senior Executive in the mortgage banking field including building both mortgage insurance and services businesses. Ms. Bazemore currently serves as the President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. She previously served as the President of Radian Guaranty and prior to that the EVP, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Risk Officer at Radian Group. Teresa serves on the Board of Directors of the T Rowe Price Funds, First Industrial Realty Trust and the FHLB Office of Finance. In addition, Teresa serves as the Audit Committee chair of the T Rowe Price Funds. She previously served as a Director for the FHL Bank of Pittsburgh and Chimera Investment Corporation. From her executive and legal experience, as well as her corporate and non-profit board experience, she has expertise in corporate governance, succession planning, enterprise risk management, executive compensation, strategic planning, and audit committee matters.
Laura Escobar is the 2024 MBA Chair-Elect and President of Lennar Mortgage. A 30-year mortgage industry veteran, Escobar has held leadership positions with both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking, including production, operations, compliance, accounting, and training. Her personal ground level experience in every facet of mortgage lending has enabled her to manage and fully integrate all of these departments within Lennar Mortgage. Escobar is highly engaged in the industry, serves on MBA’s Board of Directors, and was co-chair of MBA’s IMB Executive Council from 2020–2022. She is also a director of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, which she has supported by successfully fundraising for the foundation’s work and leading Lennar in company campaigns. Beyond her industry work, she is also a licensed mental health counselor and devotes much of her time to working with underprivileged women.
Ruth Sherman, M.A., works with global CEOs, public figures, and international celebrities looking to have a greater impact in their personal, and public communications. Seven of her clients have won Oscars and one the Pulitzer Prize. A leading authority on political communication, she has been widely quoted in the press including the New York Times, Washington Post, and TIME, among many others, contending the best communicator and connector wins. Ruth has written two books, the most recent of which is SPEAKRETS®: The 30 Best, Most Effective, Most Overlooked Marketing and Personal Branding Essentials. A highly sought-after speaker, she has been engaged to share her insights with organizations as varied as Google, Microsoft, and MBA mPower. As the mother of two daughters, her passion is ensuring women ascend to the top ranks of business and take their rightful place in the halls of power.
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