GENERAL SESSION: MBA Opening Ceremony: Installation of 2026 Officers, CMB & Future Leaders Graduations & Awards

2025 MBA Chair; President, Lennar Mortgage

A 30-year mortgage industry veteran, Laura 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 these departments within Lennar Mortgage. Escobar is also a licensed mental health counselor and devotes much of her time working with underprivileged women.

2024 MBA Chairman; President, Union Home Mortgage

Mark Jones co-founded Amerifirst Home Mortgage in 1983, growing it from a single location in Kalamazoo, MI, to over 80 branches nationwide. Following Amerifirst’s 2023 merger with Union Home Mortgage, he now serves as President of the combined top 40 national lender. Under his leadership, Amerifirst became the No. 1 USDA and No. 3 FHA lender in Michigan, a Ginnie Mae issuer, and serviced a $6 billion loan portfolio. A past Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner, Mark has held multiple leadership roles with the Mortgage Bankers Association, including 2024 MBA Chairman and Chair of the DEI Advisory Committee. He also serves on the board of Southwest Michigan First. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Mark was a champion diver and NCAA Regional Qualifier.

2026 MBA Chair; Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer & Chief Operating Officer, M&T Realty Capital Corporation

Christine Chandler has been with M&T since 1991 and has more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate finance. Since 2018, she has been responsible for making credit decisions for M&T RCC multifamily and healthcare transactions underwritten in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Agency) and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) platforms as well as managing the company’s operations and its Asset Management Group and Transformation team. Prior to that, Chandler served 13 years as the M&T RCC Chief FHA Underwriter, was a senior Fannie Mae DUS Underwriter, and previously spent several years managing the closing and delivery for FHA and Ginnie Mae transactions. Chandler has also served as a relationship manager in the company’s commercial real estate division, focusing on construction and permanent portfolio lending. Active in various committees and groups related to the mortgage banking industry, Chandler is a voting member of MBA’s Board of Directors, served as the 2023 Chair of MBA’s Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG), and was appointed to MBA’s Audit Committee in 2021. She is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and is a passionate advocate for mPower, MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach, the largest networking organization for women in real estate finance.

2026 MBA Chair-Elect; Chief Executive Officer, Success Mortgage Partners, Inc.

Owen Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of Success Mortgage Partners, Inc. (“SMP”). SMP is an independent mortgage bank headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan and operating in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Owen originally founded the company in 2002 with his father, Vincent. Owen is also the Managing Member of Title Partners, LLC., a full-service title insurance agency and settlement services company. Owen graduated with a BA in Political Science from Villanova University in 1992 and a Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University in 1996. wen is a proud member of the following organizations: State Bar of Michigan; Massachusetts Bar Association; Mortgage Bankers Association; Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association; The American Land Title Association.