Opening General Session: Inside Washington

2025 MBA Chair; President, Lennar Mortgage

Laura Escobar is a 35-year real estate finance industry veteran who has held leadership positions with both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking. Since 2018, she has been President of Lennar Mortgage, the mortgage lending subsidiary of Lennar Corporation, leading a team of more than 1,650 associates in 34 locations across 28 states. Escobar joined Lennar Mortgage in 2002 as Branch Manager; in 2004, she was promoted to Senior Vice President managing the Eastern Region; and in 2016, she became Executive Vice President, overseeing operations and production of the company's Builder Division. Escobar currently serves on several advisory boards and committees, including MBA’s 2022-2023 Board of Directors. She is also a member of the MORPAC Steering Committee; Fannie Mae AHAC; Freddie Mac Advisory Board; NAHREP; NAMMBA Visionary Ambassador; and United Way’s chapter – Women United. Passionate about “Paying It Forward,” Escobar is on the MBA Opens Doors Foundation’s Board of Directors and is very active in her local community in South Florida, showing support and volunteering through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. She is also a licensed mental health counselor and devotes much of her time working with underprivileged women and minorities.

CEO, Longbridge Financial

Dr. Christopher Mayer has led Longbridge’s growth from a startup company in 2013 to the third largest securitizer of newly issued HECM reverse mortgages. He has guided the construction and funding of new proprietary reverse mortgage products. From 2018-2021, Mayer helped manage an 8x increase in the volume of funded loans, propelling the company to become the industry’s fastest-growing major reverse mortgage lender. Previously, he served as Senior Vice Dean and Director of the Milstein Center for Real Estate at Columbia Business School, where he continues to teach today. Dr. Mayer received his PhD in Economics from MIT and has held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and the Federal Reserve. Mayer has spent his career writing on housing and mortgages, publishing in top academic journals, and receiving funding from the National Science Foundation. During the Financial Crisis, he often engaged with policymakers, testifying six times before Senate and House Committees, and writing for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. He is often quoted in the press, including The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and new media such as Vice Media and Yahoo Finance. A true innovator and “Industry Changemaker,” Dr. Mayer is committed to bringing the value of reverse mortgages to today’s older Americans, with a responsible approach that helps ensure a more secure retirement.

President & Chief Executive Officer, Mortgage Bankers Association

Robert D. Broeksmit, CMB, is MBA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. He is a senior finance executive and corporate officer with over 35 years of experience in the mortgage sector. He has directed all aspects of lending activities, including marketing, sales, operations, secondary marketing, loan servicing, and default management. He has also served as a mortgage underwriting expert testifying on many large, high-profile cases. Prior to joining MBA, Broeksmit served as President and Chief Operating Officer with Treliant, heading the firm’s mortgage litigation support practice. He previously held senior leadership positions in the mortgage business, including 14 years with Chevy Chase Bank (including after its purchase by Capital One) and 7 years as Vice President at Prudential Home Mortgage. He has overseen annual originations of $9 billion, a balance sheet of $10 billion in residential mortgage, and a servicing portfolio of $20 billion. He is past Chairman of MBA’s Residential Board of Governors and a member of its Board of Directors.

White House Chief of Staff (2017); Chairman of Republican National Committee (2011–2016); President, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

Reince Priebus currently serves as the President of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, a nationwide law firm with more than 350 attorneys. Prior to joining Michael Best, Reince was named White House Chief of Staff shortly after the 2016 Presidential campaign. Beginning in 2011, he served as chairman of the Republican National Committee for the longest term in modern history. He oversaw a dramatic turnaround of the RNC, rescuing its finances, repairing its operations, and raising over one billion dollars. He was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in both 2016 and 2017. Before serving as RNC Chairman, Reince was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. He previously served as a visiting Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. He is currently an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.