BREAKOUT SESSION: Building a Versatile Workforce - Developing Adaptable Skills

Head of Strategic Growth, Apprise by Walker & Dunlop

Molly Skipper Steele is the Head of Strategic Growth for Apprise by Walker & Dunlop. In her role, she provides strategic direction for the commercial valuation team and focuses on serving the needs of attorneys, banks, investment trusts, and other institutional firms. An appraiser by trade, Ms. Skipper Steele works to build long-term relationships that help develop a comprehensive picture of client real estate requirements. In addition, Ms. Skipper Steele leads the firm’s national sales team and focuses on developing strategic relationships that expand the company’s visibility and success. She and her team build trust with clients by counseling them on internal processes regardless of immediate opportunities and use the information they gather through this process to develop products and services to meet new needs. Ms. Skipper Steele is an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), CHIEF, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), and previously served a three-year term as a member of the Board of Directors for the Appraisal Institute’s Metro D.C. chapter. In 2018, she received the William T. Anglyn Award from the Appraisal Institute’s Leadership Development and Advisory Council for exemplary leadership, integrity, and outstanding contributions and is a 2023 LDAC Discussion Leader. Ms. Skipper Steele holds a master’s degree in real estate from Georgetown University.

Senior Managing Director - Chief Servicing Officer, Berkadia

Mr. Brett Adams, a Senior Managing Director – Chief Servicing Officer of Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, manages Berkadia’s global servicing operations, asset management, tech initiatives, and business development for its $425 billion portfolio of commercial real estate loans. He also sits upon the Berkadia AI Council and chairs the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Servicing Council. Mr. Adams joined Berkadia and its predecessor company in 2006 and has 21 years of experience in real estate. Prior to joining Berkadia he worked in residential real estate lending with companies in both California and Arizona. Mr. Adams graduated with a BA in US History from California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Senior Vice President/Managing Director, Loan Servicing, Northmarq

Senior Director - CMS Asset Management, Principal Real Estate

Megan is the Senior Director – Servicing Asset Management for Principal Real Estate Investors. She leads the Asset Management team and the Surveillance/Compliance team. PrinREI provides a wide variety of private debt options including core, construction, mezzanine debt, subordinate notes, and bridge loans. She joined the firm in 2006 and closed commercial real estate loans before joining the servicing team in 2011. Megan has a bachelor's degree in business management from Central College and a Masters in Business Administration and Leadership Certificate from University of Iowa. She is a MBA Future Leader's Alumni (2020) and earned her CCMS designation in 2024.

VP, Director of Asset Management, CPC Mortgage Company

As the head of The Community Preservation Corp (“CPC”) Asset Management function, Ms. Morrison leverages her nearly twenty years of real estate experience to oversee the fiscal and physical health multi-billion dollar portfolio. In her time at CPC, Ms. Morrison has been instrumental in standing up a pandemic response team, creating a portfolio surveillance function within the Asset Management Group, managing diverse, evolving investor requirements, and contributing to cross-departmental efficiency improvements. Prior to joining CPC, Ms. Morrison held leadership and support roles at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Wells Fargo in both the multi- and single-family spaces. She holds B.A. in Business Management from Phoenix University and an M.S. in Real Estate from Georgetown University.