GENERAL SESSION: Managing Stress and Wellness Through Personality Appreciation

Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement, Mortgage Bankers Association

Jamie Woodwell is Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), where he oversees the association’s public policy and member engagement efforts across all commercial real estate finance sectors, working closely with member leaders and staff to advance MBA members’ business and policy objectives Jamie and his work are regularly cited in the media, on Capitol Hill and in regulatory settings. He is a regular speaker at industry and corporate events; has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg and in other popular and trade press; and testified before the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP. Jamie initiated many of MBA's research activities and created MBA's Peer Business Roundtables. He co-founded MBA’s CREF Careers program. Woodwell joined MBA in 2004, and most recently served as Vice President and Head of Commercial Real Estate Research, where he oversaw the association’s economic research and analysis covering commercial and multifamily real estate finance markets. He has also served as senior director of business development at CapitalThinking in New York, research director at the WMF Group in Virginia, and research manager at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. Jamie is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association and other professional and industry groups and a past member of the Counselors of Real Estate. He has served on various advisory groups, particularly around climate change and ESG, including for the National Institute of Building Sciences, Fannie Mae and Bright Power. Jamie received his bachelor's degree in economics and American studies from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He earned his master's degree in urban and regional planning from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.

Author, Keynote Speaker, and Entrepreneur, Take Flight Learning

Merrick Rosenberg, affectionately known as The Bird Guy, is not just an author, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur - he’s a true visionary! In 1991, he founded Team Builders Plus, one of the first team building companies in the U.S., and his groundbreaking work laid the foundation for today’s team building industry. But Merrick didn’t stop there! After transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands by creating positive work environments, he took his mission a step further by connecting classic DISC styles to Eagle, Parrot, Dove, and Owl. In 2012, he launched his second venture, Take Flight Learning, to share these powerful insights with the world. His impressive client roster includes two-thirds of the Fortune 100 companies, showcasing his expertise across small, mid-sized, and large organizations, as well as non-profits and government agencies. He’s penned eight award-winning books, including The Chameleon, Which Bird Are You?, and Personality Wins, empowering individuals to harness the strength of their personalities. Armed with an MBA in Organizational Development from Drexel University, Merrick not only understands how to grow a business but also knows how to create an organization where people love to work.