Mortgage Innovators Conference 2025

Ike Suri

Chairman & CEO, FundingShield, LLC

Ike Suri is the Chairman & CEO of FundingShield, a MISMO Certified and 2 time Inc5000 mortgage FinTech providing live data driven, cloud-based and malleable solutions to prevent wire and title fraud used on over $3 Trillion in transactions to date. FundingShield is a Housingwire Tech 100 winner for the past 5 years from 2019 through 2023.

Ike has served as a CEO, Chairman, board member, investor and advisor to private and public companies and continues to invest as a principal and act as an advisor for firms across various sectors. Ike is also the Chairman and CEO of Pelican Point Investment Group, a global merchant bank based in Newport Beach, CA.  Ike is a "serial entrepreneur" and Founding Charter Member of the IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE -South Coast, CA). He serves as a advisory board member to other media-tech, media, finance and specialty finance companies. He has served as a board member of Trilennia Group, a mid-market merchant banking firm and currently is a member of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA). 

Ike is a member of the MBA Risk and Fraud Committee and Member of the Forbes Business Council. Ike is on the board of the California Mortgage Bankers Association and is a MBA Vanguard award recipient for 2020 and 2021. He has also a MBA Tech All Star for 2021, an MBA Tech Trendsetter,  A California MBA Tech Innovator, and is active in several charitable organizations such as Second Harvest, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, and AiF among others. 

Ike resides in Newport Beach, CA with his wife and twin sons.

: www.fundingshield.com

Kevin Peranio

Chief Lending Officer , Paramount Residential Mortgage Group Inc

Along with a pulse on the mortgage marketplace, PRMG Chief Lending Officer and partner Kevin Peranio continues to exemplify what it truly means to be an active executive leader in the mortgage industry. Kevin is responsible for overseeing all production, including working with the sales and operations teams within the loan manufacturing process. His primary goal is to enhance the overall customer experience when doing business with PRMG. This includes creating robust reporting features along with consumer-facing activities and modern lending technology to ensure accountability at all layers and levels of the process.  In his own words, “the inside drives the outside”.

Since joining PRMG in 2010, Kevin led the Southeast Region to become the #1 Ranked Region for PRMG, reaching this milestone in record time. This achievement ultimately propelled Kevin to becoming one of the youngest partners at PRMG. Kevin is also a Four-Time President’s Cabinet Member and was recognized by NMP as a Top 40 Under 40.  He is a national speaker within the mortgage industry, and has been interviewed on several podcasts, including speaking at HousingWire’s Engage Marketing Summit, AIME Fuse, ICE Technology, and other industry events.

Most recently, Kevin has become known on LinkedIn for his insightful ‘Walk and Talk’ video posts, and for his Instagram ’KP Talks Dollars and Sense’ Podcast where he shares his perspective and knowledge on a wide range of subjects. 
 
Mr. Peranio received his Bachelor of Science in Advertising Business from the University of Texas at Austin.

: www.prmg.net

Marty Allred

Chief Compliance Officer, American Pacific Mortgage Corp.

Marty Allred is the Chief Compliance Officer for American Pacific Mortgage Corporation (“APM”) in Roseville, California.  With
over 22 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Marty has expertise in all areas of compliance including licensing,
advertising, disclosures, fair lending and change management for all state and federal regulations.  Marty serves as a valuable
strategic partner to APM and all of its branches and loan originators. APM has been in business since 1996 and is one of the
largest independent mortgage banking companies in the country.  APM is licensed in 49 states and employs over 3,500 mortgage
professionals.

Jason Cave

SVP, Government Affairs, Mr. Cooper

Jason Cave serves as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Mr. Cooper Group, leading our engagement on legislative, regulatory, and policy priorities across our stakeholders and business partners in Washington, D.C.

Jason brings 30 years of regulatory experience to Mr. Cooper, serving in key leadership roles at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 

Jason led the team responsible for managing the FHFA Conservatorship program, establishing capital, liquidity, recovery and resolution standards for the GSEs and nonbank counterparties.  Jason oversaw the successful implementation of the Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security program, providing greater liquidity and efficiency to investors. Jason launched the FHFA’s Fintech Office, working closely with mortgage and tech industry leaders to modernize loan origination and servicing processes.

Jason served as the top representative to the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, establishing capital and liquidity rules for large, internationally active banks.  Jason served on the Financial Stability Oversight Committee’s Deputies group, responsible for monitoring systemic risk and the nonbank designation process.  After the financial crisis, Jason helped stand up the FDIC’s large bank risk and resolutions program.

Jason holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Bryant University and is a CFA Charterholder.   

: https://www.mrcooper.com/correspondent

Praveen Chandramohan

SVP, Origination Growth Solutions, Cotality

Praveen is a business executive in CoreLogic responsible for products and solutions that help lenders retain their customers, grow their businesses, and originate loans in a cost-effective manner. He has 20-plus years in the housing finance industry, and in the eight years he has been with CoreLogic, he has led a variety of business units, including Rental Property Solutions, Loan Origination Systems, and Credit & Borrower Solutions.
Prior to CoreLogic, Praveen spent about 10 years at Fannie Mae running technology for Market Data, Valuation Analytics & Capital Markets Risk Management. Praveen holds a master’s degree in computer science from Old Dominion University and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Adam Chaudhary

President, FundingShield, LLC

Adam Chaudhary is the President of FundingShield, a risk management financial technology firm focused on wire and title fraud prevention used on over $3 Trillion in transactions to date. He currently focuses on executing the strategy, operations & client solutioning to drive FundingShield’s FinTech Inc5000 award winning technology. FundingShield protects real estate investors, IMBs, mortgage lenders, private lenders, warehouse-banks and real estate participants from wire fraud, title fraud and compliance risks.  He is also the President of Pelican Point Investment Group, a boutique private investment firm and merchant bank located in Newport Beach, CA. 
 
He has been a loan and derivative portfolio manager, executive, investment banker and trader at firms such as Goldman Sachs & Co, Greenwich Capital, Royal Bank of Scotland where he provided solutions to top global financial institutions including private-equity firms, hedge-funds, insurance firms, asset managers and banks globally. He has originated, structured and delivered $40 Billion+ in financing solutions, hedging solutions and new products to the markets.
 
He is based in Irvine, CA with his wife and two kids.

Rishi Choudhary

CEO, KASTLE

Rishi Choudhary is the co-founder and CEO of Kastle, which is transforming mortgage servicing with AI-powered voice agents. Kastle helps some of the largest mortgage servicers in the U.S. provide 24/7 customer support, collect payments, and retain customers over the phone—streamlining operations while improving borrower experience and contact center compliance. 

Based in San Francisco, Kastle is backed by top investors in Silicon Valley, including Y Combinator, Emergence Capital, and Commerce Ventures. Before Kastle, Rishi was the founding Product Manager for Redfin’s Mortgage Marketplace, where he helped scale the business to millions of homeowners. He also led Redfin’s Search Experience team, overseeing 80% of the company’s traffic.

Rishi holds a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Clayton Collins

CEO, HousingWire

Clayton Collins is the Founder, Chair, and Chief Executive Officer of HW Media, the leading media and information services company for housing and real estate professionals. As Publisher of HousingWire, he drives the company’s mission to empower housing leaders with trusted journalism, proprietary data, and industry-leading events.

Since acquiring HousingWire in 2016, Clayton has led HW Media’s transformation into a multi-brand platform, expanding its reach through the acquisitions of RealTrends and Altos Research. Under his leadership, HW Media delivers critical market intelligence, data-driven insights, and high-impact events that inform and connect professionals across housing finance and real estate.

RealTrends is the definitive source for brokerage and agent rankings, serving real estate professionals for over 35 years. Altos Research provides real-time market analytics, offering weekly housing data and predictive insights covering 99% of U.S. ZIP codes. These brands, alongside HousingWire, form a comprehensive ecosystem that supports real estate professionals, mortgage lenders, and investors in making more informed decisions.

Beyond HW Media, Clayton is the Managing Partner of Riomar Capital, an entrepreneurial investment firm focused on media, data, and technology. Earlier in his career, he worked in M&A at RBC Capital Markets and served as Vice President of National Sales & Marketing at Citibank.

Clayton holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Elon University and earned his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He serves on the Board of Directors for Systato and MLO Force, is an advisor to Blended Sense, and is actively involved in the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Residential mPact Leadership Committee. Additionally, he is a member of YPO’s Mustang Chapter (Dallas), where he serves on the Board of Directors.

About HousingWire

HousingWire is a media and information services company that provides unique data and research, respected business journalism and must-attend events for housing leaders to use to advance their understanding and business outcomes. Our vision is a world in which housing leaders have a complete view of the housing market, and a broad community of peers with whom they can connect. We are committed to delivering the data, analytics, media, and events that advance this vision. 

Because housing is too important for narrow perspectives and missed connections. Informed housing leaders are better housing leaders. A connected housing industry is a better housing industry. And the full picture always reveals new opportunities. Explore more at www.housingwire.com.

Gemma Currier

SVP, Corporate Strategic Initiatives, Guild Mortgage Company

Gemma Currier is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Initiatives at Guild Mortgage. She leads the development of strategies to drive business growth, enhance sales, integrate new M&A opportunities, and deliver advanced sales technology. Gemma collaborates with Guild’s IT team on AI strategy and works with various corporate departments to ensure overall success. 

Since joining Guild Mortgage in 2008, Gemma has held several key positions, including national sales and marketing specialist, national sales marketing manager, and director of retail sales operations. She was promoted to Vice President of National Retail Sales Operations in 2017 and Senior Vice President of Retail Sales Operations in 2018.

Terri Davis

VP, Marketing & Data Solutions, Cotality

Terri is a widely recognized mortgage industry leader and has spent over 25 years in the industry applying technology across different business models and use cases to enable lenders to grow profitably.

In her role at CoreLogic, Terri's focus is to build and commercialize CoreLogic data and data enabled solutions to help mortgage lenders retain their existing customers and to grow their business through customer acquisition and market expansion. 

Prior to CoreLogic, Terri was a mortgage industry advisory for emerging FinTech and PropTech companies to help them shape and execute their GTM strategies inside the complex mortgage ecosystem. From 2017 to 2021, she served as a Vice President at ICE Mortgage Technology, where she led diverse teams to achieve revenue goals and to nurture customer relationships.  Her roles included the General Manager for AllRegs, an investor guideline and compliance utility, Vice President of the account management function encompassing all customer segments and products, and Vice President of enterprise sales. Terri has also held leadership roles at Fannie Mae, where she served for nineteen years in diverse roles such as director of research and development for Desktop Underwriter, Managing Director of eBusiness Sales and Consulting, head of broker sales for Desktop Originator, Vice President of Single Family business, and Vice President of Multi-Cultural Lending.  During her seven-year tenure at PMI Mortgage Insurance Co., Terri launched the first commercially available AI-based credit underwriting tools in mortgage lending, pmiAURA™ and pmiTERRA™.

Gerald Dorman

Regional Director, Enterprise Sales, Mobility Market Intelligence (MMI)

Gerald Dorman is a seasoned mortgage technology executive and Regional Director of Enterprise Sales at MMI (Mobility Market Intelligence), where he helps enterprise lenders unlock market insights and data intelligence to drive smarter growth and recruitment strategies.

With more than 20 years of experience across mortgage banking and fintech, Gerald brings deep expertise in sales leadership, enterprise client development, and technology-driven lending solutions. Prior to joining MMI, he served as Regional Vice President of Sales at Nomis Solutions, and held similar leadership roles at Informative Research and LoanLogics. Earlier in his career, he was an Account Executive at First National Bank of Arizona.

Known for his strategic mindset and collaborative approach, Gerald has helped hundreds of lenders leverage technology to solve complex business challenges—from borrower acquisition and pricing optimization to operational efficiency and compliance. At MMI, he works closely with national lenders and mortgage banks to translate data into results across recruiting, market intelligence, and borrower analytics.

Gerald’s deep industry knowledge and commitment to innovation make him a trusted advisor to enterprise lending teams navigating today’s competitive landscape.

Theodore Ellis

CEO, Friday Harbor

Friday Harbor is Always-On AI Underwriting to support your sales team. 

Create full-stack originators who can assemble complete, verified, accurate loan files that can breeze through underwriting. 

More time for originators to sell, shortened clear to close for borrowers, and fully scaleable operations for lenders.

Kevin Foley

Director of Product Management, Optimal Blue

Kevin Foley is a director of product management at Optimal Blue. Kevin oversees the teams focused on building the new Optimal Blue PPE user interface, the company’s integrations services and business intelligence, as well as mobile applications. Kevin has over a decade of product management experience, developing software applications, tools, and reporting for lenders in the secondary markets. Kevin came to Optimal Blue by way of the company's acquisition of Compass Analytics in 2019, where he previously was the product manager for CompassPPE.  Kevin also has extensive experience in hedging and trading, having worked on the CompassPoint risk management application prior to CompassPPE. Kevin earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 2012, and his CFA designation in 2016.

Tom George

Chief Investment Officer, Andromeda Software Inc

Tom George is the Chief Investment Officer of Andromeda, part of Constellation Software (TSX:  CSU.TO).  In his 20 years at Constellation, he has been engaged in acquiring a portfolio of over 20 software businesses in homebuilding, residential real estate and mortgage. 

Andromeda acquired Dark Matter Technologies and Optimal Blue in late 2023.

Paul Gigliotti

CGO – Chief Growth Officer, Prudent AI

With over two decades of diverse experience across finance, technology, and mortgage lending, Paul brings invaluable expertise that drives for a prosperous, productive and healthy culture while ensuring growth and success.

Throughout his career, Paul has consistently demonstrated a rare combination of warmth, compassion, and a keen sense for understanding the latest business and technology trends in the lending industry.

As a leader, he concentrates on nurturing his team members' professional growth to cultivate a highly functional and inspired team. Paul believes in the importance of work-life integration and fosters an environment where his team can thrive both professionally and personally.

Rick Hill

President, MISMO

Rick Hill is the Vice President of Industry Technology at the Mortgage Bankers Association and acting MISMO President. He is responsible for managing MBA’s technology initiatives within the real estate finance industry, managing MBA’s technology committees, and developing technology content for MBA conferences and events. 

Before joining MBA, Hill was the Director of Data Strategy at Fannie Mae, where he was responsible for data standards and best practices, data management including the company's data warehouse, and managing the relationship with regulatory agencies relating to information requirements.

Hill began his career as a senior auditor at Deloitte, after earning his B.B.A. in accounting from The College of William and Mary. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

: https://www.mismo.org/home

Chris Hilliard

CEO, Winnow Solutions, LLC

Chris Hilliard is a FinTech/RegTech executive and the Chief Executive Officer and a Founder of Winnow (http://winnow.law). 

He is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP). He has over 20 years of industry experience in consumer, commercial, and residential mortgage lending and general banking. He has extensive experience managing all aspects of regulatory compliance, BSA/AML, Internal Audit, licensing, as well as legal functions including litigation management for both individual and class actions. His experience includes executive, senior management and mid-level management positions at major financial institutions and lenders.

Winnow is a powerful online application built on a comprehensive and dynamic database of state regulatory requirements. It enables your financial or lending institution to generate surveys and searches tailored to your specific business type and licensing, the financial products you offer, and where you offer those products.

: www.winnow.law

Dan Jones

Chief Technology Officer, Mobility Market Intelligence (MMI)

Dan Jones is the Chief Technology Officer at Mobility Market Intelligence (MMI), a leading provider of data intelligence and market insight tools for the mortgage and real estate industries.
In this role, he focuses on enhancing MMI's big data platform and integrating advanced AI capabilities to deliver more personalized and actionable insights to users.

Prior to joining MMI in July 2024, Dan had a distinguished 17-year career at Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT). During his tenure, Dan was instrumental in establishing Rocket's BI and data science capabilities, operationalizing AI initiatives, and driving revenue growth through data-driven strategies. Notably, he led the development of Rocket's multi-petabyte data platform, which powered over 3.7 billion AI-generated decisions annually and significantly contributed to the company's client retention rate exceeding 90%.

Dan holds a master's degree from Michigan State University, where he studied management of information systems and computer science.

With his extensive experience in data intelligence and AI, Dan brings valuable insights into leveraging data to foster customer loyalty in the mortgage industry.

Katie Klauss

EVP/Head of Customer Success, ActiveComply

Katie Klauss is EVP/Head of Customer Success at ActiveComply. She is passionate about assisting financial institutions navigate compliance challenges across digital platforms using ActiveComply's cloud-based solutions.

Prior to joining ActiveComply, Katie worked for a Lender for over 23 years, holding various roles including Chief Compliance Officer and SVP of Operations.  She was responsible for implementing large scale projects companywide and leveraging technology to increase efficiencies.

Mike Kramer

CEO and Co-Founder, enQase

* CEO & Cofounder, Drive revenue, product development, and funding of the World’s first Quantum-Safe Enterprise Platform
* 4 times President or C-level executive, experienced with Angel, PE-led, VC-backed, and Public cloud software companies.
* 4 successful cloud software exits: TrueContext, Yantra, Accruent, and Steelwedge.
* 100+ inorganic acquisitions and integrations as a Senior leader at Workday, SAP, Infor, Blueridge.ai, and Fuze
* 100+ person GTM teams built, scaled, and transformed
* $1B Net New software sold

97.8% on TheCrucible.com Private Equity CEO skills assessment, 50+% is considered good (expressive driver). Assessing: Execution Engine; Interpersonal: Emotional Leverage; Leadership and Cognitive Horsepower

I am humbled by my LinkedIn recommendations and numerous awards, but I take the most pride in the success of the individuals and clients I have had the fortune to work with.

Specialties: Digital transformation; international expansion; revenue and EBITDA growth; detail-oriented; value-based selling; pipeline growth; business acumen across verticals.

Ali Mateus

Principal, Customer Success, Snapdocs

Ali Mateus is a Principal Customer Success Leader at Snapdocs, where she partners with strategic lender clients to drive impactful digital transformation initiatives. She brings deep expertise in optimizing workflows, accelerating technology adoption, and enhancing the borrower experience. With a strong foundation in the mortgage industry, Ali is committed to building lasting partnerships and delivering value at every stage of the digital closing journey.

Cheryl Messner

Product, Polly

With a multi-decade career in the mortgage and financial technologies arena, Cheryl Messner is an adept leader in product development and strategy. In her current role, Messner spearheads corporate strategies that operationalize and further enhance Polly's unique customer partner experience, and champions cross-functional initiatives that drive ongoing value and success throughout the customer lifecycle. She acts as a liaison between client, product development, and technical teams to deliver high-impact features and functionality available in Polly's next-generation product, pricing, and eligibility (PPE) engine. Prior to Polly, Messner served in various customer success, experience, and product strategy leadership roles, notably leading the design, development, and roadmap strategy for the Optimal Blue PPE during her 15+ year tenure. Before transitioning to product, she held other senior- and executive-level roles in the client services function.

Susan Milazzo

CEO, California MBA

Susan has led the California Mortgage Bankers Association (California MBA) since 2003.   The organization’s membership is comprised of residential and commercial mortgage bankers and the companies that provide services to those industries.  California MBA’s main objective is to represent the real estate finance industry before the California State Legislature and regulatory agencies.  Prior to California MBA, she owned an association management firm in Sacramento California providing management and consulting services to a variety of professional organizations.  From 1991 through 1996, Susan owned a political fundraising firm in Sacramento with a client base comprised of Republican candidates and elected officials for the State Legislature, local and statewide races.  From 1988 through 1991 she served as a Legislative Assistant to a member of the California State Assembly.  Her first campaign position was an administrative role on the Reagan-Bush 1984 Presidential campaign in the California headquarters.  Susan has been honored to receive the MBA’s Burton C. Wood Legislative Service Award (2019) and the MBA’s Andrew Woodard Distinguished Service Award (2022).

Arvind Mohand

Chief Executive Officer, Kiavi

No bio provided

: https://www.kiavi.com/

Jamie Mottern

VP, Head of Operations, Docutech

Jamie Mottern is the Head of Operations at Docutech, specializing in driving revenue growth and enhancing operational efficiency. With over 20 years of leadership experience across various industries, including mortgage, healthcare, technology, and management consulting, Jamie has a proven track record of executing strategic initiatives that foster successful client and partner relationships. Her leadership at Docutech focuses on client engagement and delivering innovative, solution-focused technology services.
 
Previously, Jamie led Vendor Strategy for CitiMortgage and Retail Bank, where she applied her expertise in achieving business objectives while leveraging competitive outsourcing strategies. She is also an active member of the TMC Partner Advisory Board and has been recognized as one of Mortgage Women Magazine's "Women of Tech" in 2024.
 
Dedicated to innovation and growth, Jamie is committed to cultivating strong client relationships by driving operational value. In addition to her professional achievements, Jamie is passionate about mentoring and empowering women, and is a co-founder and Executive Board member of the Women of ALICE, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Amit Pall

EVP, Technology & Production Support, NewFi Lending

Results-driven mortgage leader with over a decade of experience driving growth, operational efficiency, and technology adoption across the Non-QM and residential lending space. I specialize in building scalable systems, streamlining operations, and leading high-performing teams through complex transformation initiatives.

At Newfi Lending, I’ve helped launch and refine key innovations in loan origination, disclosure automation, and AI-driven underwriting tools—aligning people, process, and platform to enhance service levels while controlling costs. From vendor evaluation to process execution, I bring a holistic view to solving challenges at the intersection of compliance, customer experience, and scalability.

I thrive in fast-paced environments that demand adaptability, data-driven decision-making, and strategic leadership. Whether it’s implementing self-service tech to reduce FTE strain or forecasting capital needs to support future growth, I focus on building solutions that deliver lasting value.

Rob Pieklo

President and CEO, American Financial Resources

Robert Pieklo, President and Chief Executive Officer, returned to AFR, having overseen lending, revenue, capital markets, and strategy previously. In his time away from AFR, Rob was in the trenches, running his own successful brokerage. Leveraging his deep knowledge of brokers, correspondents, and retail channels, Rob is poised to supercharge AFR's growth. He's a respected figure in the industry, actively involved with various trade associations.

Michael Piombino

Senior Managing Director, Sales, Dark Matter Technologies

Michael is a senior sales executive with Dark Matter Technologies, an industry-leading provider and innovator in loan origination technology and AI solutions. His career has been dedicated to delivering enterprise solutions to clients within the mortgage and financial services space, and he is a well-respected expert in his field.  With over 25 years in sales of Dark Matter’s flagship product, the Empower LOS platform, He has a wealth of experience working with lenders to evaluate and procure solutions that are critical to the success of their businesses. Michael currently leads a high-performing team of sales executives for Dark Matter.

Kiran Sahota

EVP, Freedom Mortgage

Kiran Sahota serves as Executive Vice President of Strategy at Freedom Mortgage, overseeing the innovation, development and implementation of technology products and solutions across the family of companies. Prior to joining Freedom, Kiran held numerous roles at Rocket Mortgage, and has more than 10 years of consulting experience in assisting a diverse set of organizations with a wide range of strategic initiatives. Kiran graduated from University of California, Berkeley with BA in Economics and has MBA from INSEAD. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Neil Sahota

CEO, ACSI Labs

Neil Sahota is the United Nations (UN) AI Advisor, IBM Master Inventor, author of the bestselling book Own the A.I. Revolution, and part-time Professor at UC Irvine Over his 20+ year career, Neil has worked with enterprises, in multiple industries, to create next generation products and solutions powered by emerging technology. In addition, he helps organizations create the culture, infrastructure, and ecosystem needed to achieve success, such as the UN’s AI for Good initiative. Neil also actively pursues social good and volunteers with nonprofits. He is currently helping the Zero Abuse Project prevent child sexual abuse as well as Planet Home to engage youth culture in sustainability initiatives. Neil is a sought-after Board member, management consultant, and keynote speaker.

Jon Schneyer

Director, Research & Content, Cotality

As the Senior Catastrophe Response Manager at CoreLogic, Jonathan Schneyer manages the entire event response process – from organizing internal stakeholders to ensuring the timely release of information to clients about global natural disaster catastrophic events. Prior to joining CoreLogic, Jon was the Assistant Vice President at Gallagher Re, a reinsurance brokerage firm, where he provided catastrophe modeling services and performed model evaluation studies.

Sasha Stair

Chief Marketing Officer, Xactus

With over 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, customer success, technology, and operations, Sasha Stair is the CMO at Xactus and a powerhouse in fintech. She is a dedicated advisor, coach, and speaker, with a passion for helping companies and leaders evolve and thrive in today’s dynamic landscape.

As Xactus’ CMO, the forward-thinking leader is responsible for shaping the company’s marketing strategy to drive long-term success in alignment with key business objectives. Sasha’s focus includes increasing brand awareness, building thought leadership, driving strategic business development initiatives and fostering a culture of innovation and growth. As the head of marketing, she leads the fintech company’s internal and external communications, bringing the brand’s vision to life and deepening its connection with clients and partners, while supporting its overall mission of advancing the modern mortgage.

With leadership experience in business, technology, and operations, Sasha most recently served as a fractional CMO and consultant. She also held executive roles at leading mortgage industry firms including Snapdocs and Black Knight. A recognized expert in mortgage technology, her strategic mindset bridges the gap between lenders and technology, enabling organizations to grow revenue, solve complex challenges, and scale in volatile markets.

Sasha is also a #1 international best-selling author, and a 2023 HousingWire Women of Influence award winner. She recently earned her Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) designation, deepening her expertise in real estate finance and enabling her to apply this knowledge to her current role. A graduate of San Diego State University, she is often called upon to share her industry insights and perspectives as a thought leader and speaker.

Jeffrey Tesch

CEO, RCN Capital

Jeffrey Tesch, Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of RCN Capital including sales growth initiatives, underwriting review with compliance oversight and leadership of senior level strategic planning. Joining the Company in 2010 as Managing Director, Tesch led efforts to develop a national brand in private lending with the best practices and transparent products for a diverse customer base. Since RCN’s inception, Jeff has personally underwritten over 6,500 loans and overseen over $1 Billion in originations. Jeff currently serves as a member of the American Association of Private Lenders’ (AAPL) Ethics Advisory Committee.

Justin Venhousen

General Manager, IMB, Blend

As General Manager at Blend Labs, I lead initiatives focused on serving our Independent Mortgage Bank and Builder segments while strategically enhancing our product offerings to meet their specialized needs.

Arvin Wijay

CEO, Consolidated Analytics, Inc

Arvin Wijay is a visionary CEO with over 20 years in real estate finance, driving strategic growth, innovation, and operational excellence. Under his leadership, Consolidated Analytics transformed from a single-solution provider into a market leader in mortgage services, expanding into business process services, due diligence, valuations, analytics, and consulting. His results-driven approach scaled the company from $6 million to $100 plus million in annual revenue.

Central to this evolution is the development of loanDNA, a powerful suite of technology-driven products that streamline mortgage operations, enhance due diligence, optimize valuations, and deliver real-time analytics. loanDNA’s platforms improve client outcomes and empower employees with smarter workflows, through data and document automation, and income calculator and agentic AI underwriter.

Arvin’s leadership blends deep financial expertise with a commitment to scalable innovation. His track record includes founding and scaling Retreat Capital Management to over $100 million in revenue before a successful exit. He excels at navigating market volatility, leading acquisitions, and embedding operational resilience.

Dedicated to fostering a culture of collaboration, transparency, and professional development, Arvin ensures that technology adoption enhances employee experience and client satisfaction. He also champions community engagement through organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the Foundation of Hope. He actively shapes industry policy as a California Mortgage Bankers Association board member.

With a focus on long-term value creation, Arvin continues to position Consolidated Analytics, loanDNA, and its clients for enduring success in a rapidly evolving market.

Wenz Xing

Principal, Permanent Capital Ventures

Prior to joining Permanent Capital Ventures, Wenz served in both operating and investing roles with an enterprise software focus. He was an Associate at Emergence Capital where he invested in Series A and B enterprise software companies. He most recently worked in Business Operations at Regal, which is a fast-growing SaaS company that raised over $60 million from Emergence, Homebrew, and Founder Collective. Prior to joining Emergence, Wenz was an Associate at Bullpen Capital. Wenz also spent time on the Special Projects team at Cloudflare and was Co-Chair of the Emerging VC Association (EVCA). 

Wenz received an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Chicago, where he attended as a QuestBridge Scholar. He currently resides in New York.

Rudy Zabran

Chief Operation Officer, loanDNA

Rudy Zabran is the Chief Operating Officer at Consolidated Analytics, a top-tier provider of comprehensive mortgage services, including residential valuation, fulfillment, due diligence, consulting, and advisory solutions. With over 20 years in mortgage and capital markets, Rudy is recognized for driving innovation, growth, and operational excellence through strategic use of cutting-edge technology.

At Consolidated Analytics, Rudy leads the charge in transforming operations by leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, agentic automation, and data intelligence platforms to enhance efficiency and client experiences. He oversees the strategic direction of the entire operation, customer success, and client relations, continuously aiming to deliver smarter, faster, and more impactful solutions across the mortgage lifecycle.

Throughout his career, Rudy has collaborated closely with banks, hedge funds, asset managers, private equity firms, private lenders, GSEs, and rating agencies, consistently driving operational performance improvements and effectively mitigating risk through tech-enabled strategies.

Before joining Consolidated Analytics, Rudy was the U.S. Sales Head at Wipro’s mortgage solutions division after Wipro acquired Opus Capital Markets Consultants (Opus CMC), a company Rudy co-founded and scaled into an industry leader.

Beyond his professional achievements, Rudy is passionate about leadership and coaching. He draws meaningful connections between his roles as an executive and a football coach. He frequently shares insights on structured planning, mastering the fundamentals, and executing winning strategies on the field and in business.