Scribes Meet This Month’s Contributors Thomas A. Barstow (In Reverse, p. 3, and Nurturing Your Talents, p. 25) is the senior editor for Reverse Mortgage magazine. Barstow has had a 38-year career in journalism that includes being a reporter, writer or editor in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York. He currently teaches journalism at Gettysburg College and writes for various business publications. He is former president of the Pennsylvania Society of News Editors and former president of the Associated Press Media Editors in Pennsylvania. Joel Berg (Marketing for the Future p. 20) has been a business- to-business reporter and editor for more than 20 years, both in-house and freelance, covering finance, healthcare, environmental regulation and general business news for local, regional and national publications. Most recently, he was editor of the Central Penn Business Journal and Lehigh Valley Business in Pennsylvania. He also taught writing and communications at York College, Millersville University, Gettysburg College and Harrisburg University. Chris Downey (Board Room, p. 6) is president of Harbor Mortgage Solutions, based in Braintree, MA, where he is responsible for the oversight of conventional mortgage activities, as well as general management of the firm. A graduate of Providence College with a Bachelor of Science in accounting, Downey began his career as a registered representative and operations manager at a securities broker-dealer before joining Harbor Mortgage in 1989 as a mortgage loan originator. Downey was named vice president of Harbor Mortgage Solutions in 1997 and succeeded his father, George, as president in 2004. He has been an active volunteer in community service programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Greater Boston Food Bank, Second Helping, Rebuilding Together Boston and the Pan-Mass Challenge fundraising event for cancer research. Darryl Hicks (Hey, Members, p. 8, From the Top, p. 11, and Those We Help, p. 34) joined NRMLA in May 1999 and currently serves as vice president, communications. Hicks writes the Weekly Report newsletter, administers NRMLA’s social media accounts and websites, and manages the CRMP designation. Steve Irwin (Moving Forward, p. 5), president of NRMLA, oversees the association’s initiatives to serve as an educational resource, policy advocate and public affairs center for consumers, lenders and related professionals. His background includes experience with strategic planning, organizational design, portfolio acquisition, risk management and quality control. He received his B.A. from Grinnell College and his MBA from the University of San Francisco. M. Diane McCormick (CRMP: Across the Kitchen Table, p. 14, and Selling With Authority, p. 31) is a freelance journalist and former legislative press secretary. She covers issues involving a variety of national business associations, as well as basic and higher education. Her 2017 book, Well-Behaved Taverns Seldom Make History, explores Pennsylvania pubs where rabble-rousers stirred up trouble, from the American Revolution to Prohibition. 2 REVERSE MORTGAGE / MARCH–APRIL 2023
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