“Women bring a special balance of patience, caretaking, detail, determination and work ethic, which are perfect for this industry,” says Megan Awalt, vice president of Allegiant Reverse Services. “This industry provides a space where we can lean on each other and support each other. It’s big enough to have endless career opportunities but small enough to feel like you’re part of a community.” As they look back on their careers, female leaders say others can pursue the same leadership pathways that have defined their careers. “It’s a fantastic industry where women can be heads of companies,” says Megen Lawler, president and CEO at Bay Docs. “There are women who run some of the largest companies in the industry, and that’s a great thing.” Path to Leadership The pathways to leadership in reverse mortgages are as varied as the roles that women play. Carmalon Batiste, vice president of operations at Traditional Mortgage Acceptance Corporation (TMAC), first honed her eye for detail as a forward mortgage processor, leading to her appointment as an underwriter. She had no previous Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or HECM experience, but she was hired as a HECM underwriter by a vice president who preferred training the right people instead of breaking the old habits of people with experience. Every day, Batiste remembers the words of a former supervisor—that people will “lead, follow or get the Megan Awalt Vice President, Allegiant Reverse Services Megan Awalt In April 2016, Megan Awalt attended the NRMLA East Coast conference to represent the business that was soon to be Allegiant Reverse Services. The firm had no name yet, so for the West Coast Conference, she set a goal of having business cards to distribute. Her firm had four weeks to decide on a name, create a logo, establish addresses—email and physical—and give customers a way to open orders. She succeeded, and today, she continues her involvement with NRMLA, serving on the Independent Certification Committee and State and Local Issues Committee. “We are not just a vendor because we consider ourselves a true partner to the other channels of the industry,” she says. “We close over a third of the reverse mortgage closings each month. We experience the market from a different angle and often weren’t taken into consideration when changes were made that would affect us. We knew we needed to be at the table.” Awalt has been active in the reverse closing and mortgage industry since 2005, overseeing business development and client services. She has been highlighted in multiple industry articles, has been a key speaker at conferences and has held numerous training sessions on reverse mortgage title and settlement solutions. Awalt was a political science major who started her career as a legislative assistant in the California state Capitol in Sacramento. After testing the waters in different areas of the political space, she took a leap of faith to bring more balance to her family. With the real estate license she earned in college, she joined a branch of American Pacific Mortgage, where she was first introduced to the reverse mortgage product. At Premier Reverse Closings, where she worked from 2007 to 2016, she rose to vice president of business development. Today, her “favorite thing to do in the whole world” is cheering on her kids at their sporting activities. “With the youngest now a junior in high school, I know those days are dwindling, and I’m savoring every moment,” she says. Meeting Challenges continued from page 25 26 REVERSE MORTGAGE / JULY–AUGUST 2023
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