leadership skills can be transferable. One example is Kellan Brown, senior vice president of business development and strategic partnerships at Finance of America Reverse (FAR). Brown started in the sports marketing industry but found opportunities in the construction industry, where she learned through a mentor how to strengthen her hard and soft skills to be a leader. She tells writer Joel Berg in the article Rising to the Top (p. 18) that she seeks to create mentorship programs, including one at FAR. “We have seen increased retention and more promotions across the organization in part because of this program,” Brown says in the article. Recruitment and retention remain critical efforts industrywide, even though the lending atmosphere continues to suffer from economic uncertainty. And we get some expert insights in the Board Room column (p. 6) written by Scott Harmes, CRMP, a top leader at C2 Reverse and a longtime NRMLA board member. Harmes outlines the intense training his company offers new recruits, as well as seasoned loan officers, to help them succeed in their careers. Training opportunities remain one of the most important aspects of getting solid workers while keeping top performers engaged. Those efforts have led C2 Reverse to have 20 CRMPs, the credential that loan officers can earn through NRMLA’s education program. One reason we chose to focus on female leaders was to help keep inspiring people who might be considering a career in lending or in the various servicing companies. Almost to a person, these leaders talk about the tremendous opportunities available to anyone. “Having strong female leaders on your leadership team will help attract more talented women,” Jennifer Cosentini, housing director of Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp., tells writer M. Diane McCormick in the article Meeting Challenges (p. 25). “It allows them to see a potential career path in the industry. This is about more than just gender equality, ethics or inclusivity. Diversity in leadership is good for business.” On a separate item, you will notice a new feature in this issue. As part of an ongoing effort by NRMLA’s leaders to provide solid news our readers can use, they have added a column titled Servicing Corner. This column will touch on some of the details of what it takes to service loans. It will run every other issue, which means three times per year. That effort starts with the first column, Borrowers Can Make Partial Prepayments (p. 36). In Reverse In Reverse continued from page 3 4 REVERSE MORTGAGE / JULY–AUGUST 2023
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