Rocket Companies has named former Venmo chief technology officer and former PayPal technology executive Papanii Okai as its new executive vice president of product engineering. In this newly created role, Okai will work with the company’s senior technology leaders to build upon Rocket’s AI-powered products.
Guild Mortgage has announced the addition of Nora Guerra as the company’s senior vice president of community lending solutions. Guerra most recently served as the senior manager of national affordable lending at Freddie Mac and has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the mortgage industry. Guerra will lead, develop and expand programs, policies and initiatives that support attainable homeownership, including mortgage lending, down payment assistance, financial education and community outreach.
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation has announced the promotion of David Lazowski to the position of president of national recruiting and growth. In his 18th year at Fairway, Lazowski has been a loan originator, branch manager, and division Leader. In his new role, Lazowski will continue to lead his team within Fairway but will also be supporting Fairway’s national growth through recruiting and other strategic initiatives.
PrimeLending has announced the appointment of Brian McKinney to the newly created position of executive vice president, growth and strategic development. McKinney brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in financial services and retail mortgage lending, including his recent role as CEO of Benchmark.
Mr. Cooper Group has announced that Sridhar Sharma will assume the role of executive vice president and chief innovation and digital officer. Sharma has been with the company for the last decade serving as chief information officer. In his new role, Sharma will continue to lead Mr. Cooper’s digital-first strategy with a focus on AI and machine learning solutions. The company also welcomes Jeff Carroll as senior vice president and chief technology officer. He has more than 20 years of experience, most recently as Senior Vice president, platform and cloud engineering at Sabre. Also joining Mr. Cooper are Prerna Kandhari as senior vice president, data engineering, and David Graham as senior vice president, data governance. Kandhari most recently served as director of software engineering at Capital One and as senior director of digital and technology at CBRE. Graham has held several leadership positions at the Royal Bank of Canada and at Standard Charter Bank.
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has announced a pair of promotions: Amber Lawrence to vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and Wendy Penn to vice president for affordable housing initiatives. Lawrence will oversee organizational-wide strategic DEI programs, assist teams in implementing equitable practices, partner with leadership to develop policies that promote inclusivity, and lead member-facing DEI initiatives. Lawrence was most recently associate vice president of DEI and previously served in various roles since joining MBA in 2006, including as a core member of MBA Education’s leadership team. She also previously served as the primary liaison for the Society of Certified Mortgage Bankers. Penn, meanwhile, will lead MBA’s ongoing efforts to develop market-based solutions and strategic initiatives that help to improve affordability for homeownership and rental housing. Penn, who joined MBA in 2021 as the Associate Vice President for Affordable Housing Initiatives, has also held roles at the National Association of Realtors, where she managed the Housing Opportunity Program, and the National Retail Federation, where she was director, member services.
