MBA Names New Senior Directors and Directors

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today announced the promotions of four employees to the Senior Director and Director status. Those promoted include John Hawkins to Senior Director of Meetings; Orawin Velz to Senior Director of Macroeconomic Forecasting; Bill White to Director of Network Administration and Security; and Rebecca Vandall to Director of Meetings.

`I am proud to honor these dedicated individuals for the many invaluable contributions they have made to MBA,` said Jonathan L. Kempner, MBA`s President and Chief Executive Officer. `Their hard work and commitment to excellence have greatly benefited the mortgage industry, particularly in this time of industry change, and we look forward to many successes in their new roles.`

Hawkins, previously Director of Meetings, provides professional management in the planning, scheduling, budget development, supervision and on-site management of specific meetings and conferences. Prior to joining MBA, Hawkins was Director of Meeting Operations for the Electronic Retailing Association where he managed all aspects of four domestic and international events annually, which included managing an annual $7.6 million budget. In his new role as Senior Director, Hawkins will direct and supervise the key area of meeting and conference registration and is the primary point person for several large conferences. He will also aid in the development of the annual meeting budget regarding logistical and operational arrangements and the successful implementation of MBA`s annual meeting.

Velz, previously Director of Economic Forecasting, provides economic and policy analysis of trends in the housing and mortgage markets and produces forecasts regarding those markets and their impact on the broader economy. For five years prior to joining MBA in 2005, Velz was a senior economist in the Economics and Mortgage Market Analysis department at Fannie Mae where she produced monthly forecasts for the Board of Directors` use in business planning. In her new role as Senior Director, Velz will take full responsibility for MBA`s macroeconomic and housing finance forecasting. She will also have primary responsibility for MBA`s information flow on state and local economic issues, particularly those that impact the housing and mortgage markets.

White, previously Senior Network and Security Administrator, manages many aspects of the technology infrastructure with a focus on networking and security. Prior to joining MBA, White worked as the Security Officer for the American Association of Airport Executives and managed network security and auditing and designed and taught security awareness training for staff. In his new role as Director, White will assist with the overall design and implementation of MBA`s technology infrastructure and troubleshoot and provide solutions for any network performance issues. White will also be responsible for collaboratively designing, implementing, and maintaining security measures to support the information and data security needs of MBA.

Vandall, previously Manager of Meetings, develops content and coordinates and directs critical functions for various conferences. Prior to joining MBA, Vandall worked as the Manager of Conference Programs for the United States Telecom Association (USTA). During her five years at USTA, she was responsible for the development and marketing of multiple conference programs. In her new role as Director, Vandall will be responsible for developing strategies to ensure uniformity and consistency of the MBA conferences. In addition to other large and small MBA meetings, Vandall will be primarily responsible for developing content, planning, coordinating content and executing speaking logistics for all commercial/multifamily MBA meetings, conferences and conventions.

John Mechem Carolyn Kemp
202) 557-2924 (202) 557-2727
jmechem@mortgagebankers.org ckemp@mortgagebankers.org