The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals who have been previously recognized by the HW Editors’ Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWire’s Women of Influence award are now open through Friday, May 19, 2023. Click here to nominate a female leader in the industry — a client, colleague, boss or friend — it can even be you!
HousingWire’s prestigious Women of Influence award showcases the outstanding efforts of women in housing. From driving business growth to building high-performing teams and impacting public policy, the Women of Influence honorees consistently set a new standard for what it means to be true leaders in housing.
To celebrate the launch of the 2023 nominations, HousingWire reached out to several of our previous Women of Influence honorees to learn the secret to their success and gain some insight into how these impressive women got their start in the industry.
“When I started out in mortgage lending almost 40 years ago, I worked in the mailroom at a small mortgage company. At that time, my main goal was to provide for my family and to be the most indispensable employee at the company no matter my role. At small companies there are not always perfectly defined roles, so my success was measured by my ability to be willing to fill any role necessary to help grow the company. As I have learned more and changed roles throughout my career, the ability to take responsibility for any task and take accountability for any issue have been the hallmarks of my success.” — Susan Anthony, chief operating officer, Finance of America Reverse and 2019 Woman of Influence
“The secret to my success is having a career goal that I care passionately about. I will retire when Veterans are known as the most aggressive rate shoppers in the industry. There is a lot of work to be done to accomplish this goal and I spend a great time educating and spreading the word. Educating Veterans and helping them save money on the biggest purchase of their life feeds my soul and that is the key to my success.” — Jennifer Beeston, senior vice president of mortgage, Guaranteed Rate and 2022 Woman of Influence
“When I first started in real estate, I was like a kid in a candy store! I was working my tail off with no immediate payoff, but I was completely obsessed with this industry and it fueled me to keep going. That passion has never faded. For the last 15 years, I’ve shown up every single day with a clear purpose to serve others and a drive to be great. Being present and realizing that every day is a new opportunity to bring innovative ideas, improve and move the ball forward. It’s been a wild ride, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!” — Dava Davin, founder of Portside Real Estate Group and 2020 Woman of Influence
Click here to nominate someone for the 2023 award before the May 19th deadline!