SPEAKERS

Gary Acosta is the Co-Founder & CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®). NAHREP is the nation's largest Hispanic business organization with over 40,000 real estate professionals and 100 local chapters. In his capacity as CEO of NAHREP, he created the Hispanic Wealth Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a strategic plan to triple Hispanic household wealth by 2024. In 2018, Mr. Acosta co-founded L'ATTITUDE, a mega-event that celebrates the achievements of the Latino community in business, entertainment, technology, and politics.

Mr. Auld is President and Chief Executive Officer of D. R. Horton, Inc. He joined D. R. Horton in 1988 as Division President of the company's Orlando division. In 2005, he was promoted to East Region President for the company until he was elected Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in November 2013. In October 2014, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining D. R. Horton, Mr. Auld worked for General Dynamics as a cost analyst and Texas American Bank as a corporate tax accountant and commercial real estate lender.

Tai Christensen is the Co-Founder and Chief Diversity Officer for Arrive Home, a national down payment assistance social enterprise serving underbanked communities. Tai is also the host of the California Mortgage Bankers Association's podcast on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She serves as Chair of the American Mortgage Diversity Council (AMDC) and also serves as a board member for Axis Lending Academy. Tai is a winner of the 2023 National Mortgage Professional Women of Inspiration Award, the SUCCESS Magazine's 2023 Emerging Entrepreneur Award, the 2022 Thought Leader Award for Progress in Lending, and the 2021 Mortgage Professional America Elite Women Award.

Geoff Cooper is Vice President - Product Development at Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation, where he leads a team responsible for the development and deployment of strategies in flow and bulk mortgage insurance, premium plan development, credit risk transfer and other structured solutions, non-GSE strategies and affordable homeownership. He currently serves on the Milwaukee-based CDFI Board of Northwest Side Community Development Corporation; is a member of the national Mortgage Bankers Association's Advisory Council on Affordable Homeownership; and a member of the Program Committee of the Community Development Alliance, which leads the City of Milwaukee's Collective Affordable Housing Plan.

At 23, Barbara Corcoran borrowed $1,000 and quit her job as a waitress to start a tiny real estate company that would make her one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country. Over the next 25 years, Corcoran would parlay that $1,000 loan into a $5 billion real estate business, building the largest and best-known brand in the business. Corcoran is a best-selling author and podcast host, as well as a motivational and inspirational speaker. Corcoran has been an investor/Shark for the past fourteen seasons on ABC's Emmy award-winning show, Shark Tank, investing in over 80 businesses.

Fat Joe is a Grammy-nominated recording artist, actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and media personality from the Bronx, New York. With an acclaimed career that has spanned four decades, Joe has cemented his legacy as a hip-hop heavyweight. Joe is also the owner and founder of three UP NYC stores in New York City, which sell exclusive sneakers and sports apparel from brands such as Jordan and Nike. He has shone in acting roles, most notably starring alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish in Night School as well as in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It Netflix series.

Kuba Jewgieniew is the CEO And Founder of Realty ONE Group, one of the fastest-growing franchisors in the real estate industry. He's an entrepreneur with a passion for innovation, disruption and most importantly, fun. See why he's been recognized for his innovative thinking and leadership at www.kubajewgieniew.com.

Glenn Kelman is the CEO of Redfin. Prior to joining Redfin, he was a co-founder of Plumtree Software, a Sequoia-backed, publicly traded company that created the enterprise portal software market. In his seven years at Plumtree, Kelman at different times led engineering, marketing, product management, and business development; he also was responsible for financing and general operations in Plumtree's early days. Prior to starting Plumtree, Kelman worked as one of the first employees at Stanford Technology Group, a Sequoia-backed start-up acquired by IBM.

With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, Amy Lessinger has, throughout her career, created transformational and dynamic cultures that deliver top results and productivity. Formerly President & Co-Owner of RE/MAX Realty Affiliates in Reno, NV, Lessinger demonstrated a relentless commitment to results-driven, strategic leadership. Currently, Lessinger is Senior Vice President, Region Development at RE/MAX, actively overseeing recruiting, retention, franchise development, and franchise sales as well as providing leadership guidance directly to RE/MAX affiliates.

As UWM's Vice President of National Accounts, Bryan Miller plays a significant role in deepening relationships with the company's top clients. His own success as one of UWM's all-time top-producing Account Executives has made him a natural liaison for the part, allowing him to use his broad mortgage knowledge to provide personal client support whenever needed. Mr. Miller also leverages his leadership skills internally to coach UWM Account Executives on growing their clients' businesses and sharing best practices to help them solidify their connections and stay competitive.

Vanessa Montañez is senior vice president and community lending national sales manager at City National Bank. She is responsible for building and implementing strategies to encourage sales growth, as well as managing an external mortgage sales team to expand loan sourcing channels. Dr. Montañez has more than 25 years of experience in residential lending and sales and business development management. Prior to City National, she worked at U.S. Bank, where she served as vice president and national strategic markets and diverse segments manager.

Nuria Rivera sits on the National Board of Directors and serves as a chapter coach for NAHREP. She is a millennial entrepreneur and launched a title and escrow company in 2015, Novation Title Insurance Agency, of which she is CEO. Although it is a newer company, Novation Title has received Utah's "Best of State" award for four years in a row since in 2016, which was a very humbling experience for Ms. Rivera and her team. Ms. Rivera came to the United States when she was 11 years old and learned a new language and culture.

As EVP, Adam Speck leads 1,500 powerful bankers in the purchase area of Rocket Mortgage. He has been with the Rocket family of companies in varying roles for nearly two decades, beginning as a mortgage banker. He recently helped lead and make the American Dream happen at Rocket Homes as the Chief Revenue Officer. Mr. Speck has been described as obsessed with helping clients, leading with integrity, and always grateful, never satisfied.

Armando Tam is Senior Vice President, Chapter Development at NAHREP. Tam has extensive experience as a mortgage broker and owned a successful real estate company. He is primarily known for his extensive understanding of All Things Latino. His diverse and eclectic background includes stints in the food scene and Latin music industry as a performer and a producer. Tam's artistic vision led to the creation of NAHREP's weekly webcast, Esta Semana en NAHREP, which enjoyed a 100-episode run.

Michael Valdes brings more than 25 years of expertise in global real estate and finance to eXp Realty. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Global Servicing for all Anywhere Corporation brands, including Better Homes & Gardens, Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Corcoran, ERA and Sotheby’s International Realty. In his role, he oversaw the international servicing platform for all Anywhere brands across more than 100 countries and opened more than 70 countries during his tenure.