importance of treating people fairly and with respect,
regardless of their station, and being honest. For him,
your word was everything. Those values were instilled
in me at a very early age. Next would be Robert
Wagnon, my business partner. He is the founder and
CEO of Republic. When we met, I was working in
commercial real estate. He offered me a position as
Controller for Republic nearly on-the-spot. I was not
in the mortgage business and I was not an accountant,
but, he somehow saw something in me and the value
I could bring to Republic. I have learned so much from
him over the years. He takes people under his wing
and makes them into strong and self-confident leaders. It's an incredible talent and one I try to emulate
every day both at home with my children and at the
office.
Who is the one person that you have held up as
the person which whom you would like to emulate or be like or held in high regards, and why?
Someone I respect and admire is Chrissi Rhea,
the co-founder and president of the Mortgage Investors Group in Knoxville, Tennessee. We met very early
in my career, and, at that time, there were very few
women who were presidents or owners of mortgage
companies – many fewer than there are now. She built
a great company and developed many trusted relationships along the way. The first time I went to lobby
for our industry, I went with Chrissi. She was then and
remains a great representative of our industry. She
manages to do all of those things with poise, grace,
and tremendous intelligence while still maintaining
a healthy personal and family life. I think sometimes
busy executives think they have to choose between a
successful career, happy family life and healthy lifestyle.
I feel strongly that is not true. My company is very
important to me, but I try to exercise at least three
times per week and I make it a priority to be home
for dinner.
What three character traits do you consider
your strongest suits?
I am not sure what my three strongest suits are.
That is for others to judge. To the extent we have
been able to grow Republic and make a difference
within the industry fighting for sound legislation, it is
always in concert with talented and good people. I just
feel so fortunate to be surrounded by so many committed professionals.
Date of Current Position:
June 2009
Professional Track:
CFO and COO, Republic State Mortgage Co.
CFO, Republic State Mortgage Co.
Controller, Republic State Mortgage Co.
Director of Operations, New Regional Planning, Inc.,
Commercial Real Estate
Education:
B.S., Political Science and Pre-med, Auburn University
M.A., International Affairs, George Washington Univer-
sity, Elliott School of International Affairs
Organizations & Honors:
Chair of the Board, Community Mortgage
Lenders of America (CMLA)
Board member, Texas Mortgage
Bankers Association (TMBA)
President-Elect, Women's Fund Board of Trustees
Invited to testify before the House Subcommittee on
Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit on behalf of
CMLA entitled "Examining Regulatory Burdens on Non-
Depository Financial Institutions" in April of 2015
Led CMLA delegation to meet with key White House
staff in October 2014
Received James Wooten Future Leader
scholarship from the TMBA in 2007
Company Profile:
Republic State Mortgage Co.
2715 Bissonnet St., Suite 102
Houston, TX 77005
www.republicstatemortgage.com
Types of Services:
Residential Mortgage Lending
Product Line:
Traditional residential mortgage loan products, including
conventional conforming, jumbo, FHA (Title II only), VA,
and USDA. We also have some second lien products
and a limited number of non-QM products.
Number of Employees: 145
