These are interesting times for the U.S. housing industry. The lack of inventory across the country continues to push house prices up, putting homeownership out of reach for many while also impacting rent prices. And after a decade of expanding regulation, lenders are facing a pretty astronomical cost to originate mortgage loans.
In this environment, our industry desperately needs tech solutions to create efficiencies and provide a better consumer experience. It also needs informed, passionate leadership.
Luckily, the upcoming NEXT Mortgage Technology Conference For Women provides both.
HousingWire is a sponsor of the conference, which takes place June 21-22 in Dallas and features informative panels, technology demos and the chance for mortgage lending executives to network. But one of the most exciting things on the agenda is the headliner: Pam Patenaude, deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The deputy secretary position at HUD is similar to that of a COO, and Pam is leveraging 30 years of experience shaping and implementing housing policy as she manages the department’s $45 billion annual budget and approximately 8,000 employees.
Here’s just a partial list of her accomplishments:
- President of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families, a national nonprofit dedicated to illuminating the affordable housing crisis in America.
- Director of housing policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center.
- Executive vice president of the Urban Land Institute and founding executive director of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing.
- HUD assistant secretary for community, planning and development in the George W. Bush administration.
- State director and deputy chief of staff for U.S. Senator Bob Smith.
- Vice president of Manor Homes Builders, Inc.
- Administered the Section 8 rental assistance program at the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.
Pam’s understanding of the challenges of the current market and how we might solve them, is one reason her nomination to HUD was cheered by all sectors of the mortgage industry. Everyone from leaders of large corporations to nonprofits concerned with affordable housing recognizes Pam’s expertise in the space, and attendees at NEXT will get the rare chance to hear her perspective in person.
Anyone at the January debut of the NEXT conference will be glad to see that all the distinctive elements of that first conference — a small, intimate setting, expert speakers and the chance to really network — have been included in this conference as well. For those who didn't get the chance to attend in January, a treat awaits! Mark your calendars for a truly different conference experience — one that makes you wish it came around more often.
