The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said today it has appointed Amber Lawrence as associate vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Lawrence will be responsible for advancing DEI programs for the association and overall real estate finance industry, the MBA said.
"As a 15-year veteran of MBA and the real estate finance industry, Amber has developed deep relationships with top industry leaders, and I can't think of anyone more dedicated, passionate, and well suited for this position,” said Robert D. Broeksmit, CMB, MBA's president and CEO. “I look forward to seeing Amber grow our DEI reach within the industry."
Previously, Lawrence served as associate director of Career Development Programs. In that role, she was a core member of MBA's education leadership team, where she managed its professional certification and designation programs, including the Certified Mortgage Banker program. In that capacity, she was responsible for candidate matriculation, curriculum development, and the examination process.
In addition, she was responsible for managing the Certified Residential and Commercial Certified Mortgage Servicer designations; Certified Residential Underwriter designation, and Accredited Mortgage Professional designation. She also provided oversight for several MBA education courses, including MBA's premier classroom program, the School of Mortgage Banking.
"Amber is no stranger to developing and executing programming that has benefited the real estate finance industry,” said Lisa Haynes, MBA's SVP, CFO, and chief diversity and inclusion officer. "Along with her in-depth expertise in program planning and her background in DEI leadership and coaching, Amber is the ideal person to elevate MBA's DEI programming,"
Later this year, Lawrence will receive an Executive Certification in Diversity Coaching, offered in partnership by Howard University and the Coach Diversity Institute. She is also an active participant in MBA's DEI internal and external efforts and serves on MBA's DEI Advisory Committee.
Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Arts in legal communications from Howard University.
