The Mortgage Bankers Association has promoted five employees to associate vice president, expanding their responsibilities across legal and compliance advocacy, member marketing, programming, and internal operations.
Julie Kind, Lisa Leonard, Amanda Lodato, Alisha Sears, and Dina Shahin assumed their new roles Oct. 1. MBA announced the promotions Oct. 5, noting they were among a broader group of employees taking on new roles across the association.
“These promotions recognize the respect they have earned from their peers and the important contributions they have made to our association,” said MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit.
Alisha Sears was promoted from director and regulatory counsel to associate vice president and regulatory counsel. She will lead legal and compliance advocacy initiatives, manage MBA’s litigation and amicus program, and represent the association before regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.
Sears will also continue leading MBA’s Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Committee and Regulatory Compliance Subcommittee, analyzing proposed rules and legislation and developing advocacy strategies on federal and state policy issues. She joined MBA in 2022 after working at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.
Amanda Lodato, previously director of marketing, becomes associate vice president of residential marketing. She will lead campaigns supporting MBA’s residential members, products, events, advocacy efforts, and member services, with responsibility for strengthening engagement, participation, and revenue.
Lodato has spent 10 years at MBA, advancing through several marketing roles and supporting its mPower initiative for women in real estate finance. She previously held positions at the National Retail Federation and ICF International.
Julie Kind was promoted from director to associate vice president of program development. Her expanded responsibilities include implementing a new member “Call for Speakers” process, improving coordination with internal subject matter experts, and keeping program development on schedule for event marketing and delivery.
Kind will continue overseeing continuing education offerings tied to MBA conferences. She joined the association in 2022 after serving as senior director of marketing and customer outreach for Freddie Mac’s Single-Family division.
Lisa Leonard, previously director of marketing, becomes associate vice president of commercial real estate finance marketing. She will lead integrated marketing for MBA’s commercial and multifamily businesses, including campaigns promoting events, advocacy, products, and member services. Leonard joined MBA in 2013 and has supported groups including CREF, Education, MISMO, and the MBA Opens Doors Foundation.
Dina Shahin was promoted from director of contracts to associate vice president of contracts and procurement. She will add oversight of centralized procurement while continuing to lead contracting operations. Since joining MBA in 2024, Shahin has implemented a contract lifecycle management platform and brought more than 1,000 legacy agreements under a managed process.
The promotions follow MBA’s July appointment of Marlana Scott Voycik as associate vice president of membership, overseeing member outreach, engagement, retention, and recruitment across its residential and commercial businesses.
