Sound boarding and Mentorship
Hendricks, however, has a glimmer of hope. The newly formed Mortgage Women Leadership Council (MWLC), described on its website as “a dynamic network empowering women in mortgage,” aims to provide a support system for those who don’t have or simply want an outlet to collaborate, network, vent to, and share ideas with. The new council lets Hendricks combine two of her loves: mortgage and Mortgage Women Magazine, which was named the creator of the council. “[The market] goes through cycles, and when we come out of the other side of these stressful cycles, you need a forum to be able to talk about managing it all, not just the work-life, but the home-life balance, too,” Hendricks said. “Having an outlet like this council will provide a high-level benefit to our members to have an outlet they need to get advice, to seek transition help, to seek general product knowledge.”
Hendricks also acknowledged that especially when it comes to working at a tight-knit company, it’s imperative to have resources that extend beyond your direct organization. “When you’re at a smaller company, there aren’t many people I can talk to that don’t affect my day-to-day operations. I need somewhere to brainstorm, collaborate, vent, and find solutions to bring back to my organization,” she said.
Erica LaCentra, chief marketing officer for Connecticut-based RCN Capital, agrees. “Despite it being 2024, there is still a surprising lack of resources available to women in the mortgage industry to help them grow professionally in the space,” she said. “With the mortgage industry still being a male-dominated space, especially when it comes to leadership positions, it was nice to see a council created to provide access to resources for professional development, networking, and mentorship. The hope is that these tools will empower women and give them the skills they need to be able to climb the ranks and achieve leadership positions.”
Melissa Pianin, executive director for MWLC, became involved with the council because her team realized there was “a clear need for a support system for women who would like to be in leadership or are in leadership.”
Pianin has a background in this field and in association management. She formerly served as the executive director of the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women (NAPMW), a community of professionals who engage in the mortgage/banking industry. Pianin also serves as a marketing and events associate for American Business Media and specializes in coordinating and running events with Originator Connect Network, a brand of American Business Media. “This role is different from my past experience because I get to be more directly involved with creating events for this council,” Pianin said. “I want local or regional networking events to get women in the same room with each other, and I hope to partner with Originator Connect Events.”
Crafting Culture
Pianin knows that in-person events are just a fraction of what the council will accomplish. “I’m looking to create some virtual events that would help bolster the skills we need as woman leaders. [I envision] webinars, leadership training, how to deal with other humans in the workplace,” she said. “Women don’t get a lot of training in this industry. We aren’t taught about how to craft company culture or how to be the best leader.”
While running Originator Connect Network events, Pianin says she’s heard time and time again requests for groups of supportive women, as well as gripes about what the industry is lacking altogether. “I hear [women] express that they’re looking for a forum to network where being a woman and supporting women in leadership is normalized. When we see a woman in leadership in mortgage, we may overlook how much work she put in and her journey to get into that position,” Pianin said. “Women have many responsibilities outside of work that are seen as getting in the way of being dedicated to their jobs, and when a woman [can] get past that and still succeed, I think we need to have a platform to appreciate that and provide them with a support system.”
