J. Tony Thompson, CMB is the Founder & CEO of the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA), an organization dedicated to increasing the engagement of women and minorities with the Mortgage Bankers Association at the local, state and national level. Since its inception in 2016, NAMMBA has grown to over 30 chapters and 7,500 members nationwide.

J. Tony Thompson, CMB has over 15+ years of leading and building high performance sales teams. As the Founder/CEO of NAMMBA, Mr. Thompson’s vision is to create a platform where women and minorities can connect, grow and become leaders in the mortgage industry while providing a platform to recruit and train the next generation of mortgage professionals.

Mr. Thompson received his B.S. from South Carolina State University in Business Administration and a MBA from Webster University. In 2011, he received his Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) designation from the National Mortgage Bankers Association. This distinct designation is held by less than 1% of industry professionals. He currently is a board member for the National Mortgage Bankers Association Residential Loan Production Committee and a graduate of the MBA Future Leaders Program.

Over the last several years, he has been recognized and featured in many industry publications for his dedication to the community and mortgage industry. Finally, Mr. Thompson serves on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations and is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.

William Kooper is Vice President of State Government Affairs and Industry Relations at the Mortgage Bankers Association and in that capacity leads MBA’s advocacy efforts at the state and local level as well as MBA’s engagement with mortgage banking associations across the country. William also leads MBA’s State Relations Initiative and staffs its State Relations Committee; MBA’s program to partner with state associations to align business development, communications, and advocacy interests.
 

William joined MBA in January 2001 as Director of Government Affairs and has had a variety of roles assisting MBA members. Before leading the state program, he was Associate Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs where he directed MBA’s nationwide grassroots advocacy program, the Mortgage Action Alliance, Inc., and the planning and execution of MBA’s National Advocacy Conference. He also served as staff to MBA’s political action committee, MORPAC.
 

Prior to joining MBA, William was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Special Assistant and Briefing Coordinator to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo. At HUD, William prepared the Secretary’s daily event briefings, wrote the Secretary’s weekly report to the President, and also made contributions to Presidential and Vice Presidential briefing documents. William’s other positions in and out of government have included Manager of Government Relations at HIP Health Plans in New York City, Senior Legislative Associate to the New York State Assembly Committee on Health, Research Analyst for the New York State Assembly’s Council on Health Care Financing, and Confidential Assistant to New York Governor Mario Cuomo.
 

William was born in New York City and raised in Newtown, Connecticut. He received his MPA with a concentration in management from New York University in 1991 and his BA in International Affairs from Trinity University in 1986. William also studied at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and attended the Chase Collegiate School in Waterbury, CT.

Dee knows the secret to pushing through to get real results in any market utilizing authenticity and helping others. She uses her decades of experience as the go-to expert to help Professionals get on target for their goals and achievements. Throughout her career, she has created several successful real estate businesses and has over 20,000 hours in the coaches' chair, coaching successful entrepreneurs to their next level. 

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Dee created, produced, and hosted a TV series, ‘Your Empowered Life’, on PBS. She is the creator and producer of a monthly publication for Real Estate Professionals, ‘Agent Marketing Playbook’, with over 25,000 national distributions, and a monthly Business Building Playbook for Mortgage Professionals. 

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She is a National Speaker, Trainer, and Coach with a unique ability to connect with audiences and generate excitement for learning. She is straight-shooting and full of contagious energy utilizing her mantra “All Things Possible” with a Southern flair. 

Rob’s best known for his free morning commentary on the mortgage business and the economy. He began his career in capital markets 38 years ago in 1985 and his background includes hedging pipelines, running a small subprime company, speaking to companies and groups, and helping various companies with various issues on a consulting basis.

He left the daily working world in late 2008 to focus on his family but continued to publish his commentary. He spends 4-5 hours a day on this and wakes up at 6AM CT time to check overnight news and edit the commentary before sending it out. He was on the board of directors of Peoples Bank in Kansas, sister company of Peoples National Bank of Colorado, and is still on the board of directors, or advises the boards, of several financial companies, and visits groups around the country consulting and speaking. He is a product of the California education system with a BS from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Kristin Messerli is a leading strategist and keynote speaker on Millennial and Gen Z housing and finance trends. Kristin recently co-founded the non-profit organization FirstHome IQ, which aims to equip young adults with knowledge about homeownership, driven by her passion to minimize the wealth and education gap. 

Kristin has an extensive background working with a variety of lenders, startups, and non-profits, where she has helped to develop successful go-to-market strategies and build consumer trust. Her previous experience includes founding and selling the digital marketing agency Cultural Outreach, which aims to promote sustainable homeownership in underserved communities. In addition, she has served as the VP of Sales and Strategy at Experience.com and provided consultation to several fintech startups on product design, marketing, and research. Since 2020, Kristin has produced and authored the annual NextGen Homebuyer Reports, sponsored by National MI, which showcase key insights from more than 4,000 Millennial and Gen Z consumers. She holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma. 

For almost 40 years, Jo has worked in the real estate industry in numerous capacities in the Jackson area. She recently retired from 14 years of service as the Chief Executive Officer of Central Mississippi REALTORS, the largest local REALTOR association in the state. She then went on to start her own real estate education and consulting business, and is currently an instructor for the Mississippi REALTOR Institute and serves as a consultant for MLS United, LLC, Mississippi’s regional multiple listing service.  Jo’s passion is teaching and watching REALTORS grow in their businesses.

Dee knows the secret to pushing through to get real results in any market utilizing authenticity and helping others. She uses her decades of experience as the go-to expert to help Professionals get on target for their goals and achievements. Throughout her career, she has created several successful real estate businesses and has over 20,000 hours in the coaches' chair, coaching successful entrepreneurs to their next level. 

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Dee created, produced, and hosted a TV series, ‘Your Empowered Life’, on PBS. She is the creator and producer of a monthly publication for Real Estate Professionals, ‘Agent Marketing Playbook’, with over 25,000 national distributions, and a monthly Business Building Playbook for Mortgage Professionals. 

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She is a National Speaker, Trainer, and Coach with a unique ability to connect with audiences and generate excitement for learning. She is straight-shooting and full of contagious energy utilizing her mantra “All Things Possible” with a Southern flair.