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Paul Brewbaker
Principal at TZ EconomicsPaul H. Brewbaker is the Principal of TZ Economics, a Hawaii economics consultancy. His background in research on the Hawaii economy and financial risk analytics stems from a 25-year affiliation with Bank of Hawaii, concluding as its Chief Economist. He is a graduate of Stanford University, did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, and received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaii. He has lectured extensively in international, monetary, and financial economics. He is a member of the American Economic Association, the American Finance Association, and the National Association for Business Economics, from which he holds the Certified Business Economist designation.
Kanani Ching
Broker In Charge at Coldwell Banker KapoleiKanani Ching is a prominent Broker in Charge at Coldwell Banker’s Kapolei Office, renowned for her dedication and achievements in the Hawai’i real estate industry. Originating from Chicago and raised in Arizona, Kanani has embraced Hawai’i as her home since 2002 and now resides in Kapolei with her two adopted dogs. Kanani’s established real estate career began with Marcus & Associates, laying the foundation for her future success. She extended her expertise at D.R. Horton, specializing in new home development and sales before joining Coldwell Banker to further enhance her professional growth as the Broker in Charge.
As a pioneer in integrating technology into real estate, Kanani leverages Artificial Intelligence for marketing, data analysis, and operational efficiency, enhancing agent productivity and client engagement. Her commitment extends beyond her professional role to significant community contributions, including involvement with the Coldwell Banker Cares Foundation, 100 Women Who Care, and advocates for women and girls' education, empowerment, and leadership.
Regarded as an innovator, Kanani actively shares her insights through speeches, panels, and collaborations with organizations like the Mortgage Brokers Association and the Chamber of Commerce, earning her features in Pacific Business News. Beyond her professional and community endeavors, Kanani finds joy in family, travel, and golf. Kanani Ching embodies a blend of professionalism, innovation, and dedication, making her a transformative figure in Hawai’i's real estate landscape.
RB-23176, CRS
Rob Chrisman
Capital Markets Consultant at The Chrisman CommentaryRob Chrisman began his career in mortgage banking – primarily capital markets – 39 years ago in 1985 with First California Mortgage, assisting in Secondary Marketing until 1988, when he joined Tuttle & Co., a leading mortgage pipeline risk management firm. He was an account manager and partner at Tuttle & Co. until 1996, when he moved to Scotland with his family for 9 months.
He returned to the United States in mid-1997 and ran Secondary for Standard Financial, a sub-prime lender in northern California. In late 1997 Rob was hired by CrossLand Mortgage to start, and be the president of, a sub-prime company named OnCall Mortgage (a division of CrossLand). OnCall Mortgage was in existence until Wells Fargo purchased First Security Bank (the owner of CrossLand) at the end of 2000.
Rob then joined CMG Mortgage, a wholesale mortgage bank, as the Director of Secondary Marketing. In early 2003 and re-joined Tuttle Risk Management Services, Inc. TRMS (now Compass) provides mortgage pipeline risk management for mortgage companies and thrifts that seek to originate and sell loans into the secondary mortgage market. In November of 2006 Rob left TRMS to become the Director of Capital Markets for RPM Mortgage, a retail residential lender you all know, leaving there in late 2008 to focus on not only publishing a widely read daily market commentary on current mortgage events but also on his family.
He is on the board of directors of Inheritance Funding Corporation, a financial services company which advances capital to heirs, of Doorway Home Loans, of AXIS Appraisal Management, and of the California MBA. He is also a member of the Secure Settlements Advisory Board, an associate of the STRATMOR Group, and of the Mortgage Bankers Association of the Carolinas and its membership committee. Rob has provided expert witness services for mortgage and real estate-related cases, has lectured to groups around the country.
Rob holds a BS from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
Robbie Chrisman
The Chrisman CommentaryRobbie started his mortgage industry career with internships during high school and college at Peoples National Bank in Colorado, and RPM & Bay Equity in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Finance in 2014, he went to work at SoFi, where he rose to Director, Capital Markets assisting in the creation of SoFi’s residential mortgage division before leaving to work for TMS in Austin, Texas. From there, he went to work for FinTech startup Riivos in San Francisco and then to Mortgage Capital Trading (MCT) in San Diego. He is an avid cyclist, has visited all 50 states and numerous countries, and produces a successful daily podcast on the residential mortgage industry.
Danny Gardner
SVP & Head of Mission and Community Engagement for the Single-Family Acquisitions Division at Freddie MacDanny Gardner is senior vice president and head of Freddie Mac’s Mission and Community Engagement for the Single-Family Acquisitions Division. He focuses on our equitable and sustainability efforts as Freddie Mac addresses the unique and systemic challenges in the housing market. He also works with a broad range of housing market participants to address affordable and equitable housing needs.
Mr. Gardner is responsible for fulfilling Freddie Mac’s community mission to provide sustainable
homeownership education and financing to families who are traditionally underserved by the market. He is also responsible for overseeing Freddie Mac’s delivery and performance against Single-Family Affordable Housing goals, Duty to Serve regulation and Access to Credit activities in the FHFA Scorecard.
He leads our engagement with state and local housing finance agencies, diverse and inclusive realtor associations and national and local community development organizations to establish partnerships and programs that create successful homeowners.
With Freddie Mac since 2015, Mr. Gardner brings over 30 years of mortgage banking experience to his role. He has spent most of his career in leadership positions focused on providing opportunities for families to buy their first homes. He is a former leader of CRA Lending for the mortgage businesses of Citibank and Capital One and was previously chief operating officer of the National Community Stabilization Trust, where he helped municipalities and nonprofit organizations reclaim neighborhoods devastated by the foreclosure crisis.
He has also spent a large part of his career working with state and local housing finance agencies by serving as program administrator and master loan servicer for first-time homebuyer programs.
Freddie Mac makes home possible for millions of families and individuals by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Since our creation by Congress in 1970, we've made housing more accessible and affordable for homebuyers and renters in communities nationwide. We are building a better housing finance system for homebuyers, renters, lenders and taxpayers.
Learn more at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac's blog FreddieMac.com/blog.
Fran Gendrano
President at Honolulu Board of RealtorsFran Gendrano is the 2024 President of the Honolulu Board of REALTORS®. A native of Honolulu, Fran graduated from Punahou School and pursued higher education at Boston College. She is a second-generation REALTOR® with her family’s company, KFG Properties, Inc., which she joined in 2003 and is now its Principal Broker.
Fran's commitment to the industry extends beyond her brokerage duties. She served as a Hawaiʻi Real Estate Commissioner for eight years before leveraging that regulatory experience to serve on the HiCentral MLS Board of Directors and leading as MLS President in 2019.
Throughout her 20-year real estate career, Fran has advocated for the industry and her peers. She has actively served on numerous volunteer committees and workgroups for the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® and HiCentral MLS, Ltd., from the Audit Committee to the MLS Rules and Regulations Task Force.
Passionate about upholding the highest standards of ethics, education, and professionalism, Fran’s professional designations and certifications include Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI), and At Home With Diversity (AHWD).
Scott Giberson
Principal of Flood Compliance and Product Strategy at CoreLogicScott Giberson serves as Principal of Flood Compliance and Product Strategy and manages the Flood Disaster Protection Act program for CoreLogic Flood Services. Scott currently serves on the Board of the National Flood Association, leads the Association’s legislative committee, and previously served as its Vice President. Scott is serving as a Council Member on the Technical Mapping Advisory Council which reports to FEMA and was established by Congress with Biggert Waters legislation that passed in 2012. With over 25 years of experience, Scott specializes in regulatory issues surrounding flood determinations, the mandatory purchase of flood insurance requirement, as well as policy related to the National Flood Insurance Program and developing climate risk requirements. He consults with industry members and members of related industries on legislative and regulatory developments at a federal and state level related to flood insurance and climate risk.
In his role, Scott frequently presents at various conferences, seminars and workshops on topics related to flood insurance requirements and flood mapping issues. He also speaks on matters related to claims or actions arising out of the flood determination guarantees and has contributed to the research around this body of law. Scott graduated from The University of Texas at Austin.
Gordon Ito
Hawaii Insurance CommissionerHawaii Governor Josh Green, M.D., appointed Gordon I. Ito as Insurance Commissioner on December 12, 2023.
He was previously appointed Insurance Commissioner by Governor Linda Lingle (July 2010), Governor Neil Abercrombie (January 2011) and Governor David Ige (January 2015).
Gordon served as the NAIC’s Secretary-Treasurer in 2018. He was a recipient of the Robert Dineen award in 2020, an award for Outstanding Service and Contribution to the State Regulation of Insurance.
Gordon was the chair of the NAIC’s Western Zone from 2013-2015, Vice Chair of the International Insurance Relation Committee in 2017, and chaired the International Regulatory Cooperation (G) Working Group and the Information Systems Task Force (EX1).
Prior to his appointment, Gordon served as the Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner from 2000 to 2010 and 2019 to 2022 and was the Supervising Attorney of the Insurance Division between 1993 to 2000.
Ito earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii and a law degree from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.
Mark Jones
2024 Chairman of Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) & President of Union Home Mortgage at Union Home MortgageJones currently serves as President of Union Home Mortgage. In 1983, he co-founded Amerifirst Home Mortgage, a company he grew from an individual location in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to over 80 full-service locations and 900 personnel nationwide. In January 2023, Amerifirst merged with Union Home Mortgage.
Prior to the merger, Amerifirst was the top USDA lender, ranked third in FHA lending in Michigan, and ranked 13th in FHA lending in Florida. Amerifirst was also a Ginnie Mae issuer and serviced in-house a $6 billion loan portfolio. Amerifirst ranked as a Best & Brightest Company to Work for in the Nation for five consecutive years (2016-2020) and was named one of the top 50 Best Mortgage Companies to Work For in 2021. In 2016, Jones received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Michigan and Northwest Ohio.
Jones is an active MBA member and currently serves as Chairman of MBA’s DEI Advisory Committee. He previously served as co-chair of MBA’s Independent Mortgage Bankers Executive Council, and serves as board member and Public Policy Committee Chair at Southwest Michigan First, and as Chair of Southwest Michigan First PAC.
Nolan Kawano
VP / CFO at Tradewind GroupNolan Kawano is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tradewind Group, a local owned multi platform holding company with subsidiaries in insurance – Island Insurance, IC International, Atlas Insurance Agency, and Pyramid Insurance Centre – and private equity and real estate – Tradewind Capital and Pacxa.
Mr. Kawano has a financial background starting with Bank of Hawaii and KPMG where he specialized in servicing the local insurance industry. His thirty plus year career in insurance has taken him from the Executive Director of the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to the Chief Financial Officer for both First Insurance and Island Insurance as well as the President for IC International and Pyramid Insurance Centre.
His community engagement has focused primarily on education. He has served on the Board of
Education, several non-profit education organizations, and is today a Trustee for the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation and a board member of Hawaii 3Rs.
Brian Levy
Katten & Temple, LLPBrian Levy, Of Counsel with Katten & Temple, LLP in Chicago, provides practical and creative guidance for mortgage lenders and related providers. Brian has unique banking, sales and in-house experience enabling him to offer actionable guidance and training on matters such as RESPA (MSAs, AfBAs, etc.), LO compensation, state licensing, mortgage repurchase defense, loan sale agreements, transactions and business structuring and regulatory enforcement issues. Brian is the author of Levy’s Mortgage Musings blog at www.mortgagemusings.com and is a frequent conference speaker, magazine contributor and podcast guest.
Brian was General Counsel from 1994-2009 for a mid-sized midwestern bank and its 3 mortgage banking subsidiaries and prior to that worked for 5 years in commercial real estate law at a large firm in Chicago. Brian graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, (A.B.,1986, Summa Cum Laude) and Harvard Law School (J.D.,1989). Brian can be reached at 262/241-7977 or blevy@kattentemple.com and can be followed on Linked-in and Twitter @BrianSLevy.
Don Mangiarelli
General Manager at Cyber Secure HawaiiA 25 year veteran of Hawaii’s IT industry. Don started out as a Network Specialist working for Servco Pacific and moved to The Shidler Group as a Network Administrator in 2000. Over his 12 years at Shidler he transitioned to IT Manager and established an ISP (Internet Service Provider) for over 500 tenants at 7 buildings in Honolulu. Don also managed a network of 13 offices across 3 states and established a SOX reporting methodology for the public REIT Pacific Office Properties. After The Shidler Group, Don started his own IT services company, Enterprise Technology Solutions where he spent the last 13 years managing various Hawaii companies IT infrastructure as well as providing IT services to Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Safeway, State Farm, The Home Depot, Lowe’s and many other high profile retailers. In recent years Enterprise Technology Solutions realized the need for Cybersecurity and launched a service, Cyber Secure Hawaii to offer local businesses protection from cyber criminals through cybersecurity alongside of traditional IT services. Don is a network Engineer by trade holding certifications from Microsoft, ITIL, Telecommunications Council and Google as well as being an Electrical Contractor.
Alex McLaury
Producer at ACW GroupAlex McLaury, originally hailing from South Dakota, ventured to Oahu to pursue his education at
the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he subsequently delved into the insurance industry.
Specializing in Association of Apartment Owners (AOAOs), Alex has become a go-to resource for
Boards of Directors and Property Managers, offering trusted guidance in navigating the complex
landscape of insurance, particularly concerning underinsured buildings. Beyond his professional
commitments, he finds solace and adventure in the ocean, indulging in activities like free diving,
spearfishing, and paddling, which embody his appreciation for Hawaii's coastal beauty.
Julie Meier
President at Hawaii Association of RealtorsBorn and raised in Hawaii, Julie is a graduate of Maryknoll High School and earned a degree in Accounting from University of Southern California. After spending 20 years in Corporate Accounting, she began her real estate career. She has been a broker since 2015 and has volunteered in various leadership positions with Honolulu Board of Realtors (HBR), Hawaii Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors. She is the 2014 HBR President and 2015 HBR Realtor of the Year.
Kristen Messerli
Executive Director / Co-Founder of FirstHome IQKristin 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.
Colin Moore
Colin Moore is the Chair of the School of Communications, the Director of the Public Policy Center, and an Associate Professor at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Prior to joining the faculty at UH, he served as a research fellow at Yale University’s Center for the Study of American Politics and as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University.
David Oi
Housing Finance Manager at Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC)As the Housing Finance Manager for the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, David oversees the State of Hawaii single-family, federal affordable housing grant and self-help housing loan programs. His team also administers the State’s allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bonds and multi-family rental loan programs. Prior to working at the State, David spent nearly 20 years in the title and escrow industry working on a wide variety of property transactions. Originally from Southern California, David enjoys everything Los Angeles Dodgers and cheering on his sons at their sporting events.
Wendy Oshiro
President of Mortgage Bankers Association of HawaiiWendy Oshiro has volunteered on the Mortgage Bankers Association of Hawaii (MBAH) Board since 2012, and she is honored to serve the 2024 MBAH President. Wendy is the Honolulu Branch Manager for Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage. She is one of only two Certified Reverse Mortgage Professionals (CRMPs) based in Hawaii.
As a former high school math teacher, she takes an educational and compassionate approach to her business. Since 2007 she has helped hundreds of kupuna (seniors) and their families understand how they can use home equity in retirement. She also loves volunteering in the community and supporting small business owners.
In her free time, Wendy enjoys baking and decorating cookies and spending time with her family, especially her rescue dog, Sophie.
Mark Palim
Vice President & Deputy Chief Economist at Fannie MaeDr. Mark Palim is Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist at Fannie Mae. He oversees the teams responsible for Fannie Mae’s macroeconomic and housing forecasts and the National Housing Survey. His team has won the Lawrence R. Klein Award for Blue Chip Forecast Accuracy and, on two occasions, the NABE Outlook Award. In addition, Mark leads a team of economists who conduct in-depth research on issues affecting housing affordability, including the first work at the company on climate change. This research has informed Fannie Mae strategy and resulted in publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Scott Saiki
Hawaii State Representative, Speaker of the HouseRepresentative Scott K. Saiki currently serves as the representative for House District 25, which includes portions of Ala Moana, Kakaʻako, and Downtown Honolulu.
Representative Saiki was born in Honolulu and grew up in Kailua, HI. Saiki earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and his J.D. from the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law. During his time at UH, Saiki won his first election to serve on the Campus Center Board for the University of Hawaiʻi. In 1994, Saiki was first elected to the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives.
Since the 2018 legislative session, Saiki has taken on the leadership role as Speaker of the House. Prior to being elected House Speaker by his peers, Representative Saiki served as the House Majority Leader from 2013 to 2017, where he passed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013, passed a first-in-nation law in 2015 that requires Hawaiʻi’s utilities to generate 100% of their electric sales from renewable energy source by 2045, and introduced legislation in 2019 that created Hawaiʻi’s statewide system of mail-in voting.
In August 2019, Representative Saiki became the 48th President of the National Conference of State Legislatures; a bipartisan organization serving the nation's 7,383 state lawmakers and legislative staff.
In the 2024 legislative session, Representative Saiki introduced House Bill 2686 and House Bill 2801 to address financial relief for residents by amending laws related to the Hawaiʻi Hurricane Relief Fund and Hawaiʻi Property Insurance Association, as well as allowing condominiums to be eligible for commercial property assessed financing. These initiatives aim to stabilize the housing market and reduce the financial burden for property owners and tenants while exploring alternative financing options.
In addition to serving as a State Representative, Saiki is a practicing attorney, specializing in disability law.
Sue Savio
Insurance AssociatesSue Savio has been President and Owner of Insurance Associates Inc. since 1975. She is past President of the Hawaii Independent Insurance Agents Association and the Community Association Institute (CAI) and has served on their board in different capacities since 2000. She was recently honored with the Gourley Award for distinguished service to the CAI Hawaii and currently serves on the boards of three condo associations.