Meet the Affordable Housing Team

Our dedicated team is working hard to increase access to affordable housing for minority and low- and moderate-income populations. By working collectively, the CONVERGENCE team and its participating partners will create greater homeownership and affordable rental opportunities for more Americans.

Michael Fratantoni, Ph.D, Chief Economist, Senior Vice President, Research and Business Development

Michael Fratantoni is MBA's Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Business Development. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing MBA's industry surveys and benchmarking studies, economic and mortgage originations forecasts, and policy development research for both single-family and commercial/multifamily markets. Additionally, Fratantoni is a member of the Board of Directors of the CONVERGENCE Collaborative, and the Smith Enterprise Risk Consortium’s (SERC’s) Advisory Council.

Prior to joining MBA, Fratantoni worked in risk management and senior economist roles at Washington Mutual and Fannie Mae. He received a Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in economics from The College of William and Mary, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Washington, and Johns Hopkins, George Washington, and Georgetown Universities. Contact Michael.

Wendy Penn, Vice President for Affordable Housing Initiatives

Wendy Penn is Vice President of Affordable Housing Initiatives at the Mortgage Bankers Association. In her role, she provides strategic leadership and management of MBA’s efforts to facilitate new solutions to housing affordability challenges.

Wendy leads MBA’s CONVERGENCE initiative, including oversight of place-based programs and the CONVERGENCE Knowledge Community, as well as managing the execution of a variety of projects designed to increase access to homeownership.

Prior to joining MBA, Wendy spent 15 years with the National Association of REALTORS® where she managed their Housing Opportunity Program.

Wendy is a member of the National Housing Conference’s National Advisory Council, the Up for Growth Action Board, and LUCAS Home Loans Advisory Board. She holds an MS degree in Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a BS in Communications from James Madison University. Contact Wendy.

Katelynn Harris Walker, Associate Director for Affordable Housing Initiatives

Katelynn staffs and manages MBA's Affordable Rental Housing Advisory Council and leads MBA’s Affordable Rental Housing Strategy with MBA’s 2023 Chairman, Matt Rocco. Katelynn serves on the Multifamily Impact Council Advisory Board and the Housing Supply Accelerator and participates in the Emerging Leaders of Affordable Housing, Rising Housing Leaders of Northern Virginia, Women in Housing and Finance, and the DMV Women in Affordable Housing. Prior to joining MBA, Katelynn was the Policy Director for the National Association of County Community and Economic Development (NACCED) and the National Association for Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA), where she managed all governmental affairs activities and advocacy efforts for both organizations.

Before NALHFA and NACCED, Katelynn was the Legislative and Policy Coordinator for the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), where she focused on multifamily tax issues. Katelynn began her affordable housing career as a policy and research intern at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). Katelynn holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts degree in American Government and received professional certificates in nonprofit management from Appalachian State University and in Systems Design Thinking at eCornell. Contact Katelynn.

Megan McGrath, Executive Assistant for Affordable Housing Initiatives