COMMERCIAL/MULTIFAMILY POLICY TRACK: Life After the Election: What MBA Is Monitoring 21 Days into the Trump Administration

Chief Executive Officer, Northmarq

Jeffrey Weidell is the chief executive officer of Northmarq. After serving as president for eight years, he assumed the role of CEO in 2020 to continue to lead the company’s growth and transformation strategy. As part of this effort, Weidell launched the Investment Sales business for Northmarq, created talent development with the Associate Producer/Associate Broker program, and initiated broader client offerings to include a new investment advisory fund business. Under his leadership, Northmarq’s loan servicing business has expanded quickly and offers customized client services with industry-leading capabilities. Earlier in his career, Weidell was a highly successful mortgage banker, structuring debt and equity financing to meet the unique needs of his clients. He began with Trowbridge, Kieselhorst & Company, which was acquired by Northmarq in 2000, after which he became a managing director for Northmarq in San Francisco. He is an active leader in the industry serving as board member of the Silicon Valley chapter of NAIOP, vice chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s COMBOG Multifamily Council, a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), and former president of the Bay Area Mortgage Association. Weidell holds the certified mortgage banker (CMB) designation, and earned a BA in Economics from Columbia University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Vice President, CREF Policy, Mortgage Bankers Association

Megan Booth has nearly three decades in the housing and finance sectors. She currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Commercial and Multifamily Policy at the Mortgage Bankers Association. Immediately before joining MBA, Booth served as the Senior Vice President of Policy at the Manufactured Housing Institute, where she managed advocacy, communications, and research to support the factory-built housing industry. For nearly twenty-four years prior, Booth was with the National Association of REALTORS®, where she worked on federal housing and commercial policy issues including HUD and FHA programs, multifamily and property management issues. She also coordinated the efforts of NAR’s policy staff. Booth has previous experience in the construction industry and as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. A native of Massachusetts, Megan received her B.A. from the George Washington University and a Master’s degree from George Mason University.

Senior Vice President, Legislative and Political Affairs, Mortgage Bankers Association

Bill Killmer is Senior Vice President for Legislative and Political Affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). A veteran of nearly three decades in the housing arena, Bill joined MBA in 2010 and is responsible for managing the real estate finance industry's federal legislative, grassroots, and political fundraising activities, in close coordination with the MBA member leadership and its public policy, economics, public affairs, and lobbying teams. He oversees MBA's direct outreach to Congress and is a regular guest speaker on the intersection of politics, policy, and industry issues. Under Killmer's leadership, grassroots participation through MBA's Mortgage Action Alliance has tripled, while donations to MORPAC, the industry's political action committee, have more than doubled, enhancing the association's ability to develop and execute effective advocacy strategies on the industry's behalf. Killmer came to MBA after nearly 20 years in the policy space at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), where he last served as Executive Vice President for Advocacy, managing all aspects of the group's public policy outreach. During his tenure at both organizations, he has been named as a Washington trade association "Top Lobbyist" by publications such as The Hill and CEO Update. He previously served as a Senior Legislative Officer for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor during the George H.W. Bush administration. Killmer holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (BBA), with a concentration in Finance, from Baylor University.

Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Mortgage Bankers Association

Ethan Saxon is a Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). In this role, he is responsible for advocating MBA's legislative and policy priorities, primarily focusing on Democratic members of the United States Senate. He helped secure key housing finance provisions for MBA in the passage of the CARES Act and the American Recovery Plan Act. Ethan joined MBA from Capitol Hill, where he spent the majority of his professional career. Among his various roles, Ethan served as Chief of Staff for Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Deputy Chief of Staff for Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Minority Staff Director of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Originally from Australia, Ethan holds a bachelor’s degree from the Australian National University and a master’s degree from Georgetown University and the U.S. Naval War College.

Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement, Mortgage Bankers Association

Jamie Woodwell is Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), where he oversees the association’s public policy and member engagement efforts across all commercial real estate finance sectors, working closely with member leaders and staff to advance MBA members’ business and policy objectives Jamie and his work are regularly cited in the media, on Capitol Hill and in regulatory settings. He is a regular speaker at industry and corporate events; has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg and in other popular and trade press; and testified before the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP. Jamie initiated many of MBA's research activities and created MBA's Peer Business Roundtables. He co-founded MBA’s CREF Careers program. Woodwell joined MBA in 2004, and most recently served as Vice President and Head of Commercial Real Estate Research, where he oversaw the association’s economic research and analysis covering commercial and multifamily real estate finance markets. He has also served as senior director of business development at CapitalThinking in New York, research director at the WMF Group in Virginia, and research manager at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. Jamie is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association and other professional and industry groups and a past member of the Counselors of Real Estate. He has served on various advisory groups, particularly around climate change and ESG, including for the National Institute of Building Sciences, Fannie Mae and Bright Power. Jamie received his bachelor's degree in economics and American studies from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He earned his master's degree in urban and regional planning from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.