Lunch Featuring Guest Speaker: Charlie Cook

VP, Sales & Business Development, Winnow Solutions, LLC

Wendy Lovett is the National Sales Manager for Winnow. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Lovett had the privilege of developing and nurturing territories and has amassed a broad network of collaborative relationships. Her extensive experience has allowed her to contribute to the development, sales, and implementation of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions for the mortgage industry and to build and expand business channels to efficiently drive revenue and market penetration. Lovett has been recognized for establishing and expanding strategic relationships with high profile accounts, exceeding performance expectations and producing powerful results.

2024 MBA Chairman; President, Union Home Mortgage

Mark Jones co-founded Amerifirst Home Mortgage in 1983, 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 to form a top 40 national mortgage lender, where Mark now serves as President. Prior to the merger, Amerifirst was the No. 1 USDA lender and the No. 3 FHA lender in Michigan, and the No. 13 FHA lender 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 Mark received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Michigan and Northwest Ohio. In addition to his service as MBA’s Chairman-Elect, Mark currently serves as Chairman of MBA’s DEI Advisory Committee. He previously served as co-chair of MBA’s Independent Mortgage Bankers Executive Council. Mark also serves as board member and Public Policy Committee Chair at Southwest Michigan First and serves as Chair of Southwest Michigan First PAC. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he competed on the Varsity Swimming & Diving team. In 1979, Jones won the 1979 Virginia Intercollegiate State Championship in 1 meter springboard diving and was a two-time NCAA Regional Qualifier. Jones lives in greater Kalamazoo with his wife, close to three adult children, and two grandchildren.

Columnist, Founder The Cook Political Report

Charlie Cook is a political analyst for National Journal where he publishes a weekly column and hosts a biweekly virtual series. In 1984, he founded The Cook Political Report, an independent, non-partisan newsletter. He is a regular contributor to the newly named The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, co-author of The Almanac of American Politics, and political analyst for NBC News. In 2010, Charlie was a co-recipient of the American Political Science Association's prestigious Carey McWilliams award to honor "a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics." Charlie served as a Resident Fellow in 2013 at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.