mPower Event: The Leadership Edge: Mastering Body Language & Emotional Intelligence for Women in Power (Closed to Media)

2025 MBA Chair; President, Lennar Mortgage

Laura Escobar is the 2025 MBA Chair and President of Lennar Mortgage. A 30-year mortgage industry veteran, Escobar has held leadership positions with both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking, including production, operations, compliance, accounting, and training. Her personal ground level experience in every facet of mortgage lending has enabled her to manage and fully integrate all of these departments within Lennar Mortgage. Escobar is highly engaged in the industry, serves on MBA’s Board of Directors, and was co-chair of MBA’s IMB Executive Council from 2020–2022. She is also a director of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, which she has supported by successfully fundraising for the foundation’s work and leading Lennar in company campaigns. Beyond her industry work, she is also a licensed mental health counselor and devotes much of her time to working with underprivileged women.

Associate Vice President, Conference Programming, Mortgage Bankers Association

Dawn Williams, AMP, is the Associate Vice President of Conference Programming, overseeing the conference content development for MBA’s 15+ annual conferences. She works with MBA members and subject matter experts to deliver compelling content and engaging experiences to the industry. She earned her Accredited Mortgage Professional designation in 2015. Prior to MBA, she was a freelance marketing and events consultant serving law firms and small businesses. During that time, she also served as Executive Director of DAG/Default Attorney Group, a consortium of law firms serving mortgage servicers with educational events. Earlier, she served as a marketing manager for Time Life Books and advertising manager and copywriter for Hecht’s department stores. She earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia. She was named MBA’s 2017 Employee of the Year.

New York Times Bestselling Author and International Trainer

Janine Driver is the New York Times bestselling author of You Say More Than You Think, and an international trainer and keynote speaker providing salespeople, professionals and executives with cutting-edge, scientifically based communication tools on how to win new business, increase sales, improve selection of salespeople and staff, and generate a significant return on investment. Driver spent 17-years as an investigator with ATF, has trained the FBI, CIA, and Scotland Yard Police, and today her consulting clients include Comcast, Proctor and Gamble, Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola, Hershey, Sales Force, Million Dollar Round Table, and more. Driver is also a popular media guest, with appearances on shows including Court TV, Rachael Ray, NBC's Today Show, CNN and FOX News. Driver's four TEDx talks, all on reading and influencing human behavior, have over five million views combined (can be seen on YouTube).