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Sales Rally Speaker Schedule

We have nationally recognized industry speakers and top-notch panelists. Learn from them and get the motivation, inspiration and insight to apply to your business to bring it to the next level! This is a "must see" event. Don't hear about it - experience it for yourself!!

8:30 AM	Registration and Visit the Exhibitor Area Spend time visiting the exhibitors and get new insight with tools to help you and your business.
9:15 AM	Opening Keynote Speaker Steve Richman *The Change Equation - From Resistance to Results* Steve Richman has been in and around the mortgage industry since the 1900s. He has trained, and spoken to, numerous organizations across the country regarding Six Sigma, Change Acceleration Process and GE’s Work-Out. Steve has taken those established and proven techniques and integrated and adapted them to meet today’s environment all the while incorporating his experiences working with leadership and teams from every state in the Country.
10:15 AM	MMLA Announcements and Break Visit the exhibitors and network with others during this valuable time.
Throughout the day, visit with Joe Wilson to get some tips on making your own videos	Joe Wilson, Social Coach *Effective use of Social Media* Learn how to save time and be more productive with your time spent on Social Media, Videos and podcasts. Joe is an expert and will guide you through some tips and tricks to streamline your process and get you more closings! Joe Wilson is the founder & CEO of SocialCoach, an enterprise social media management and compliance software used by thousands of loan officers at mortgage companies, banks, and credit unions across the country. With 20 years in the mortgage industry, Joe began his career as a mortgage loan officer and has spent the last 15 years working at top mortgage technology firms, including being a founder at SimpleNexus. His bi-weekly newsletter, “The Huddle,” provides actionable insights with a fun, direct communication style. Joe is a tech-forward leader committed to helping clients thrive in the ever-evolving social media landscape.
10:45 AM	Keynote Speaker - Kristin Messerli *Women & Wealth – Understanding & Serving the Female Homebuyer* Sponsored by: Women are a growing force in homeownership, yet they face unique financial challenges and decision-making processes. As housing and mortgage professionals, understanding the financial trends, barriers, and motivations of women homebuyers can help you better serve this influential demographic. In this session, Kristin will explore the wealth gap, homeownership statistics, and how professionals can tailor their approach to support and empower women in their financial and homeownership journeys. Kristin Messerli is a leading strategist and keynote speaker on Millennial and Gen Z housing and finance trends. Kristin 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 thousands of Millennials and Gen Z consumers. She holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma.
11:45 AM	Lunch Break Visit the exhibitors and network with others during this valuable time.
12:45 PM	Speaker Panel: Lindsey Meyer, Liz Short, Jake Vermillion and Jen Peachman *Rethink Everything You 'Know' About Networking* In this latest installment of the "rething Everything" book series, this isn’t another “shake-hands-and-collect-cards” book. Rethink Everything You Know About Networking flips traditional networking on its head — showing you how to build real, lasting connections that fuel personal and professional growth. Through insights from these entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and creative professionals, you’ll learn how to: - Transform small talk into meaningful relationships - Build a network that works with your values, not against them - Leverage digital platforms without losing authenticity - Turn introductions into opportunities and conversations into collaborations Lindsey Meyer entered the mortgage industry in 2005 and has built her career through multiple market cycles, earning a reputation for relationship-driven sales leadership and strategic growth. She has partnered with executives and top-producing sales teams to strengthen referral ecosystems and drive scalable results. Her cross-industry experience provides a practical, end-to-end perspective on what truly moves production in today’s market. Lindsey is the creator and author of Rethink Everything You Know About Networking and a contributor to Rethink Everything You Know About Craft Beer, where she explores personal brand and the long game of relationship building. Known for her candid, people-first approach, she speaks to sales teams and industry groups on consistency, relevance, and leading with intention in a relationship-driven business. Jen Peachman is a 20+ year veteran of the mortgage and financial services industry, Jen Peachman is a relationship-focused mortgage industry connector. As VP, Director of Strategic Lending at GVC Mortgage, Inc. she is focused on retail expansion across the company’s growing lending footprint. Holding previous positions in sales, operations, training, marketing, community engagement and strategic partnerships with PNC Bank, First Federal Lakewood, The Mortgage Collaborative, Success Mortgage Partners, Maxwell, Capacity and Lenders One Mortgage Cooperative, she offers both passion and perspective with her experience in the lender, vendor and cooperative space in the mortgage industry. A graduate of Baldwin-Wallace University, Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership. She currently sits on the board of directors at the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association, served as the chair for their annual lending conference in both 2024 & 2025 and is the MMLA’s 2025 Vic Miller Outstanding Member Award winner. Jen is a former Mortgage Innovators Ambassador for the California Mortgage Bankers Association, a long-time member of the Mortgage Bankers Association, a teacher for the MBA’s Mortgage Banking Bound Program at Cleveland State University, and a contributing author in Rethink Everything You Know About Networking. An avid hiker, waterfall chaser, adventurer, golfer and Jeep-lover, Jen lives in Avon Lake, OH, with her husband and two teenage daughters. Liz Short, the dynamic leader behind Short Solutions, blends deep cross industry knowledge with engaging tenacity. With over two decades of leadership in IT and Finance, Liz leverages the power of video to share actionable strategies for small business owners and entrepreneurs. She has a penchant for unraveling complex challenges with creative approaches. Her passion is rooted in devising strategies and steering high-performing teams towards anticipating organizational expectations. Liz excels in forecasting and fulfilling the needs of any organization she serves. Her proficiency in strategic thought leadership is matched only by her ability to influence at the executive level. Her collaborative approach to driving change is both infectious and effective. What sets Liz Short apart is her commitment to building a team culture that values accomplishing goals while having fun. Her philosophy is simple yet profound: 'Get sh!t done!' This approach resonates with many; from the clients she works with to the those that follow her journey on social media. Jake Vermillion is Chief Marketing Officer at Mortgage Champions, where he helps lenders improve sales processes and align marketing with what drives results. Guided by Dale Vermillion’s OthersFirst philosophy, the team has trained 1M+ professionals and partnered with 800+ organizations. Jake has been named a HousingWire Rising Star, Mortgage Maverick, and Top Voice, and featured on numerous industry podcasts and stages.
1:45 PM	Refreshment break - visit with exhibitors and network with attendees
2:00 PM	Speaker - Brian Vieaux, CMB MISMO - What it is and why you need to know about it! "As President of MISMO, I lead the mortgage industry’s standards organization in driving collaboration, interoperability, and innovation across the housing finance ecosystem. MISMO’s mission is to enable a more efficient, transparent, and trusted mortgage market through data standards that power digital transformation from origination to servicing and beyond. In this role, I oversee MISMO’s strategic initiatives and community engagement, advancing the adoption of key standards such as the SMART Doc® specification, the Loan Boarding Dataset, and the Mortgage Compliance Dataset, while expanding participation across lenders, servicers, technology providers, GSEs, and regulators. I also guide funding and execution of the Innovation Investment Fee (IIF) program, which supports cross-industry projects that modernize mortgage data exchange and improve consumer outcomes. My focus is on uniting the industry around a common digital language, accelerating innovation through collaboration, and ensuring that every participant, from startups to agencies, benefits from MISMO’s standards and trusted framework."
2:30 PM	Closing Keynote Speaker Luke Shankuna Clone Yourself: The AI Agent System for Loan Officers How to Generate Leads 24/7 Without Sounding Like a Robot! Most loan officers are using AI wrong. They're posting generic content that sounds like everyone else, and it's making them blend in faster instead of standing out. The technical stuff that used to make LOs valuable (processing loans, knowing rates) is getting commoditized by AI. Same thing happened to developers. The LOs who'll win are the ones doubling down on what AI can't replace: their stories, their relationships, their human side. I'm going to show them how to use AI to amplify that instead of removing it. It's the system that's getting my members actual leads right now. This is a "CAN'T MISS" session!! Luke Shankula is the founder and CEO of Direct Authority AI, a comprehensive AI-powered platform and coaching community helping mortgage professionals build scalable, agent-independent businesses through AI automation and direct-to-consumer marketing. Based in San Diego, Luke leads a community of 175+ loan officers who are leveraging AI for competitive advantage. He created Duplico, Direct Authority AI's flagship software featuring 50+ AI marketing tools that generate authentic, on-brand content across multiple platforms - from social media and email sequences to video scripts and webinar presentations. Luke has become a sought-after speaker on AI implementation in mortgage, presenting at major industry events including MortgageCon, AIME Fuse, IMN Mortgage AI Conference, and the HMA Sales Rally. His monthly AI Summit attracts 600+ registrants, making it one of the mortgage industry's premier AI education events. His work has been featured in National Mortgage News, NBC, Yahoo Finance, Mortgage Marketing Animals podcast, and The Loan Officer Podcast. Above all, Luke is a husband, father of four, and passionate entrepreneur focused on helping mortgage professionals build businesses they're proud of while staying ahead of technological change in their industry.
3:30 PM	Closing Announcements Thank you for attending!
Happy Hour Meet-up	Join us in the bar of the Hyatt Place Hotel for a casual and fun meet-up!

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