NAWRB Brings Women to the Forefront of the Historic Diversity and Inclusion Movement

Irvine, CA, September 11, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Last month, the National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses (NAWRB) held its 2nd Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA seeking newfound ways of connecting resources and sharing best practices across women’s platforms while bringing women’s diversity and inclusion (D&I) to the forefront of the housing continuum.

“As a leader through this exciting and historic D&I movement, our primary focus is bringing women to the forefront with accountability and results. Through our Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council, we are championing all financial institutions, servicing companies, secondary mortgage markets and associated real estate services to increase their D&I efforts especially for women. As women don’t have geographical roots like their minority counterparts, we are spread thin across several platforms and are even skeptical of one another. As a collaborative community, women must support women in their respective industries and ultimately they will secure sustainable growth,” stated Desirée Patno, CEO of NAWRB.

From the keynote opening remarks by the SBA’s Yvonne Lee, to the directors for the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) at the CFPB, FDIC and FHFA, and a TRID update from the CFPB’s Laurie Maggiano, NAWRB unites leaders across several government agencies with the private sector to grow and support opportunities for women in housing.

Women’s inclusion in upper management is pivotal to the success of the D&I movement. Attendees gained valuable insight as over 82 percent of the speakers were women in executive roles. Rebecca Steele, a former Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase and SVP National Servicing Executive at Bank of America, spoke about her experience forging a path for women to climb the corporate ladder and emphasized the importance of women supporting women.

About NAWRB
The National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses (NAWRB) is the most visible women’s trade association specializing in the housing economy. NAWRB is dedicated to providing women the tools and opportunities for economic growth and expansion, while advocating and promoting women-owned businesses in housing. We are the only third-party industry-specific certifier of Women-Owned Businesses (WOB) and Minority Women-Owned Businesses (MWOB) in the housing economy.