If you’re like me, you’re wondering how did 2023 go by so fast. At times it seemed

like the longest year ever, but now it’s in the rearview mirror and 2024 is upon us.

Since we’re transitioning from one year into another, I thought now would be a good

time to give you an update on NAMMBA Seattle and provide a look into what 2024

holds for the chapter. But first, I’d like to share some background on NAMMBA and

the Seattle chapter.

The National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) is a

mission-based organization that provides collaboration, education, and professional

development for minorities (women, LGBTQ+, African Americans, Indigenous

Peoples, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics) in the Real Estate and Real Estate

Finance industry while introducing high school and college students to careers in real

estate and finance. The organization was founded in 2016 by Tony Thompson and is headquartered in Florida, with chapters throughout the United States. NAMMBA and the NAMMBA family of companies are engaged in consulting services, DEI training, strategic

planning, data analytics, social media coaching, and cross-cultural marketing. The

organization also oversees programs such as Accredited Social Impact Lender (ASIL)

Certification, Certified Community Lender (CCL) Designation, and Visionary

Leadership, a program that matches industry mentors with mentees for career

development. The NAMMBA Foundation supports the NAMMBA Leadership Academy

and funds programs to increase the college-to-career pipeline for the real estate and

real estate finance industry.

The NAMMBA Seattle Chapter is excited to support NAMMBA’s mission to create

inclusivity, diversity, and equity in the real estate and real estate finance industry. We

want to help young, diverse talent find their way into our industry and we want our

industry to create opportunities for them. Our industry has a dark history of creating

and supporting institutional barriers to homeownership. Providing career paths for

young people who have been denied generational wealth-building due to policies and

practices in our own industry is something we care deeply about. Careers in our

industry can be rewarding and last a lifetime. They can provide the ability to save up

for a down payment on a house and an income stream for sustainable home

ownership. Our work will not only bring diverse talent into the industry, but it will also

provide a pathway to help close the BIPOC homeownership gap and build generational

wealth.

The NAMMBA Seattle chapter was formed at the beginning of 2023 and is focused on two primary objectives, industry engagement and community involvement. We engage with the

industry by holding in-person networking events that provide an opportunity for people to connect, learn, and support each other. We also host webinars that deliver content designed to help industry professionals succeed in their businesses. Our board members are active in local industry groups including the Washington Mortgage Bankers Association, AREAA, and Western Washington Realtist. Our community involvement includes meeting with students in high schools and colleges to talk with them about careers in our industry. NAMMBA is a Civic Commons partner in their Black Home Initiative, joining a shared priority of increasing Black homeownership in our community.

Our chapter was recognized by NAMMBA as the 2023 Chapter of the Year. Read on to learn more about our board members, some of the activities we are planning for 2024, and how you can support the important work we’re doing in our industry and our community. Continued support is needed for our chapter to bring our 2024 plans to life. Our industry events will be inspiring, engaging, and just plain fun! Our outreach into schools will be thoughtful and meaningful, designed to not only heighten awareness of our industry as a career option but also to shine a spotlight on the importance of financial literacy.

You can help us help our industry and community. One way to do that is to become a

NAMMBA Seattle member or renew your current membership for 2024. You can do this

on our chapter’s page on NAMMBA’s website. NAMMBA wants to ensure everyone who

wants to become a member can do so. The membership dues are reasonable and affordable.

Another way you can help us is by becoming a NAMMBA Seattle sponsor. We have sponsorship packages for specific events and general chapter support. As with membership dues, NAMMBA wants to make sponsorship accessible for a wide array of budgets. Please contact us for more information. We’d be happy to discuss the various sponsorship types and levels. You can reach us via email at nammbaseattle@gmail.com or by contacting our Sponsorship Director, Dan Anacker, directly at daniel.anacker@usbank.com. 

Thank you for taking the time to read about NAMMBA and the NAMMBA Seattle chapter. And, on behalf of the entire NAMMBA Seattle board of directors, thank you for your support, whether continuing in 2024 from 2023 or as a new supporter in the new year.

We hope to see you at one of our events!