Lyle Radke is a residential valuation expert who loves to apply appraisal theory to real-world problems and then generalize to scalable solutions. His role at Fannie Mae focuses on the communication of principles and solutions through written media such as the Selling Guide and through public speaking. He engages with industry counterparties including technology teams, lenders, vendors, risk investors and regulators to share the vision and implement new ideas.

35+ years of appraisal industry and collateral valuation experience leading up to Chief Appraiser, SF Director of Valuation roles at Freddie Mac. Focus on on-going development and refinement of property valuation risk strategies, development and use of LCA (Loan Collateral Advisor) tool to inform risk and ensure credible quality appraisals are submitted to Freddie. Current focus on Appraisal Modernization and the UAD Redesign Initiative, through our regulator FHFA. Skills include industry communication, public speaking, appraisal theory and practice and thought leadership. Previous management positions with Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and GE focused on daily operations and management of collateral support for banks and capital markets. As a second generation appraiser, my career began as a practicing fee appraiser. Early career training and experience in addition to single family residential, was more general in nature around highway condemnation and appropriation work, partial interests and right-of-way. After graduation from The Ohio State University, started as a review appraiser with the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Thomas H. Humphreys is a career-long real estate appraiser. He grew up measuring houses with his father, an appraiser. In the course of the past 30 years, Mr. Humphreys has appraised property across the country. He is a hearing officer for the Davidson County Board of Equalization. He has been a contract investigator/reviewer for the State of Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. He also assists attorneys who represent citizens accused of crimes. Mr. Humphreys is a partner in Appraiser eLearning and is the director of education for StoryboardEMP, LLC, an education media company.

Bryan S. Reynolds, CDEI™ is a KY/TN Certified General Real Property Appraiser, a registered agent with the TN State Board of Equalization and an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor. He has testified and appeared in various courts, planning and zoning boards as both an expert and as an agent making valuation arguments before local and state hearing officials and Administrated Law Judges. Reynolds is the owner of Bryan S. Reynolds & Associates, Reynolds Appraisal Service and a partner in Appraiser eLearning, www.appraiserelearning.com. He provides residential and commercial valuation services throughout the region and various educational offerings, mentoring, consulting and litigation support services throughout the country as well as being available for lectures and is well known for his Think Outside the "Check" Box approach.

Serving as the Chief Appraiser for the Veteran’sAdministration’s (VA) Loan Guaranty Service since August 2018, he is responsible for developing and overseeing policies and regulations for the VA Construction and Valuation department.

As an owner of his own private appraisal firm, he was anactive member of the VA Appraiser panel for over 7 years. He is a full spectrum residential appraiser that ranges from; trophy properties, vacant land, rural locations and expert witness assignments. James is both Level I and II appraisal investigator trained by The Appraisal Foundation along with an Associate member of the Certified Fraud Examiners Association. He was appointed by the Governor of Arizona to serve on the State Board of Appraisals for two terms. Over the six years appointed to the board, he served as Vice chairman of the board, Chairman of application and personnel.

James holds a Master of Business Administration(MBA) form the University of Arizona. Has retired from the United States Marine Corps with over 20 years of service. Of the many awards received his highest awarded medal is the Meritorious Service Medal and a combat action award for numerous engagements in Iraq. As a retired Gunnery Sergeant, he is often referred to as “Gunny”. James is passionate about serving not only his county, but all fellow veterans and his community and has actively volunteered for the past umpteen years as a Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop 99 in Litchfield park Arizona where his wife and two kids still reside for the time being. James is married to Jody Heaslet and has two children.

HeatherSullivan serves as Head of Operations Training Programs at Aloft. In this role, she leads various educational programs committed to developing the next generation of appraisers and upskilling the current appraiser workforce. Heather has developed nationally-recognized appraisal courses and has taught appraiser education across the United States. Heather earned her Bachelor's in Finance from the University of Idaho and is an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor and IDECC Certified Distance Education Instructor. Heather is a Certified Real Estate Appraiser in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and California. Heather is a former Washington State Real Estate Appraiser Commissioner.

Shawn Telford currently serves as the Chief Appraiser for CoreLogic. Telford has been active in the real estate appraisal industry since 1993 and has deep experience in mortgage lending, collateral management and valuation technology. Telford is passionate about driving innovation in the valuation industry. After joining CoreLogic in 2007, Telford successfully led several initiatives to create and implement software as a service and automated risk-based collateral review solutions. Telford is a member of the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) and a past member of the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB). Telford holds a M.B.A., a MS in Computer Information Systems, and a BS in Business Management.

Nathan Brannen is the Chief Product Officer for Restb.ai. Restb.ai is the leader in real estate computer vision solutions. Restb.ai’s artificial intelligence automatically tags and classifies property photos with real estate-specific information. Nathan specializes in partnering with industry innovators to implement AI technology.

At ABB Enterprise Software, Brannen was Global Product Manager. He wrote design requirements, maintained backlog and determined priority for Agile scrum team designing and creating a new shared software framework. Brannen oversaw the design, beta release, and successful general release of the product platform and was recognized with ABB Top Talent Award. Brannen also managed a software platform focused on helping energy utilitiesaround the world (developed and emerging markets) make operational and planning decisions by focusing on forecasting, generation optimization, market bidding, constraint modeling and future resource expansion Worked with clients from the six major continents to model their unique power portfolios and markets while executing projects ranging from local deployments to cloud based (Azure) solutions.

Brannen holds an MBA from IESE Business School (Barcelona) and a Bachelor of Science from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Michael is the Senior Appraiser at the USDA Rural Housing office in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Mike is a proud “Fighting Mule”.. Central Missouri University – Home of the Fighting Mules. Mike appraised a gold mine in the 1990s.Rural Development is the only Agency of the Federal Government dedicated 100% to economic development in rural America. Rural Development’s 40 loan and grant programs can essentially build atown from bare ground to an occupied / thriving community. Rural Development’s motto is “Committed tothe future of Rural Communities”.

Ken DeFeo is a Senior Manager of Risk Management at Fannie Mae. He manages the team updating the Uniform Appraisal Dataset to better meet the needs of the mortgage industry and provide better clarity around appraisal reporting. DeFeo has worked in the Mortgage and Real Estate industry for 30 years with extensive experience in loan originations fulfillment, quality control and servicing valuations. At BNC Mortgage in 1995, he helped drive technological expansion while maintaining quality. DeFeo then worked on vendor contracts for JP Morgan Chase, where he also oversaw the startup of a QA department to validate vendor quality and internal audits. He then oversaw appraisal operations and was tasked with improving visibility around appraiser quality and the customer experience.

Sean Murphy is a Certified Residential appraiser, appraising residential real estate since 1992. As Freddie Mac’s credit policy risk analytics manager, he manages the Freddie Mac team of appraisal experts in the redesign of the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR); a joint effort with Fannie Mae to update the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) to reflect changes to the appraisal industry, address future appraisal needs, and facilitate ongoing digitization in the appraisal process and the mortgage industry. Originally hired by Freddie Mac for the creation and design of the Loan Collateral Advisor (LCA); a web-based tool that analyzes appraisal reports and provides a view of appraisal quality and valuation risk. Prior to Freddie Mac, Sean supervised the calibration of the cost and market models for all residential real estate assessments for Fairfax County, Virginia’s most populated county.

Erin Reed is Vice President of Vendor Operations and Scheduling for Originations Valuations. Erin is responsible for the management and oversight of operational teams, performance, panel capacity and vendor engagement workflows related to Origination Valuation field products. She has had 20 years of mortgage services industry experience focused on relationship management with both customers and appraisers as well technology initiatives to enhance the appraisal process. Working closely with our dedicated Client Service, Chief Appraiser, Compliance and Technology teams, Erin is committed to providing best-in-class service and appraisal experience for appraisers and consumers.

Prior to joining ServiceLink over 15 years ago, Erin held Erin Reed is Vice President of Vendor Operations and Scheduling for Originations Valuations. Erin is responsible for the management and oversight of operational teams, performance, panel capacity and vendor engagement workflows related to Origination Valuation field products. She has had 20 years of mortgage services industry experience focused on relationship management with both customers and appraisers as well technology initiatives to enhance the appraisal process. Working closely with our dedicated Client Service, Chief Appraiser, Compliance and Technology teams, Erin is committed to providing best-in-class service and appraisal experience for appraisers and consumers.

Gareth Borcherds is the Managing Director of Ascent Software Group, a position he has held since founding the company in 2018. With his leadership, Ascent has thrived through a commitment to continuous innovation and growth. In addition to his professional achievements, Gareth has a passion for golf, a sport he enjoys playing whenever he has a moment of free time. Gareth holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Penn State University and earned his MBA from Purdue University.

Lee Trice founded The Trice Group in 1987. After growing that firm to become the largest appraisal company in the MidAtlantic Region, Lee co-founded Valucentric with Real Valuation Services to replicate that success on a national scale. In 2021, Valucentric was acquired by Opteon to escalate growth around AMC, Appraisal Staff, and PropTech SaaS solutions. Lee was awarded professional designations from the Appraisal Institute and RICS, which is a global and multi-discipline valuation professional organization.

Specializing in residential properties, Jeff Hogan is known for his meticulous attention to detail and expertise in utilizing advanced technology for accurate property valuations and automated review applications. Leveraging over 35 years as a state-certified real estate appraiser, Jeff currently serves as Valligent’s Chief Appraiser and Veros Real Estates Solution’s Senior Vice President of Valuations. In these roles, he leads the development of cutting-edge valuation tools while helping to shape the future of the profession through his involvement with the Appraisal Foundation and other key industry stakeholders. 

Prior to his tenure at Veros and Valligent, Jeff excelled as an independent appraiser and held leadership positions in financial institutions including Bank of America and Citigroup. Jeff holds SRA and AI-RRS designations from the Appraisal Institute, where he currently chairs the Southern Branch of the Southern California chapter. As a sought-after speaker, Jeff regularly shares his insights on appraisal methodologies and emerging trends in the mortgage lending industry at conferences and events nationwide.

With 25+ years of product development and technology experience under his belt, Kenon Chen is an industry-recognized leader in real estate and fintech. As EVP of Strategy and Growth, having joined Clear Capital in 2003, Kenon sits at the intersection of Clear Capital’s executive, product, marketing, and sales teams. He’s been instrumental to the company’s product strategy and vision, having developed and brought to market some of the company’s most forward-looking solutions. At the end of the day, his goal is simple: make real estate better for homeowners, homebuyers, and industry professionals alike.

Loren Cooke is the moderator at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11^th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Loren Cooke is a seasoned leader with more than two decades of experience in driving technology and business solutions within the financial services industry, with an emphasis on real estate valuation and title and close services, mortgage and loan origination technologies, mortgage services, and data management. As President of Solidifi, Mr. Cooke’s strategic leadership encompasses all critical business functions across North America, including operations, technology, product delivery, field agent engagement, revenue generation, and customer and industry partnerships within the valuation, title and close, and insurance services sectors. Since joining Solidifi in 2008, he has been instrumental in the company’s dynamic growth and success. Prior to Solidifi, Mr. Cooke held senior management roles at Davis & Henderson and Equifax Inc. in the financial and mortgage services sector.

JeffRauland is the Chief Appraiser at Consolidated Analytics. He oversees all property appraisal and valuation performance initiatives, including managing the company’s property valuation appraisers, analysts, review staff, and third-party appraisers. Mr. Rauland is responsible for ensuring ethical, accurate, and compliant property reports and analysis, developing policies and procedures, and adopting technology and data products to enhance product quality. He also plays a central role in valuation product development.

Mr.Rauland is a 30+ year mortgage banking executive with deep experience in residential and commercial property valuation, appraisal industry standards, appraisal regulation, property analytics, housing market conditions, and appraisal technology. While Mr. Rauland brings substantial industry and housing market knowledge, he is also a well-traveled business executive with past experiences in the APAC region. In developing strategy and policy on behalf of the Consolidated Analytics valuation community, Mr. Rauland applies his global perspective to consider the broader implications of business decisions to the company, its customers, and its valued appraisal and real estate partners.

Mr.Rauland joined Consolidated Analytics after a recent stint as director of valuation policy for UBS Bank. Throughout his career, he has held executive roles for reputable businesses in the US, including Goldman Sachs, Opus Capital Market Advisors, Washington Mutual Bank, Land America, and Investec. He also
held roles with Tzu-Chun Real Estate Consultants and China Trust in Taipei.

John started his career in the valuation and mortgage industry as a real estate appraiser in 1995. He is a seasoned leader and strategist, developing and implementing innovative products and strategies for property valuation and data. John was a certified USPAP instructor and has held roles at LPS, Fannie Mae, Black Knight and now ICE.

As the Vice President of Digital Valuation Solutions at ICE Fixed Income & Data services, he is focused on creating solutions that bring transparency and simplicity to the home ownership journey. John leverages his analytical skills and appraisal expertise to transform business and consumer insights into actionable and value-added outcomes. He is passionate about using digital twins and property data to enhance the transparency and credibility of valuation processes and products. He is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, where he learned the importance of teamwork, integrity, and excellence.

Rachel Beam is a speaker at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11^th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Rachel Beam, named by HousingWire as a Woman of Influence in 2023, is a passionate leader with over 20 years of experience in the real estate and valuation profession. As Director of Collateral Policy, Rachel’s team establishes and maintains policy standards for property eligibility and appraisals, while also supporting inclusion and equity. Before that, she led a team of valuation professionals who were responsible for managing the quality and accuracy of appraisal products procured by a panel of over 500 appraisers. She played a fundamental role in the origins of the Appraiser Diversity Initiative®, aimed at bringing awareness and support to potential appraisal trainees. Originally from California, she holds an appraisal certification in Arizona, where she now lives. Prior to working at Fannie Mae, Rachel has held consulting and management roles with various financial institutions.

Denise Jernigan is a speaker at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Denise Jernigan is the Director of Single-Family Risk Management at Fannie Mae. She oversees the Appraisal Engagement function, which includes managing Appraiser Quality Monitoring (AQM) and Appraisal Diversity Initiatives (ADI). In her role, she is responsible for the supervision of (AQM) to enhance the quality and consistency of appraisal data on loans delivered to Fannie Mae. Additionally, she spearheads ADI aimed at
addressing the lack of racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the appraisal
industry.

Prior to joining Fannie Mae in 2003, Denise held numerous positions in Underwriting Management where she managed loan origination and mitigated mortgage risk.

Denise is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE) where she previously served on the Advisory Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dallas.

Hem Merriman is a speaker at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Hem Merriman is Executive Director and Head of Residential Valuation Quality Assurance. With a 20-year tenure at Wells Fargo, Hem proudly represents Wells Fargo on the Industry Advisory Council of the Appraisal Foundation, contributing his insights and expertise to further enhance the industry as a whole. He is an AQB
Certified USPAP instructor, possessing national review experience, and is a certified appraiser in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Prior to his current role, Hem spearheaded various initiatives within the Wells Fargo Appraisal Group, focusing on crucial projects aimed at diversifying the appraisal team and refining the valuation strategy and execution.

Peter J. Fontana is a speaker at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Peter has over thirty years of experience in the Real Estate Appraisal Profession. He has a diverse background with extensive experience in governmental appraisal, mass appraisal, personal property appraisal, single property appraisal, tax appeal, and litigation. He has also served as a Subject Matter Expert for the Appraisal Qualifications Board for 10 years as an exam item writer and served on the Appraisal Foundations Board of
Trustees, in Washington D.C. Peter began his career as the elected county assessor in one of Montana’s largest urban counties, then as a statewide appraisal supervisor for the Montana Department of Revenue, specializing in
mass appraisal model development, and finally owning and operating a private fee appraisal firm.

Peter is the principal and owner of Cornerstone Appraisal Service, a residential appraisal firm located in Central Montana. Peter holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, majoring in Finance, from the University of Montana.

Dr. Randy Flowers is a speaker at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Dr. Randy Flowers, President of Operations for RSDS Appraisal Diversity, brings with him nearly 15 years of leadership experience. Prior to joining RSDS Appraisal Diversity, Dr. Flowers served as a dean at a private university, where he was responsible for designing and implementing operations across various departments. With his extensive skills and experience, Dr. Flowers is well-equipped to lead and oversee the appraisal operations of RSDS Appraisal Diversity. Dr. Flowers aims to achieve this by establishing policies, developing an education system, and implementing staffing models that align with the company's culture and vision for nurturing a diverse generation of real estate appraisers for the future.

Andrew Bough is the Cheif Operating Officer at Class Valuation. In his leadership role at Class Valuation, Andrew is responsible for the overall management and performance of every aspect of Class Valuation. He oversees the ongoing development of key initiatives including the expansion of a best in class panel as well as valuation products and services.

A certified appraiser since 1993, Andrew has held important executive roles with regulated US lenders, including operations, and management of collateral risk for retail and wholesale lines. Previously, Andrew has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Valuation Officer at Solidifi, Managing Director of Valuation at JP Morgan Chase, and head of credit and valuations at ING Direct USA.

Jake Lew is the Co-Founder and CEO of Aivre, a pioneering real estate technology company that utilizes artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance the appraisal process. Under Jake’s leadership, Aivre is at the forefront of integrating advanced tech solutions to ensure compliant and efficient real estate appraisals.

Jake’s professional background includes certification as a Certified Residential Appraiser, which provides him with a deep understanding of the appraisal industry. His expertise is further demonstrated through his role as a Board Member for the Real Estate Appraisers Board (LARA) in Michigan, where he contributes to the development and implementation of industry standards.

A graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree, Jake combines his academic background with practical experience to drive innovation and excellence in the real estate sector. His dedication to advancing the industry is evident in his work at Aivre and his contributions to regulatory practices.

Jeff Foster is co-founder and CEO of HomeVision, Inc, a leading technology company combining machine intelligence, data science, computer vision and human judgment to automate and streamline the appraisal review and collateral underwriting process. Prior to starting HomeVision, he founded Clara Lending, a technology-enabled mortgage lending platform, which was sold to Sofi in 2018. Prior to HomeVision and Clara, Jeff was a Senior Policy Advisor at the US Treasury during the first term of the Obama Administration, where he worked on financial crisis response team and helped lead the Administration's housing finance policy, in particular changes and reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Prior to joining Treasury, Jeff was a private equity investor at Apollo Management. Jeff has a B.S from Duke University and grew up in Kansas City.

Jo Stinett is a Certified Real Estate appraiser and has been appraising been appraising since 2005. She is a current member and past president/board member of the Colorado Association of Real Estate Appraisers (CAREA) located in Colorado Springs Colorado.

Jo closed her appraisal business in 2015 and begin a career path with the government. After 6 years with HUD at the Denver Homeownership Center as a Review Appraiser she made a trip to VA as the Assistant Valuation Officer for the Denver Regional Loan Center. She came back to HUD working for Headquarters in DC in Single Family Policy Development assisting in the development of FHA policy. She recently transferred to California and is now the Division Director for the Processing and Underwriting Division at the Santa Ana Homeownership Center.

Jo has developed and presented continuing education courses to appraisers, mortgage lenders, and Realtors covering a variety of topics such as appraiser independence (HVCC/Dodd Frank), extracting and analyzing market trends, housing architectural styles, appraisal report writing, supporting adjustments, regression analysis, and more contemporary topics such as Appraisal Bias and Reconsiderations of Value.

Colleen McCafferty is a speaker at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11^th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Colleen McCafferty, Chief Compliance Officer (Solidifi U.S.) is a licensed attorney with more than 16 years of experience. She joined Solidifi’s compliance department in 2016 and now leads the team responsible for regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Solidifi, Ms. McCafferty worked in a legal and compliance role for Southwest Financial Services, Ltd. Ms. McCafferty began her career as an assistant county prosecutor where she provided legal services to various county departments and officials. Ms. McCafferty completed her undergraduate studies at Miami University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.

Jeremy Staudenmaier is a speaker at the Solidifi-sponsored ADI Session which will take place on Monday, August 11^th at 12:30 PM in the General Session room, Palace III.

Jeremy Staudenmaier is the Chief Residential Appraiser for Flagstar Bank and has been in the valuation profession for nearly 25 years. Prior to joining Flagstar, he was the General Manager of ACI, a leading provider of technology and workflow solutions for the valuation industry.

Staudenmaier has also held several key positions, including a collateral risk manager at Fannie Mae, where he played a crucial role in launching Collateral Underwriter and the UAD & Forms Redesign project. Additionally, he is an experienced leader performing and overseeing appraisal operations and review functions at Wells Fargo, GMAC and CitiFinancial in various capacities. Staudenmaier is also a proud veteran of the US Army where he served for more than 8 years.