Marcia Griffin, Founder & President

Marcia Griffin is on a mission to strengthen people, elevate partners, and enhance communities across America. As founder and president of HomeFree-USA, Marcia has helped thousands to achieve and retain the dream of homeownership and greater wealth. HomeFree-USA enjoys a remarkable 0% foreclosure rate among families that have participated in the organization’s pre- and post-purchase guidance programs. Serving as a bridge between financial institutions and the community, Marcia addresses the needs of homebuyers and homeowners with targeted education, distinctive marketing strategies and lender partnerships.

James Griffin, EVP & Chief Housing Officer

Jim founded the first African-American Mortgage Servicing company. His career spans more than 55 years in mortgage banking with a focus on affordable housing and direct experience in mortgage lending, management of specialized loan programs, inner city real estate development, housing consulting, and the provision of transitional housing and support for homeless families. He has worked across the U.S. and abroad serving as a financial advisor and public housing policy consultant to HUD, U.S.A.I.D., World Bank, and numerous city, state and foreign governments.

Michael S. Waldron, President, Compliability Solutions LLC, Board Chair

Michael Waldron has over 25 years of helping management teams navigate regulatory, transactional, corporate governance, and litigation matters while mitigating risk and expanding market position. He has extensive experience advising and representing hundreds of financial services companies both in-house and as outside counsel. His success in optimizing compliance, quality, legal, and risk solutions in financial services led to the launch of his advisory services and staffing company where he delivers strategic direction to management teams on legal/compliance issues and corporate governance matters. He advises on creating cost-effective risk mitigation structures that support the clients’ direction and growth.

Gwendolyn Garnett, Executive Director of CFA

Gwendolyn Garnett is Executive Director for the Center for Financial Advancement® with HomeFree-USA in Riverdale, MD with a focus on providing financial, leadership and professional development training for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  She is the former Neighborhood Lending executive for the Consumer Real Estate division of Bank of America. She is the recipient of many awards for her work in diversity and mentoring and is an active member of St. Paul Baptist Church where she serves in several ministries.  She has a passion for travel and interior design, and resides in Charlotte, NC.

Joseph Ohayon, SVP, Head of State & Local Government Relations, Wells Fargo

Joe Ohayon is head of State & Local Government Relations for Government and Community Relations at Wells Fargo Company. He is responsible for leading the company’s outreach strategy with state and local government officials and agencies to address reputation and policy issues affecting the company in the states and communities in which we operate. He also oversees community outreach and initiatives with national and local housing and credit counseling agencies to promote homeownership education and home preservation efforts and stimulate growth and stability in distressed areas. Ohayon joined Wells Fargo in 2006 as head of Community Outreach for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Under Ohayon’s leadership, the team led more than 1,600 home preservation events across the U.S., helping 46,000 homeowners facing financial hardship.

Efe Aghimien, Chief Financial Officer, SWBC Mortgage

Efe Aghimien joined SWBC in 2017 and serves as SWBC Mortgage Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day financial activities, planning, and reporting. Efe has more than 20 years of experience in the accounting field and has a keen ability to lead cross-functional teams. Before joining SWBC, Efe was Vice President of Accounting and Controller at Stonegate Mortgage Corporation. Prior to that, he was Director of Dealer Services for Moorehead Communications. Efe also worked for more than 10 years at Deloitte in numerous roles. He is a CPA and holds his Mortgage Bankers Association Certified Mortgage Bankers (CMB) and Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP) accreditation.

Paul Koches, President, Mortgage Policy Advisors, LLC

Paul Koches has practiced law for over 35 years with broad experience including regulatory, corporate, finance, mergers and acquisitions, international, and intellectual property matters.  Currently he is President of Mortgage Policy Advisors, LLC, a business consulting firm, and serves on boards of directors of various non-profit organizations. He previously held executive positions in a leading mortgage servicing company, serving as General Counsel and then Senior Advisor for Government and Community Relations, and was partner in a large Washington DC-based law firm.

Megan O. Moore, Partner, Government Affairs, Policy & Advocacy Division, FGS Global 

Megan Moore is a Partner in the Government Affairs, Policy and Advocacy division at FGS Global. At the firm, Megan provides strategic counsel on policy, politics, and process to clients in a range of industries. Her significant experience and relationships with Members of Congress, regulators and the Administration enables her to help clients successfully anticipate and navigate the often choppy and frequently unpredictable public affairs sea and tell the right story to the right people.

Simone Griffin Taylor, EVP, Managing Director of Affiliate Network, HomeFree-USA

Simone Griffin Taylor currently serves as EVP, Managing Director of Affiliate Network for HomeFree-USA, where she oversees compliance, federal and private funding, and Congressional advocacy for 61 affiliate organizations nationwide. She also implements nationwide federal government grants as well as those from various funders and private banks. Since 2009, Simone has additionally managed the Project Rebound program, which acquires, renovates and sells foreclosed homes to low-to-moderate income families. To date, Project Rebound has placed over 412 first time homebuyers into newly refurbished homes.

Milan Griffin, EVP, Chief Operations Officer, HomeFree-USA

As EVP, Chief Operations Officer at HomeFree-USA, Milan Griffin is responsible for running all facets of the company with a focus on operations management, strategic growth, and marketing. With Black homeownership at an all-time low and the swift wave of gentrification in cities nationwide, Milan has led multiple companywide campaigns to show communities of color how to move from renting to owning, while connecting them with resources to get prepared for mortgage approval. Seeing the dire need to financially educate and uplift people at a younger age, Milan co-founded the Center for Financial Advancement (CFA), a national financial preparation, talent development and recruitment program at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Wil Lewis, Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, Experian

As Experian’s Global Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, Wil Lewis is building on the company’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity by driving innovation in product development, building on the company’s culture of belonging and attracting talent that represents the communities in which Experian operates. Wil currently serves on the board of Disability: IN, which includes more than 50 Fortune 500 companies committed to driving equality for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, he serves on the board of Centers for New Horizons, a social service agency focused on child and elder care as well as foster and adoption needs on Chicago’s south side.