Women in Housing: Giving Back to the Community

Safeguard in the News
September 8, 2022

Source: The M Report

On Tuesday, September 20 at Noon Central, the Five Star Institute will recognize and honor the accomplishments of the industry’s women executives during the Five Star Conference and Expo’s Women in Housing Leadership Awards Luncheon, to be held during the annual Five Star Conference and Expo in Dallas.

Each year, nominees are presented across five categories, and that group is then narrowed down further to a final list of finalists. These pioneers are women who are making a difference in the industry and leaving their mark on their colleagues and team members, both within the workplace and beyond.

Today, we focus on the finalists for Corporate Social Responsibility Award, an award recognizing those women executives who are driving charitable initiatives and helping the industry make a positive difference in the lives of many by giving back to their community.

Congratulations to the final five nominees for the 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility Award:

Carrie Tackett

Director of Business Development, Safeguard Properties

What Others Are Saying:

“Carrie Tackett started her career in 2006 at ServiceLink and joined Safeguard Properties in 2010 as an REO Supervisor. She currently holds the position of Director of Business Development. She has been a member of the AMDC since 2019, promoting diversity within the mortgage industry. She is a member of the VFSAC committee, which addresses the needs of veterans in relation to housing and critical services. Carrie also cultivated a relationship between Safeguard Properties and the Military Warrior Support Foundation, where the Safeguard vendor network is used to renovate homes to be gifted to wounded veterans.”

What This Nomination Means to Her:

“Being nominated for the Corporate Social Responsibility Award means that I have been acknowledged as the face of a company who has been recognized for helping communities for many years. It means I am a part of how we successfully build employee engagement and sustainable partnerships through activities such as volunteering, financial contributions, community service, ecofriendly practices, and many creative activities by which Safeguard gives back to our nation’s communities. Partnerships with VFSAC and Military Warriors Support Foundation allow us to directly impact housing opportunities for our nation’s military heroes. I am honored to be considered a leader in all Safeguard social initiatives.”

Darcy Chapman

VP, Strategic Partnerships, Auction.com

What Others Are Saying:

“Darcy Chapman is caring and competitive. In a recent fundraising campaign for Feeding America, she was the highest fundraiser. As a former foster mom, Darcy is aware of the harmful effects of food insecurity. She and her husband also support a local Dallas charity, Lil’ Warriors Foundation. This nonprofit partners with communities to provide financial assistance for families with children battling critical medical challenges. Darcy supports the foundation financially and by volunteering her time. Darcy belongs to Auction.com’s Inclusion, Diversity, Engagement, and Awareness (IDEA) Council and has been a VFSAC A.”

What This Nomination Means to Her:

“To be considered as a candidate for the Corporate Social Responsibility Award is an absolute honor. There are so many women who selflessly give of themselves daily without recognition. Recently, social responsibility has taken on a new meaning for me. I am a new mom to a baby girl and have a 10-year-old stepdaughter. It’s imperative to me that they are not blinded to the bleak realities some others face. I want my children to fully understand that with being fortunate comes the responsibility of good stewardship to those in need.”

Tamara Gifford

Director, Community & External Relations, Ocwen

What Others Are Saying:

“Tamara Gifford leads Ocwen’s corporate social responsibility efforts which provided over $26 million in funding since 2012 to mortgage industry, consumer advocacy, and nonprofit organizations that serve low- to moderate-income families. In addition to this, she manages Ocwen’s Community Advisory Council, a group of 15 diverse industry leaders who provide expertise and guidance. Members include NCRC, UnidosUS, NAACP, and others. She oversees borrower outreach efforts resulting in 100+ virtual outreach events across 29 states since the beginning of the pandemic. In 2021, Ocwen received the External Partner of the Year award from Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC.”

What This Nomination Means to Her:

“It’s an honor to be selected as a finalist for the Five Star Institute’s Women in Housing Corporate Social Responsibility Award. The work my peers and I do is instrumental in helping low- to moderate-income individuals and families. This nomination underlines my lifelong dream to be able to help those who are struggling financially. Ocwen’s commitment to helping homeowners has been the platform to which we’ve built our corporate giving program, focused on those organizations that have the greatest impact. I am proud we’ve been able to provide over $26 million since 2012 to our nonprofit, consumer advocacy, and industry association partners.”

Toniqua Green

VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mr. Cooper Group

What Others Are Saying:

“With her 15 years of mortgage experience, Toniqua Green has leveraged her knowledge along with her passion to help others. She is responsible for driving corporate social responsibility initiatives, community outreach, and environmental social governance programs at Mr. Cooper. During her time as VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, Toniqua has elevated engagement within the company and taken on new directives in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She shares her knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion at industry events to encourage others to join in the efforts. Her department has helped with the Homeowner Assistance Funds to assist borrowers after the pandemic. To meet Toniqua Green, is to know she has a passion to help people in their distress. She is known for her tenacious ability to get things done!”

What This Nomination Means to Her:

“I am honored to be nominated for the 2022 Women in Housing Corporate Social Responsibility Award. It is a testament to the great things we are doing at Mr. Cooper Group. Leading the Corporate Social Responsibility team for Mr. Cooper Group was the career path I never knew I needed. I enjoy being able to partner with housing advocates, state housing agencies, and federal housing associations to provide mortgage assistance to homeowners in need, manage our outreach efforts, government-sponsored initiatives, strategic planning of foreclosure prevention, and new homeowner efforts in low- to moderate-income markets and underserved communities. I love that my team and I are able to live out Mr. Cooper’s vision of keeping the dream of homeownership alive. Every day we are looking for ways to help our homeowners and better our communities.”

Dana Stephenson

Consumer Direct Onboarding Manager, Caliber Home Loans, Inc.

What Others Are Saying:

“When it comes to philanthropic events, Dana is the go-to person at Caliber to help organize, plan, and participate. She is a key driver in offering continued support to Caliber’s favorite nonprofits, like Operation Homefront, Patriot Paws, and Gatehouse Women’s Shelter. As a veteran herself, she has played an especially huge part in Caliber’s military-related partnerships and events. Last year, Dana led efforts to provide $250 gift cards to military high schoolers so that they could purchase new clothes and supplies for school, along with over 80 stocked backpacks that she personally handed out on-base with almost $10,000 worth of supplies.”

What This Nomination Means to Her:

“I’m honored to be nominated for this award, but the work I get to do and the opportunity that I’ve been given to use my skills, talents, and resources to serve the community is truly its own reward. This nomination has helped me to reflect upon the opportunities I’ve had and the impact I’ve made in improving the lives of veterans and their families within our communities. This nomination means more to me than recognition—it means that we, as a society, are bringing awareness, accountability, and commitment to various issues impacting the communities in which we live and work.”

 

 

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CEO

Alan Jaffa

Alan Jaffa is the Chief Executive Officer for Safeguard Properties, steering the company as the mortgage field services industry leader. He also serves on the board of advisors for SCG Partners, a middle-market private equity fund focused on diversifying and expanding Safeguard Properties’ business model into complimentary markets.

Alan joined Safeguard in 1995, learning the business from the ground up. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2002, and was named CEO in May 2010. His hands-on experience has given him unique insights as a leader to innovate, improve and strengthen Safeguard’s processes to assure that the company adheres to the highest standards of quality and customer service.

Under Alan’s leadership, Safeguard has grown significantly with strategies that have included new and expanded services, technology investments that deliver higher quality and greater efficiency to clients, and strategic acquisitions. He takes a team approach to process improvement, involving staff at all levels of the organization to address issues, brainstorm solutions, and identify new and better ways to serve clients.

In 2008, Alan was recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business in its annual “40-Under-40” profile of young leaders. He also was named a NEO Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award finalist in 2013.

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Esq., General Counsel and EVP

Linda Erkkila

Linda Erkkila is the General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Safeguard Properties, with oversight of legal, human resources, training, and compliance. Linda’s broad scope of oversight covers regulatory issues that impact Safeguard’s operations, risk mitigation, strategic planning, human resources and training initiatives, compliance, insurance, litigation and claims management, and counsel related to mergers, acquisition and joint ventures.

Linda assures that Safeguard’s strategic initiatives align with its resources, leverage opportunities across the company, and contemplate compliance mandates. She has practiced law for 25 years and her experience, both as outside and in-house counsel, covers a wide range of corporate matters, including regulatory disclosure, corporate governance compliance, risk assessment, compensation and benefits, litigation management, and mergers and acquisitions.

Linda earned her JD at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She holds a degree in economics from Miami University and an MBA. Linda was previously named as both a “Woman of Influence” by HousingWire and as a “Leading Lady” by MReport.

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COO

Michael Greenbaum

Michael Greenbaum is the Chief Operating Officer of Safeguard Properties, where he has played a pivotal role since joining the company in July 2010. Initially brought on as Vice President of REO, Mike’s exceptional leadership and strategic vision quickly propelled him to Vice President of Operations in 2013, and ultimately to COO in 2015. Over his 14-year tenure at Safeguard, Mike has been instrumental in driving change and fostering innovation within the Property Preservation sector, consistently delivering excellence and becoming a trusted partner to clients and investors.

A distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Mike earned a degree in Quantitative Economics. Following his graduation, he served in the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Branch, where he specialized in supply chain management. Before his tenure at Safeguard, Mike honed his expertise by managing global supply chains for 13 years, leveraging his military and civilian experience to lead with precision and efficacy.

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CFO

Joe Iafigliola

Joe Iafigliola is the Chief Financial Officer for Safeguard Properties. Joe is responsible for the Control, Quality Assurance, Business Development, Marketing, Accounting, and Information Security departments. At the core of his responsibilities is the drive to ensure that Safeguard’s focus remains rooted in Customer Service = Resolution. Through his executive leadership role, he actively supports SGPNOW.com, an on-demand service geared towards real estate and property management professionals as well as individual home owners in need of inspection and property preservation services. Joe is also an integral force behind Compliance Connections, a branch of Safeguard Properties that allows code enforcement professionals to report violations at properties that can then be addressed by the Safeguard vendor network. Compliance Connections also researches and shares vacant property ordinance information with Safeguard clients.

Joe has an MBA from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University’s Honors Accounting program.

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Business Development

Carrie Tackett

Business Development Safeguard Properties