My team and I are responsible for processing the annual inspections due to the investor, processing the uniform commercial codes, and completing the new loan underwriting setup in RAMP. The primary goal is to ensure that each loan remains in compliance with the servicing guide and to ensure that the value of the property is maintained as collateral throughout the life of the loan.

I appreciate being able to choose my own leadership strategy at Lument, and I’ve always believed in leading by example. This dates to my time at the University of Kansas, where it was a huge honor for me to become a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black sorority. My experience there deeply reinforced for me the values of sisterhood, diversity, and equality—values that inform my daily role as a senior associate and which I am now passing on to my children.

Since graduating from Baker University with a BBA, I have worked in several different industries, and my experiences have varied widely. For instance, I worked at an engineering firm where even though I consistently took on more responsibilities and new roles, all my career moves seemed to be lateral. But this improved immediately after I accepted my first commercial real estate job and blossomed even further at Lument, where I see a more diverse group of Black women and men in leadership roles. It’s been exciting and refreshing to see.

We still have a long way to go. I believe diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) should be top-of-mind in all industries—not just commercial real estate. When you have a diverse workplace, people from different backgrounds can come together and share experiences in a comfortable setting. When people are comfortable, they open up to others and contribute more. Ideas and conversations flow more easily, and you end up with solutions that, as much as possible, meet everyone’s needs. I hope that I am contributing to making this a reality every day at Lument.

My children and I talk about DE&I a lot. What I would love to see, when they move on to enter their careers, is that they’re comfortable in their environment. I would like to see a world where my children fit in, feel accepted, and just know in their hearts that they belong.