Cristy Ward, Chief Strategy Officer, Mortgage Connect

Cristy Ward has led as Chief Strategy Officer at Mortgage Connect since 2012 with oversight of Strategy and Revenue.  She is also the President and Founder of Women Empowering Women Council.  Cristy has more than 20 years’ industry experience working with top ten lenders to develop strategy, product solutions, and streamlined processes to maximize operational efficiencies and mitigate risk.

As the architect of the industry’s first Enhanced Closing Model,  she takes a comprehensive approach to the consumer experience through digitization, education, and communication within the Mortgage process. She has earned a reputation as a problem-solver who develops innovative, tailored solutions to manage today’s complex issues, including managing capacity, improving quality, keeping abreast of regulatory standards, improving loan transparency, and meeting the challenges of shifting to the centralization of vendors for third-party oversight.

Prior to Mortgage Connect, Ms. Ward held key leadership positions with noteworthy companies including Stewart Title. She was the Executive Vice President of Sales at National Real Estate Information Services (NREIS), where she developed new business models and supporting infrastructure that led her team to triple the company’s new sales volume and played a pivotal role in the company’s sale to a Fortress Investment Group in 2011.

As a sought-after contributor, she has served on numerous industry panels and provides editorial contributions for several of the industry’s premier publications. She is an expert in Title Insurance & Closing Models as well as regulatory policies and procedures. Her achievements have been recognized through several awards including the prestigious MBA Doc Jore Award for Excellent Service and a Top 40 Leading Lady in U.S. Housing by MReport. She has also been named a 2021 NEXT Powerhouse Partner Award Winner and twice named one of HousingWire’s Women of Influence (2020 & 2021).