NRMLA Southern Regional 13 Allan Chao, Longbridge Financial LLC Allen Chao is Vice President of Inside Sales at Longbridge Financial. He graduated Valedictorian at Lamar University College of Business with a BBA in Economics and Finance. Allen has been in the reverse mortgage industry for ten years. He is a member of the Houston chapter of the Mortgage Bankers Association and is proud to be a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional with NRMLA. Shelley Giordano, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage Shelley Giordano is Founder of the Academy for Home Equity in Financial Planning at the University of Illinois and author of “What’s the Deal with Reverse Mortgages.” In her two-decade career in reverse mortgage lending, Shelley has championed ethical standards for the industry with an emphasis on introducing how housing wealth can strengthen retirement income security to financial professionals. She has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger, Time, the New York Times and sundry other publications. Currently, Shelley is Director of Enterprise Integration at Mutual of Omaha. Shelley earned a BA from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and an MA from Old Dominion University. She splits her time between Washington, DC and her farm in Warrenton, VA and is nuts for her Australian Shepherds, Scout and Harper. Melinda Hipp, Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage Melinda Hipp is the Area Sales Manager for Texas and Oklahoma with Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage and a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional (CRMP). Having been a loan originator for over 26 years, Melinda is fluent in both forward and reverse mortgages. However, her passion for the older generation has propelled her to understand every portion of the HECM process, including underwriting, closing, funding, and servicing and has been focusing solely on the product since 2020. Melinda holds an MBA and MA from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor’s in music education from Texas Tech. Outside of her passion for reverse mortgages, Melinda is also a Golf Rules Referee and serves on committees with the USGA, Texas Golf Association and Golf San Antonio when not playing golf herself. Steve Irwin, National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association As president of NRMLA, Steve Irwin oversees the association’s initiatives to serve as an educational resource, policy advocate and public affairs center for consumers, lenders and related professionals. His background includes experience with strategic planning, organizational design, portfolio acquisition, risk management and quality control. He received his B.A. from Grinnell College and his MBA from the University of San Francisco. Elly Johnson, All Reverse Pro Elly Johnson has spent over 40 years in mortgage banking with the past 28 years in an executive capacity with several of the industry’s largest reverse mortgage originators and servicing providers. She now uses her years of experience and knowledge of the reverse mortgage industry to assist others in all aspects of the business as the owner and president of All Reverse Pro. She is an active NRMLA member, industry speaker, co-chair of the NRMLA HUD issues committee, and member of the NRMLA Board of Directors. In 2017, Elly received a “Career Achievement Award” from NRMLA for her thoughtful and tireless leadership in the reverse mortgage industry.
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