Joe Welu is the founder and CEO of Total Expert, the fintech software leader that launched the first customer experience platform purpose-built for modern financial institutions. Since 2012, Joe has led Total Expert’s vision, culture, and growth to more than 300 employees today. The company powers CRM, marketing, and customer engagement for more than 170 financial institutions—from leading community banks and credit unions to 15 of the top 25 U.S. banks and lenders. Total Expert’s growth has skyrocketed since its inception, being named the #1 CRM platform by STRATMOR Group and earning top spots on the Inc. 5000 and HousingWire Tech100.

With more than 25 years of experience in application software, Pete has a proven track record of leading organizations through growth and transformation. He successfully built high-performing teams and launched products that meet customer needs and drive revenue growth. He previously led the corporate strategy at Bonterra after a flourishing 10-year employment at IBM, which concluded with him managing a complex global product portfolio. Pete’s role as Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Total Expert is supported by his diverse background across numerous organizational functions. In addition to his CPO experience, Pete has held leadership roles across numerous functions including sales, marketing, support, implementation, partnerships, M&A, corporate strategy and quality assurance.

Andrew leads our Customer Success and services teams with a deep commitment to operational excellence, empathy, and a belief that extraordinary customer experiences are built at the intersection of strategy and service. With 15 years of experience in SaaS, he brings a track record of scaling organizations through both acquisition and organic growth – from $20M to $350M in revenue – while never losing sight of the people at the heart of the journey. Before joining Total Expert, Andrew served as SVP of Support and Payments at Bonterra, where he helped reimagine customer care by building high-impact global teams and driving a culture of clarity, care, and accountability.

With 20 years of experience in mortgage technology, Dan Catinella is a seasoned technology executive focused on driving digital transformation through all channels of lending. In an ever-changing digital landscape, Dan keeps a constant pulse on the next innovation that could change the way business is conducted. As Chief Lending Officer for Total Expert, Catinella identifies and develops high-impact innovation strategies that align with the company’s business goals and growth priorities. He works with Total Expert’s customers to dig into the problems they’re looking to solve and aligns Total Expert’s innovation strategy with their business goals.

Michael Carey is a new face on the Training & Education Team. Having worked at Total Expert with Content Marketing Services since 2019, he brings a wide breadth of experience with the platform. He has helped facilitate implementations with retail lenders, credit unions, insurance companies, and banks and loves to teach everyone how to use Total Expert to its fullest potential. As an avid fan of musicals, you’re likely to find him performing onstage with a variety of local theatres. If he’s not at work or rehearsal, you’ll find him hiking, traveling, or haunting the nearest cinema.

John Chambers Dunn is a teacher at heart and a trainer by luck. He has worked at Total Expert since 2018, allowing him to gain deep experience with the product, the people, and the mission. Within the Professional Services team, John has worked with retail and consumer direct lenders, banks, credit unions, and insurance companies to optimize their use of TE, grow their business, and learn the best practices, tips, and tricks that make Total Expert the best platform for the industry. John sings in a professional choir in the Twin Cities and enjoys dogs, hiking, traveling, and trying new restaurants.

Laura Clapper has been with NFM Lending since 2020. Her career in marketing began in 2001, with experience spanning several industries with the majority in marketing leadership roles within the mortgage industry. Laura leads NFM’s marketing team with a strong background in working with retail and branch sales in the mortgage industry. Her deep experience in the interactive and digital space allows her to effectively develop strategies and launch marketing platforms and campaigns, with an emphasis on reporting, optimization, and maximum conversion to drive sales success and enablement. Her vast experience developing and managing CRM systems, improving online customer experience, and expanding brand awareness through SEO and SEM, plays a pivotal role in sales success. Laura hold a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware and resides in Maryland with her husband and three children.

Clayton Collins is the Founder, Chair, and Chief Executive Officer of HW Media, the leading media and information services company for housing and real estate professionals. As Publisher of HousingWire, he drives the company’s mission to empower housing leaders with trusted journalism, proprietary data, and industry-leading events.

Clayton Collins' Experience
Since acquiring HousingWire in 2016, Clayton has led HW Media’s transformation into a multi-brand platform, expanding its reach through the acquisitions of RealTrends and Altos Research. Under his leadership, HW Media delivers critical market intelligence, data-driven insights, and high-impact events that inform and connect professionals across housing finance and real estate.

RealTrends is the definitive source for brokerage and agent rankings, serving real estate professionals for over 35 years. Altos Research provides real-time market analytics, offering weekly housing data and predictive insights covering 99% of U.S. ZIP codes. These brands, alongside HousingWire, form a comprehensive ecosystem that supports real estate professionals, mortgage lenders, and investors in making more informed decisions.

Beyond HW Media, Clayton is the Managing Partner of Riomar Capital, an entrepreneurial investment firm focused on media, data, and technology. Earlier in his career, he worked in M&A at RBC Capital Markets and served as Vice President of National Sales & Marketi

With over 20 years of experience in training and development, I’ve built my career around the intersection of people and technology. I specialize in creating engaging, tech-driven solutions that make complex processes simpler, smarter, and more human. By leveraging innovation and education, I focus on empowering employees with tools that improve efficiency and confidence—while also delivering seamless, transparent experiences for clients as they navigate mortgage financing. At the heart of my work is a commitment to empowering growth through innovation, education, and technology, ensuring that every interaction—internal or external—adds value to the journey.

Kyle Green is a Director of Product Management at Cotality, with 15 years of experience dedicated to advancing technology processes for lenders from lead to closing. His distinguished career includes the pivotal scaling of two highly successful mortgage startups: Total Expert, the first mortgage customer engagement platform, and SimpleNexus, a mortgage point-of-sale recently acquired by nCino. Kyle's leadership has been instrumental in driving strategic vision, scaling high-performing teams, and championing the adoption of transformative new technologies.

As AVP MarTech Strategy & Adoption at Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC, Jelaire Grillo is dedicated to helping businesses understand that their brand is more than just design – it's the customer's perception. With a focus on building relationships and empowering entrepreneurs, Jelaire digs deep to uncover the authentic stories that drive brand success. Her expertise in brand strategy, marketing creativity, and technology adoption makes her a dynamic force in the industry.
 
Mom of a 9 year old and 2 pups
Travel baseball mom
Avid reader
Competitive Power Lifter
Small business owner
Amateur baker

Scott Kirkessner is a senior marketing executive with nearly a decade of experience driving growth at the intersection of mortgage lending, technology, and creative strategy. As the Vice President of Marketing & Business Development at Castle & Cooke Mortgage, Scott has transformed the marketing department into a revenue engine, generating more than $275 million in funded volume and empowering loan officers through customer analytics, data-driven campaigns, and automations through enterprise platforms like Total Expert and Homebot.

Known for his loan officer–centric mindset, Scott has led national recruiting initiatives, automated engagement strategies, and rebuilt brand presence from the ground up, all while million-dollar budgets and mentoring high-performing teams. His leadership is defined by hands-on innovation, measurable ROI, and strong cross-functional partnerships that turn marketing from a cost center into a growth accelerator.

Scott was honored as a 2025 Sales, Marketing, & PR Trailblazer by the PROGRESS in Lending Association, recognizing his bold approach to growth, technology adoption, and brand transformation in a rapidly shifting market.

Marissa Kosin is an experienced technology educator with a passion for sales. She leads Total Expert’s Training & Education Team in facilitating technical training and consulting sessions in mortgage, banking, and insurance. In today’s market, her team focuses largely on consulting marketers and sales teams in tactfully nurturing their pipelines with data driven insights. Formally educated in learning and memory, she is deeply invested in eliminating barriers in the learning process. Marissa believes in having the best time possible while acquiring new skills as a retention tactic. This philosophy drives the engaging sessions hosted by Training & Education at Accelerate.

Steve Majerus is the CEO of Synergy One Lending, Inc. In April of 2020, Steve led a management buyout of the company from Mutual of Omaha. Steve is focused on the strategic vision of the company, which is licensed in 49 states and Washington, D.C., and has over 300 employees. Before joining Synergy One Lending as President in March of 2017, Majerus held various leadership roles in both private and public mortgage companies ranging from capital markets to sales and operations. His experience has cut across multiple channels in the mortgage space, most notably in a senior role with internet lending pioneer, Eloan, from 1997-2003 and as Regional Executive of the largest region in the US with the joint venture between PHH and Realogy (now Guaranteed Rate Affinity).

With over a decade of experience in sales and marketing within the mortgage space, Hannah brings a powerful mix of strategic insight and creative leadership to her role. She’s helped shape Atlantic Bay’s brand into one of the most recognized and awarded in the industry — including being named the #1 Best Large Mortgage Company to Work For and a “Best of the Best” by Scotsman Guide. Hannah is passionate about authentic storytelling, data-driven marketing, and building a culture where people feel connected — whether they’re colleagues, customers, or community partners. Outside of work, she’s a proud mom of three boys, a beach lover, and a big believer in the power of teamwork.

Kevin Peranio, Chief Lending Officer, and partner at PRMG, is an active executive leader in the mortgage industry. He oversees all production and works with both the sales and operations teams. His primary goal is to enhance the overall customer experience when doing business with PRMG. This includes creating robust reporting features, consumer-facing activities, and modern lending technology, ensuring accountability at all layers and levels of the process. In his own words, "the inside drives the outside."Since joining PRMG in 2010, Kevin led the Southeast Region to become the #1 Ranked Region for PRMG, reaching this milestone in record time. This achievement ultimately propelled Kevin to become one of the youngest partners at PRMG. Kevin is also a four-time president's cabinet member and was recognized by NMP as one of the top 40 under 40. He is a national speaker within the mortgage industry and has been interviewed on several podcasts, including speaking at HousingWire's Engage Marketing Summit, AIME Fuse, ICE Technology, and other industry events.Most recently, Kevin has become known on LinkedIn for his insightful "Walk and Talk" video posts and for his Instagram "KP Talks Dollars and Sense" Podcast, where he shares his perspective and knowledge on various subjects. Mr. Peranio received his Bachelor of Science in Advertising Business

Greg Sher joined NFM in 1999 as a loan originator and worked his way up to Head of Business Development before opening up his own company, Citizens Lending Group in early 2003. After nearly 7 successful years as a correspondent lender, Sher rejoined NFM in July 2009, along with 106 of his employees, many of whom remain with NFM to this day, including several key department heads. During his tenure as Managing Partner, Sher had a hand in building the Influencer Division, Recruiting and Marketing departments from the ground up. In late 2015, he created the NFM Salute (www.nfmsalute.com), which recognizes current and former military members every month for their service. Through the NFM Salute, NFM has donated several hundred thousand dollars to multiple veteran-related charities. In 2017, Sher created and launched “NFM TV,” which quickly gained recognition as a national leader in mortgage-related interviews and video content (www.nfmtv.com). Before entering the mortgage industry, he was Sports Director of WBAL Radio in Baltimore, where he hosted a drive-time sports talk show on the Orioles and Ravens flagship station. He also did weekend sports anchoring on WBAL 

As the Chief Marketing Officer of Nationwide Mortgage Bankers (NMB), Jarrett Stanley encompasses stewardship of all marketing and branding initiatives across the company. Stanley leads an energetic, talented marketing team dedicated to revolutionizing the industry’s marketing landscape. Stanley and his team’s mission involves leveraging strategic communication and branding to amplify its reach, ensure customer engagement and enhance the overall image of the already well-respected and growing NMB brand.

Focusing on a data-driven approach, Stanley and his team utilize predictive analytics and customer insights to craft targeted campaigns that resonate with a diverse customer base. He is committed to fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability at NMB, allowing them to quickly respond to market shifts and emerging trends.

As the Senior Vice President, Marketing at Guaranteed Rate, I lead and develop a team of thirteen professionals who drive adoption and innovation within the company's marketing technology stack. With over 8 years of experience in the mortgage industry, I have established strategic partnerships with key vendors, such as Yext, Mortgage Coach, Total Expert, BombBomb, Yelp, Adwerx, and Evocalize, and created a cohesive marketing platform for loan officers and a successful strategy for the company.

I am passionate about optimizing customer engagement and retention through data-driven and personalized email campaigns, which have resulted in a doubling of the monthly newsletter audience and an 8% year-over-year increase in open rates. I also execute comprehensive marketing plans that consistently achieve targets for increased revenue and capture new customers. I leverage my skills in executive reports, project management, and problem-solving to enhance business plans and day-to-day activities, and align marketing efforts with the company's vision and goals.

Ann Marie Wallace is a sales enablement and digital transformation leader with nearly 30 years of experience in financial services. Beginning her career in mortgage operations in the late 1990s, she has since advanced into senior leadership roles driving CRM adoption, sales engagement, and customer success. She currently serves as Mortgage Marketing Program Manager at Fifth Third Bank, where she equips sales teams with the tools, strategies, and insights needed to deliver measurable growth.

Luke Wieneke is a Senior Software Training Consultant who loves to help admins find solutions within Total Expert and help end-users thrive. He has been with Total Expert since 2020 and was a TE admin at a local bank before joining the company, allowing him to see the end-user's perspectives in their environment. Luke has been involved in training mortgage, banking, insurance, and recruiting at Total Expert and loves being on the cutting edge of training anything new in the platform. In his spare time, he enjoys playing fastpitch softball with the boys, attending as many Minnesota United games as possible, and spending time with his two sons.