Mortgage industry veterans to help academy expand its reach

Athens, Georgia; March 20, 2023 – AXIS Lending Academy, a nonprofit program that educates and empowers individuals looking to begin a career in mortgage, has appointed Tai Christensen and Jacob Gaffney to its Board of Directors.

Founded in 2022 by Paul Gigliotti and Jerri Herrera, Brendon Weiss and Bianca Broos AXIS is a free, 90-day online education program thoughtfully designed to help highly motivated individuals build lasting and fulfilling careers in mortgage. The academy’s mission is to address the lending industry’s staffing and education gap by training a diverse pool of candidates to enter a career in mortgage in a meaningful and impactful way. The program includes professional development courses, a wellness program, mentorship, and a paid internship.

Gigliotti said the addition of Christensen and Gaffney to the board will be instrumental in helping AXIS expand its reach and help a broader group of diverse talent find a fulfilling career in mortgage.

Tai Christensen is the Co-Founder and Chief Diversity Officer for Arrive Home, a national down payment assistance social enterprise serving underbanked communities. She is also the host of the California Mortgage Bankers Association’s podcast on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and serves as Chair of the American Mortgage Diversity Council. Christensen has won numerous industry awards, including National Mortgage Professional’s 2023 Women of Inspiration Award, SUCCESS Magazine’s 2023 Emerging Entrepreneur Award, Progress in Lending’s 2022 Thought Leader Award, and Mortgage Professional America’s 2021 Elite Women Award. She is passionate about assisting credit-worthy borrowers in disadvantaged communities become homeowners and build intergenerational wealth through homeownership.

Jacob Gaffney is the Co-Founder of housing finance media advisory firm Gaffney Austin. Formed in 2020 with CoreLogic communications director Alyson Austin, Gaffney Austin creates content solutions for earned media opportunities in podcasting, broadcasting and other multimedia channels. Gaffney, winner of Progress in Lending’s 2022 Trailblazer Award, worked previously as Editor-in-Chief of HousingWire, where he led double-digit growth for more than a decade. During his tenure, he oversaw editorial operations and was responsible for editorial strategy. Prior to that, he spent a decade abroad in London, holding editor positions for both Reuters and SourceMedia.

“Jacob and Tai are crucial additions to our Board of Directors,” said Gigliotti. “As well-known, highly respected, and extremely talented professionals with deep roots in the mortgage industry, they each bring a different set of skills to the table that will help AXIS achieve its goal to usher a more diverse pool of talent into the mortgage industry. We are thrilled to have them on our side, working to propel the industry forward.”

The AXIS Board of Directors comprises several other high-profile mortgage executives, including Bianca Broos, CEO of Bianca Broos Company; Brian Vieaux, President & COO at FinLocker; Brendon Weiss, Principal & Founder of Acta Strategies; Kevin Peranio, Chief Lending Officer at PRMG; Sue Woodard, Senior Advisor for Stratmor Group; Dan Greiner, President & Founder of Full Circle Placements.

 About AXIS Lending Academy
Founded in 2022, AXIS Lending Academy is a nonprofit professional training program that educates and empowers individuals looking to begin a career in mortgage. AXIS offers a free, 90-day online program thoughtfully designed to help highly motivated individuals build lasting and fulfilling careers in mortgage with a focus on education, personal wellness and mentorship.

Media Contact
Paul Gigliotti
paul@pjoperation.com