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45 May 2024 F E A T U R E S T O R Y May 2024 » Chair: "Why are there so many bodies or industry trade groups? Why not just one?" All these groups have their strengths and their weaknesses, but what makes NMSA different is that it is comprised of more senior leadership and C-suite execs from the servicing shops. The MBA's Residential Loan Adminis- tration Committee is comprised of many senior subject matter experts, and so for them to collaborate with NMSA was a good thing. If you align two trade groups, that helps tremendously in streamlining the number of trade groups and the num- ber of voices. I connected with the Residential Loan Administration Committee and started attending their regular meetings. I would take the information learned from these meetings back to the NMSA. Q: As you pass the torch to John Vella, does it feel like the relationship with the MBA is more firmly established and there will be more collaborations moving forward? Martin-Leano: Absolutely. I am hoping that John [Vella], who is a very per- sonable leader with many connections in the industry, will be able to maintain and continue to strengthen that relationship. Q: In terms of expanding NMSA membership, was there anything you did differently in terms of recruitment and outreach? Martin-Leano: It was a combination of things. I have my network, and my Rolodex is shared among those I network with. What is nice is when people are united towards a common front, which is to benefit the housing market and our borrowers—then more are inclined to join. There are also some servicers that tend to be quiet and more insular. Maybe they just don't have the time to look out- wards. Being able to reach in, get to know those leaders, and entice them to come and be part of this is always a good thing. Some may not have even heard of NMSA, so it was a multipronged approach of using my Rolodex, other people's Rolodexes, and, of course, just being able to follow up with and converse with our leads. Everybody wants their voice to be heard … it's just a matter of introducing them to a forum that's efficient. We are not meeting-heavy, which is nice, but when we meet, we make it count. Q: Was there anything else you had on your to-do list when you first took over the role of NMSA Chair? Do you feel you succeeded in meeting those goals over your time as Chair? Martin-Leano: I really think it's just a matter of continuity. It's both good and bad that we only have a few meetings, but it's good to maintain continuity because if we worked on a topic from a prior session, then one of the things I wanted to do was make sure that nothing is dropped. So that's one. The second is, I felt it was always good to create a strong agenda because that entic-