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37 June 2024 June 2024 » C O V E R S T O R Y The nonprofit's stated goal is to "increase awareness within the financial services industry of the social and economic benefits of multiculturalism in employ- ment and supplier utilization, while also launching initiatives that promote financial literacy to help all Americans understand how to grow their wealth." Travis-Johnson notes that CIFS is a perfect example of the industry coming together for the greater good. "Histori- cally, Auction.com has been one of our biggest donors, and they're a direct com- petitor. But we work together because they understand that it's about commu- nity," says Travis-Johnson. "Sometimes, you have to work hand-in-hand with non-competing services that help com- munities." The VRM Difference W hen asked to name some of VRM's proudest accomplishments, Travis-Johnson initially cites the $90-$100 billion worth of real estate the company has sold over the years. However, her list of victories quickly turns beyond anything purely financial and shifts back to the personal. "The reputation that we built from when we started is one of integrity, of great business ethics, of high performance, of diversity in thought and leadership and how we show up for communities," said Tra- vis-Johnson. "We're a great partner to have." Travis-Johnson also points to the prevalence of minority vendors and vet- eran-owned businesses with whom VRM works, which she says exceeds "all the contractual requirements." Per VRM, 49.2% of the company's network is classified as diverse (Women, Minority, LGBT, Disabled, Veteran-Owned, Small Business Classification, Small Disad- vantaged Classification, and HUBZone). Travis-Johnson also notes that this commitment to diversity extends to the makeup of the company's internal team— including making those internal and external numbers public. "When we speak to prospective clients, we share our numbers," said Travis-John- son. "This is the number of men, women by race, everything. We're very open with that. That's a differentiator to me because it shows that we reflect the communities that we affect." Travis-Johnson also speaks proudly of the quality of her team, which includes many veterans of prominent banks and the GSEs. VRM understands its custom- ers, she says, because "we used to be them, and we built our team based on that. Our diversity is not just by race and gender, it's also a diversity of thought." When it comes to how VRM's lead- ership team operates, Murray notes that there's more at work than simply that "diversity of thought"—accountability is also a core focus. "Within the executive team, we're oftentimes the ones that hold up our hand and want to call ourselves out rather than maybe holding other folks accountable." Murray added, "That's one way to make sure you're in a continuously improving mindset is if you're always saying, 'This didn't go the way we want it to go.' How do we deal with it? What's the root cause? How do we fix it? And let's not make the same mistake again." Travis-Johnson expands upon this philosophy, noting that they tend to "throw the titles out of the room." When asked to elaborate, she says, "Close your eyes, give me your thoughts, tell me what you're thinking. We try not to use the titles as an intimidating factor. That way we get the best from our people." The VRM team: Left to Right: Dr. Phyllis Wright–SVP, Human Resources; Joe Morrow–SVP, Default Servicing; Dawn Haghighi–Registered In-House Counsel (General Counsel); Dr. Cheryl Travis-Johnson–COO/EVP; Brad Blancett–VP, Operations; Keith Murray–President/ CEO; Jon Van Deuren–CFO; Alzora Baker–VP, Originations; Tiffany Fletcher–SVP, Compliance and Operations Support; Leigh Gibson–VP, Strategic Initiatives (Not pictured: Larry Hudnall–SVP, Corporate Relations, Clifton Wallace–SVP, IT)