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77 » VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM Tujuanna Williams is responsible for leading the development, implementation, management, and evaluation of Fannie Mae's corporate diversity and inclusion strategy, policies, and programs. Before joining Fannie Mae in August 2014, Williams was co-founder and managing partner of New Season Coaching and Consulting Group, LLC, a management consulting and executive coaching firm. Prior to that, Williams was VP and Chief Diversity Officer for Freddie Mac. What are your thoughts on diversity and inclusion in the industry and what it means to have events that focus on these topics? I think we are past time and late in the conversation but the thing that is really important is that we are having the conversation and we are having it in a way that is not only educational but it's also an opportunity for us to be introspective, so "what can we do" or "what can we do differently." I applaud e Five Star Institute for being able to say "the time is now; we need to do it" and I think that tells us that everybody has been waiting and want to know more about it. With the change in demographics in America and the housing industry especially, if we are not looking like our customers we are not going to be in the game. It's not a choice anymore; we have to do this if we want to be relevant today and on top of that it's an opportunity for us to look through a different lens. It doesn't matter who you are, we all have an opportunity to be more inclusive and we have to own that. What challenges do you face as a woman in the housing industry? Well there are few of us; that's one. You know the challenge is that you always have an opportunity to be your best self, and because there are so few women in the housing industry, I think you find that the expectation is that you are speaking for all women. Being an African American female as well, you become a spokesperson for all African Americans and all African American women and women in general. I think that's a challenge because that is not what I do and that should not be the expectation. I think I would change this challenge into an opportunity so you can bring other people behind you and other women behind you. is is not an industry that people go to college and say "I want to work with mortgage financing" or "I want to work in the housing industry," they just sort of find themselves in that so I think there is an opportunity for women to bridge the gap and say "let's talk to the people behind us" and tell them that this is a great field and it's a great occupation to really help people. When you really think about what we do, it's not just a job it's something that impacts people's lives in many ways. What advice do you have for women just starting in the industry? I would say be open to challenges and be open to opportunities and be willing to change because I think that this is an industry where you could start off in one space and end up in another so you don't have to be put into a box. at's a great opportunity for women because, though anyone can find themselves in a box, women typically find themselves in positions where for example if they are in corporate America, sometimes they are in support roles, but I think in this industry you can be whatever you want to be. e sky is the limit and the skills you just build as you go. It all about being broad in your thinking, being courageous and not afraid to take risks. Who have been you mentors or inspiration to get you where you are today in the housing industry? My mother would be my inspiration. She was an entrepreneur and she had several businesses. Success was just embedded in the way that she lived and how she helped others so it wasn't really about her as much as having a servant type of attitude and helping others. I would say that it's been instilled in me which is probably how I got into the space of diversity and inclusion because it really is about helping others. TUJUANNA WILLIAMS VP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Fannie Mae DIVERSITY PERSPECTIVES "It's not a choice anymore; we have to do this if we want to be relevant today and on top of that it's an opportunity for us to look through a different lens. It doesn't matter who you are, we all have an opportunity to be more inclusive and we have to own that."

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