Melissa Langdale is the Founder and CEO of Praxis Lending Solutions, an executive consultancy helping mortgage lenders modernize workflows, redesign operating models, and reduce their cost to originate. A recognized leader in housing innovation, Melissa has served as President & COO of The Mortgage Collaborative and led sales and operations for fintechs and community banks alike. She is the host of Future Proof, a bi-weekly webcast and podcast on mortgage innovation, and a national speaker on AI and transformation. Melissa lives in Austin, TX, with her husband and twin boys.
Dan Sogorka is a 27‑year mortgage technology operator dedicated to removing friction from homeownership. He has led platforms touching most of the U.S. mortgage market — from Black Knight (ICE) and Sagent to Cloudvirga, Rocket Pro, and Servicelink — driving innovation across origination, servicing, and the broker channel. Dan is now CEO of Origna8 LLC while also advising leading data‑ and AI‑driven companies shaping the future of real estate and lending.
Max Slyusarchuk is the CEO and Founder of AD Mortgage, one of America’s Top 5 wholesale lenders by brokers’ vote (2025) and the nation’s #1 Non-QM lender (2024). With over 30 years of experience, he has transformed AD Mortgage from a regional lender into a technology-driven powerhouse serving 8k plus brokerages nationwide. As Managing Director of Imperial Fund, he leads the firm’s investment strategy. A recognized industry visionary, he was named a National Mortgage Professional Industry Titan, reflecting his impact across lending, investment, and fintech innovation.
Francesco Paola is the Chief Growth Officer of MOZAIQ. With 25+ years of global leadership experience, he has pioneered enterprise adoption of successive technology waves — ecommerce, BPO and IT outsourcing, cloud computing, and AI. He pairs deep mortgage expertise with a record of scaling new technologies across industries. He holds an engineering degree from MIT and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Along with her signature passion for people, Sue Woodard brings over thirty-five years of financial services and fintech experience to her roles as an independent consultant, Strategic Advisor with both STRATMOR Group and Housing Wire, and industry “Evangelist At Large!”
Sue started her career at the ground level in banking, became a top producing loan originator, then leveraged her knowledge to become a highly acclaimed industry speaker, subject matter expert and fintech executive.
Matthew VanFossen is the CEO of the Absolute Home Mortgage Corporation, a mid-size Independent Mortgage Banker located in Fairfield, NJ, and Mortgage Automation Technologies, a financial technology provider specializing in consumer mortgage technology. Matthew has been a driving force in the mortgage industry and is a respected figure in the community. Additionally, he serves as the president of the New Jersey Mortgage Bankers Association.
Matthew commands an extensive knowledge of the broader housing industry, with over a decade of experience in residential mortgage lending and overseeing over $10 billion in retail originations as CEO of Absolute Home Mortgage. Throughout his career, he has taken on an executive role at several successful mortgage companies and has worked as a consultant for various fintech start-ups and mortgage lenders nationwide.
VanFossen’s passion for innovation and the industry is evidenced by his numerous industry achievements. He has been named a “Top Mortgage Professional Under 40” by National Mortgage News and has been featured in various publications, including Forbes, Scotsman Guide, and HousingWire. In 2023, he was awarded the ICE Mortgage Technology Innovators Award for Best Use of Next-Generation Mortgage Technology by Encompass.
Under VanFossen’s leadership, Both Absolute Home Mortgage & Mortgage Automation Technologies has become a major player in the financial technology space, offering the web-based BIG Point of Sale to some of the largest companies in the mortgage industry. He coined the “Farm to Table” Loan Officer to Programmer rapid design and testing methodology. VanFossen’s technology enables efficient and speedy consumer mortgage transactions, eliminating consumer communication complaints and reducing costs for lenders.
Matthew is also the youngest individual to ever serve as the President of the Mortgage Bankers of NJ and the only 4-year term president. Currently Matthew Co-Chairs the Mortgage Bankers of America State and Local Regulatory Committee and is a past board member of Community Home Lenders of America.
Mike Hogan is the Senior Managing Director and Chief Information Officer at Pennymac, and is responsible for the overall vision and leadership for technology initiatives across the company. Hogan has demonstrated consistent success in delivering database and application software solutions within the financial services industry.
In his current role at Pennymac, Hogan is leading a number of AI initiatives. He headed the rollout of Google Gemini at the enterprise level, as well as the launch of several AI productivity tools. He is also leading GenAI workstreams to foster innovation within the company, while carefully monitoring safety and compliance of GenAI tools before implementation. Hogan serves as vice chairman on the MISMO board, which represents a wide range of expertise in residential and commercial real estate finance, where members collaborate on critical issues within the mortgage industry.
Previously, Hogan was the Managing Director of Capital Markets Technology at Pennymac. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee at Pennymac and has served on the company’s management team since 2020.
Prior to joining Pennymac, Hogan led technology teams at Bank of America and Countrywide Financial in the Secondary Marketing, Data Management, Corporate Accounting and Mortgage Servicing areas. He has spearheaded the development of custom-built software solutions to support all facets of the mortgage business, and during his time as a Senior Consultant for Microsoft he helped clients develop and implement new applications.
Hogan earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rice University.
Jeff Kvalevog brings nearly 25 years of experience and knowledge of the mortgage industry to his position as Chief Strategy Officer at New American Funding.
In this role, Jeff leads multiple departments including Product Management, Engineering, Enterprise Portfolio Strategy, Strategic Partnerships and Customer Success.
Beyond this, Jeff evaluates and establishes strategic opportunities that provide additional revenue and relationships for the company, including partnership agreements, potential expansion into new business channels, and much more. Additionally, he focuses on building on New American Funding’s reputation in the mortgage industry and enabling increased opportunities for the company.
Throughout his career, Jeff has been a driver of process innovation with a solutions-focused mindset, specializing in digital transformation and digital product experience. His passion for leadership and helping develop his team members is enhanced by his background in sales, operations, underwriting, and digital product development.
Jeff believes in New American Funding’s mission to become an invaluable partner to homebuyers on their mortgage journey, by delivering world-class technology, products, and services.