Walker & Dunlop Announces Its New, All-Female Led, Small Balance Lending Leadership Team

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it has promoted four members of its Small Balance Group (SBG), creating the first all-women-led lending team at Walker & Dunlop. The team will be responsible for setting and executing on the SBG strategic direction in partnership with executive leadership to ensure alignment throughout the organization.

Effective immediately, Alison Williams is named senior vice president and Group Head of SBG and will oversee the SBG Production, Underwriting, and Closing teams. Angelica Dichoco, who received her Fannie Mae CU designation last year, will continue leading the SBG Underwriting team as senior vice president and Chief Underwriter. Stephanie Pratt will continue leading the SBG Closing team in her new role as senior vice president of SBG Closing. Melissa Jahnke will manage SBG operations in her new role as Head of Operations.

"This marks the first time in our history that we have an all-women leadership team within the company. It is an important milestone that deserves recognition and celebration," said Steve Theobald, executive vice president & chief operating officer, Walker & Dunlop. "We are very focused on growing our small balance lending platform and the talent of these leaders will enable us to continue growing market share in the multifamily segment at Walker & Dunlop.”

Over the past few years, the Small Balance Production, Underwriting, and Closing teams have worked together to grow SBG into the business it is today. Because of their hard work and dedication, Walker & Dunlop was the #3 Fannie Mae Multifamily Small Loan lender and the #5 Freddie Mac Optigo® Small Balance Loans lender in 2022.

"This organizational change is significant for several reasons. It helps drive greater alignment, cohesion, agility, and innovation across the SBG team, which will better position us to achieve our goals of driving annual volume to $5 billion by 2025," said Teun van den Dries, executive vice president of GeoPhy. "It also reinforces SBG as Walker & Dunlop’s 'innovation lab,' partnering with WDTech and marketing to stress test efficiencies that can benefit all business lines, ultimately transforming how we originate, underwrite, and close loans across the company.”

Walker & Dunlop, a leader in the multifamily space, was ranked the #1 Fannie Mae DUS^® Lender and the #3 Freddie Mac Optigo^® Multifamily Lender overall in 2022 and has processed over $4.3 billion in small multifamily loans with both agencies since 2016. For more information on Walker & Dunlop’s small balance lending programs and financing options, please visit our Multifamily Small Loans website.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) is one of the largest commercial real estate finance and advisory services firms in the United States. Our ideas and capital create communities where people live, work, shop, and play. The diversity of our people, breadth of our brand and technological capabilities make us one of the most insightful and client-focused firms in the commercial real estate industry.