California MBA Taps AMDC Chair to Lead Its DE&I Committee

The California Mortgage Bankers Association (California MBA) has named Tai Christensen, President and Co-Founder of national affordable housing program Arrive Home, as Chair of its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Christensen will share the role with Stephanie Whittenberg, who will serve as Vice Chair of the Committee.

Christensen and Whittenberg will assist the association with its effort to promote diversity and inclusion within the mortgage lending space, a priority for the organization since it first launched its DE&I Committee in 2021.

“I am excited to continue to assist the CMBA’s efforts to promote diversity in the mortgage industry,” Christensen said. “This is an initiative that has been important to me since I began my career in this space more than 20 years ago. As someone who has dedicated much of their career to helping bridge the homeownership gap in underserved communities, I am eager to initiate more conversations about how industry leaders can effectuate this much-needed change and help advance the future of this profession.”

Christensen is current Co-Founder and President of Arrive Home, a national affordable housing program dedicated to helping responsible borrowers in underserved communities become homeowners through their Down Payment Assistance offerings and alternative credit solutions.

Christensen also serves as Chair of the American Mortgage Diversity Council (AMDC), and serves as a board member for Axis Lift 360, a non-profit that focuses on providing the mortgage lending industry with a more diverse talent pool of job candidates.

Christensen is the current host of the California MBA’s monthly DE&I podcast, which is available on the California MBA’s YouTube channel and features industry thought leaders who are actively working to promote DE&I within mortgage lending.

She has been featured on Fox Business News, as well as articles in the Washington Post, MReport, Real Estate Weekly, Forbes, and numerous podcasts. Tai is passionate about assisting creditworthy borrowers in disadvantaged communities become homeowners and build intergenerational wealth through homeownership.

Christensen attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and has more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, specializing in working with underserved communities.

“I am looking forward to working with Tai to advance the California MBA’s DE&I efforts,” said Whittenberg. “She has a powerful voice within the mortgage community, and I am certain that, together, we can effectively bring this important cause to the forefront of industry conversation.”