Meet Nadia Aguirre, Assistant Loan Processor

At United Housing, we make choices that leverage resources, allowing us to serve more people in the area of homeownership. With our lending department’s expansion and additional focus on identifying and assisting Spanish-speaking homeowners and clients, we were able to hire a loan processor who is fluent in Spanish. United Housing is pleased to add Nadia Aguirre to the lending department as assistant loan processor. Nadia is bilingual in English and Spanish, which will allow our organization to reach a wider range of individuals in our city.

“We’re excited about the future of our expanding lending department and United Housing as a whole,” said Executive Director Tim Bolding. “Nadia’s extensive background in the lending industry makes her a valuable asset to our team, and our ability to provide bilingual assistance to our clients is a huge advancement for United Housing.”

Nadia at our booth during the 2015 Frayser Fall Festival

Nadia’s experience in the field makes her an instant asset and fit for United Housing. For eight years, she was a financial counselor with Financial Counselors of America, where she served as a bilingual specialist and assisted with credit repair consolidation budgeting, mortgage modification, homebuyer education (HBE) debt management and drafted proposals for the Hardest Hit Fund.

A native of Mexico, Nadia attended the Chihuahua Institute of Technology in Chihuahua, Mexico, and Colegio Centro Cristiano in Santa Ana, El Salvador. Additionally, she is certified by NeighborWorks America in foreclosure prevention, HBE intervention and credit management. 

In her role as assistant loan processor with United Housing, Nadia is responsible for helping both English- and Spanish-speaking individuals throughout the loan approval process, which includes collecting and verifying applicant information, interviewing individuals who need assistance with loans and preparing loan documents.

“I’m very excited and happy to join such a great organization and environment,” said Nadia. “I look forward to assisting people of all backgrounds who have lending needs.”

We are thrilled to have Nadia join our team, and know her addition will greatly benefit customers both now and in the future. Check out the People on the Move highlight in the Memphis Business Journal for more on her new role. For more information on how we can help, call (901) 272-1122 or visit http://bit.ly/14F0Fx0.

Priscilla Reed Embraces New Role with United Housing

As the Lending Department at United Housing continues to expand, we're pleased to announce that Priscilla Reed has accepted a new position as Lending Manager. Previously, Priscilla served as our Special Projects Coordinator, assisting clients in foreclosure prevention and financial literacy. 

A former underwriter with experience in the private sector, Priscilla relishes the opportunity to work one-on-one with people who are dedicated to repairing their homes. She also holds certification from NeighborWorks America as a financial capability counselor, reflecting on her tremendous client-focused coaching skills. 

Sarah Williams (front left) signs her Home RePAIR loan with Priscilla Reed (right). This was the first Home RePAIR loan done completely in-house and funded by United Housing. 

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to teach more people about the benefits of financial planning," said Priscilla. "It's our goal to bring a high level of financial literacy and planning to a wider audience. The strategy includes outreach and marketing, so that more people in Memphis and the Mid-South will know what they can do through United Housing."

Priscilla's first order of business as Lending Manager is administering Home RePAIR, an in-house home loan program. Qualifying clients can take out a 1.5% loan of up to $15,000 to cover the span of 10 years in order to upgrade their homes. RePAIR lending is an important part of United Housing's strategy to help people who may not otherwise have access to financial professionals. Learn about UHI client Preston Gilliam's experience with the RePAIR program here: http://bit.ly/1RbIJ04. 

With the addition of the Lending Department, United Housing now offers three major areas of financial improvement for clients: homebuyer education, foreclosure mitigation counseling and lending through Home RePAIR. As our staff evolves, we will better reflect our focus on lending to enable us to assist more people. Because of this, more people will have access to loans to repair their homes, which in turn will make neighborhoods and communities stronger and more stable. 

Please join us in congratulating Priscilla on her new role! The Memphis Business Journal highlighted her in a recent People on the Move feature. She is ready and eager to help you with your lending needs. For more information on how we can help, call (901) 272-1122 or visit http://bit.ly/14F0Fx0.

Lukas Alfen Making a Mark in Memphis

This past summer, United Housing hosted Lukas Alfen, an eighth grade Science teacher at Woodstock Middle School through Teach for America - Memphis, as an intern. During his internship, Lukas helped develop a process for getting financial education to teachers through financial literacy tools that are used across the country. These tools help teachers share with their students how to mitigate bad spending habits and bad credit scores through financial education at an early age. 

In honor of today being World Teacher's Day, we caught up with Lukas to hear about his teaching journey and investment in the community. 

How long have you been teaching at this school?

I am in my second year at Woodstock Middle School as part of my two-year service commitment for Teach for America. Prior to beginning at Woodstock, I taught summer school at Memphis Business Academy in Frayser. 

 

What led you to the Teach for America program?

I joined the program because of my work as a teaching assistant during my undergraduate studies at Syracuse University. While there, I saw the impact a dedicated teacher can have on mindset and achievement of their students. I noticed how the strong relationships built in school helped facilitate success for students outside the classroom walls. I also felt that Teach For America would give me the opportunity to experience life in a unique part of the country, different from the Northeast.

What is the best part about teaching? Most challenging?

The best part about teaching is getting to know my students. Having conversations and hearing their opinions gives me a clearer perspective on not only myself, but my goal here in Memphis as well. Each student is so full of potential that I need to ensure I am intentional in directing their energy in ways that will prepare them for success in grade school and beyond.

The most challenging part about teaching for me is finding the time to accomplish all of the goals I have for my classroom. There are only so many hours in a day to teach students, prepare lessons, measure data and support extracurricular activities, that finding any down time is almost impossible.

Have you been able to use what you learned at United Housing this summer in your classroom this fall?

Working at United Housing has helped me better understand Memphis as a city and a community. The need to drastically improve the financial literacy skills of children in Memphis quickly became apparent. Because of this, I have committed myself to teaching the importance of learning financial education and money management skills early on to help open up opportunities in adulthood.

What inspires you to give back to your community?

My students inspire me each and every day. The teachable moments I have with them make all the work worthwhile. Going into a profession for the money was never something I wanted to do, as I would rather make a career in which my value would be measured in the impact I had on others.