Ivan Choi became president of REOMAC on January 1, 2010. REOMAC, a national non-profit trade association, has served the foreclosure industry for 25 years. REOMAC members include mortgage servicing executives, asset managers, foreclosure attorneys, real estate brokers, and real estate closing service providers.

Mr. Choi is a 15-year veteran in mortgage banking, with a background in finance, technology, originations and servicing. He most recently served as an executive with Prospect Mortgage. Prior to Prospect, Mr. Choi was an executive with Bank of America, where he established and managed programs related to mortgage originations and foreclosure disposition.

Active in the real estate community at-large, Mr. Choi is recognized as a mortgage default expert and industry speaker. He serves as a board member for the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), as well as a member with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP).

Mr. Choi graduated with a bachelor's degree in business from Pepperdine University . He resides in Riverside County with his wife, Melanie, and daughter, Isabella.

Benton Neese served as a member of the Board of Directors 2004-2005; 2008-present. Additionally, Benton served on the Education Committee 2004-2007. Benton served as the board chair of the Publications Committee which includes the REOMAC newsletter, the UPDATE.

Benton currently holds a North Carolina Real Estate Broker's license and is working with RMIC in the Claims and Loss Management Department. Prior to joining RMIC, Mr. Neese was an Assistant Vice President with Triad Guaranty and prior to Triad, had worked with AIG United Guaranty, working in the Loss Management department for over 20 years. Before moving to AIG United Guaranty, He worked as the Consumer/Commercial Loan Officer with First Financial Savings and was an officer with Bank of America for the previous six years.

Benton serves, or has served, on various community organization boards and committees, including the United Way, BSA and his local church where he has taken mission trips to Guatemala.

Donna La Porte is an “AV” rated attorney and a Partner in the law firm of Wright, Finlay & Zak, LLP. She graduated from the University of Utah, Magna Cum Laude, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and received her J.D. from the University of Utah School of Law. Ms. LaPorte has over 29 years of experience in representing financial institutions, mortgage bankers and servicers in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate, with emphasis in the areas of foreclosure, bankruptcy and evictions. Ms. LaPorte currently serves as a Director/Secretary on the REOMAC Board, and has served as a Director of REOMAC since 2000. Ms. LaPorte has served as Chair of REOMAC’s Conference and Education Committees, and currently serves as the Chair of REOMAC’s Public Relations Committee and Co-Chairperson of REOMAC’s Governance Committee. She has written articles and served as a speaker/moderator on numerous panels on loan servicing, bankruptcy, and mortgage banking issues.

Kathy Jeffers-Volk is a Past President of REOMAC® and is the Editor of REOMAC® Update^TM magazine. Kathy is a Manager, Broker Relations for NRT/ Coldwell Banker Corporate REO Division, Ft. Lauderdale. Prior to joining Coldwell Banker, Kathy retired from Countrywide Home Loans, where she was the Senior Regional Property Manager for REO. She joined CHL in 1992, as an REO Asset Manager and was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Marketing for Countrywide. In 1998, she was promoted to Vice President of Countrywide Realty Partners, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CHL. Kathy has served on the Board in various positions over the years.

Art Acosta is the Western Region N.R.B.A. Director as well as Realtor/Owner of Regency Realtors, Regency Mortgage Services and Regency Realtors Escrow, (which specializes in the southern California markets). Art has over 17 years REO experience and is a Master California Broker & Certified REO Specialist. Mr. Acosta maintains memberships with: REOMAC®, NAR, CAR, NRBA, NAHREP and participated with the Government Relationship Committee for the Inland Empire West Association of Realtors, and served as the Treasurer & Vice President of Memberships for the Inland Valley Association of Realtors Chapter. Mr. Acosta also serves as the current NRBA Vice President.

Beatrice Davis is currently serving REOMAC as Vice President as well as Membership Liaison/Chair. She is employed by GMAC-ResCap, Master Servicing Division, and is responsible for managing multiple servicing relationships along with the oversight of a national REO portfolio for timely disposition to mitigate losses.

Prior to REO, she was a Default Loss Mitigation Specialist responsible for all aspects of default. Prior to GMAC-Rescap she was a Sr. Loss Mitigation Specialist and Underwriter at Home Savings Of America specializing in the approval Loan Modifications, Short Payoffs, Repayment Plans, etc. and Loan Approvals. Her career started in 1987 with Transamerica Financial as an Assistant Manager where she learned the basics of Finance.

She lives in Monrovia, Ca. and is an active member of her community and a Volunteer for the city's Adult Literacy program. She is also a recipient of GMAC-Recap's “Celebrate Leadership Award” and Home Savings of America’s “Director Guilds awards”.

Tom Moon has been selling REOs since 1981. In that time, he has sold over than 5,000 Orange County REOs. He has been recognized as ERA's Top National Salesperson and has been Orange County’s Top Salesperson, most all of these past five years.

Tom is an Orange County native, who is married to and works with his high school sweetheart, Naomi. Both are graduates of Cal State University Sonoma.

In 1994, they founded REObroker.com, which is a broker network, boasting some of the most experienced REO brokers in the nation. Tom has also traveled the nation, conducting half-day seminars on the World of REO. He is a sought after speaker and enjoys paying his knowledge forward in sharing the industry’s best practices.

Pacific Moon Real Estate was opened in 1981 and they have also outsourced several thousand nationwide REOs since 1986. Tom was the first Realtor invited to join REOMAC in 1986 and he also has been serving on the REOMAC Board of Directors for five years now. Tom has been asked to serve on the AAREA Orange County chapter Advisory Board also.

Cynthia A. Nierer, Esq., is the directing partner of Closings and Evictions at the New York law firm of Rosicki, Rosicki & Associates, P.C. She has been with the firm since 1995, and is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law. Cynthia received her undergraduate degree from St. John’s University. She is active in the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the “Make a Wish” Foundation of Greater New York, the New York City Rescue Mission, and Girls and Boys Town. Professionally, Cynthia is a Board Member and Education Chair of REOMAC, and she is also a member of NRBA (National REO Broker Association), REOConnection and the Queen’s County Women’s Bar Association.

Mia Semo is serving her 4th year on the REOMAC® Board of Directors. She has over 20 years of experience in a variety of roles of real estate. Mia is currently employed at National Default Servicing LLC as Client Relations and REO Team Manager. Prior to this, she spent 11 years at Homecomings Financial in various roles from Asset Mangager to National Refurbishment Manager in San Diego, CA. Prior to joining Homecomings Financial, she practiced real estate at Coldwell Banker, Encinitas, California, for 10 years. Her first experience in the real estate world was as an assistant to a broker and recruiting and training new Real Estate licensees. She has an active California Real Estate License, and as a member of REOMAC® and NRBA. On a personal note, she enjoys a recreational round of golf, especially at the REOMAC® Spring Conference.

John Sway entered real estate financing in 1991 after receiving a B.A. in Economics from U.C.L.A. After working as a mortgage originator for five years John earned his Real Estate Brokers License and opened a "net" mortgage office. John owned and managed that business for five years until he was recruited to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in 2000. John started at WFHM managing Renovation Lending in Southern California. He was promoted to Vice President, National Program Manager in 2003. His duties included working with Agency Relations, Credit Policy, Legal, Marketing, Media Relations, REO, Fulfillment and Draw Disbursement. John was successful in growing a National Sales Force and making Wells Fargo Home Mortgage the largest renovation lender in the country. In early 2009 John stepped down from the National Position to stay closer to home. John is currently Vice President, Divisional Renovation manager for California and Hawaii.

John has been featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune among numerous other publications and he has been interviewed on the Nightly Business Report.

Sara is the principal of The Waite Group, LLC, a Dallas-based firm providing REO management and training services to a variety of companies within the industry. With her depth of REO experience, Sara is passionate about sharing her knowledge through operations management and training for all members of our industry.

Sara was previously with Saxon Special Servicing in Irving, TX where she established the REO Department. Her responsibilities included the development and management of REO processes, production oversight and creation of process efficiencies through technology. Prior to joining Saxon, she was the Director of REO for GMAC Mortgage where she managed the REO subservicing business and relationships. Sara's career history spans 20 years of REO asset and portfolio management with several financial institutions and servicing firms to include Clayton National, Ontra Inc., and the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC).

Sara has a degree in Finance from Southwest Texas State University. She began serving on the REOMAC Board of Directors in 2006 and has been the REOMAC Certification Committee Chair since 2008.