Ajit brings substantial hands-on strategic and operational leadership experience in commercialization emerging technologies, impact of technology driven change on businesses, growth strategy formulation and execution, and technology and business model disuption. He is an independent thinker, comfortable working with business and market uncertainties, and brings experience working with senior executives on solving complex business issues related to growth. He has gained this experience over 35 years through a diverse range of roles as a management consultant, entrepreneur, executive, and research engineer.

As a Senior Partner at Deloitte for 20+ years, Ajit served as a strategic advisor to Technology, Media and Telecommunications clients, where he specialized in two areas: (a) design and implementation of organic and inorganic strategies for growth, and (b) assessment and deployment of emerging technologies for growth or operations transformation. He worked directly with corporate executives to anticipate and evaluate technologies and trends, and develop and/or analyze impact of disruptive business models. For example, at a Fortune 20 client, he led strategic options analysis for the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer to restructure the asset rich company for growth, advised the CEO on cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) market entry strategies and led a corporate-wide ERP business case through operations transformation program for the CFO. For small/midsize businesses, he has worked on development of net new products, several end-to-end GTM programs to drive growth and stood up a JV in the streaming media space.

Ajit also served as Deloitte’s Chief Strategy Officer for Technology Strategy, Ecosystems and Alliances across Deloitte US Consulting, Audit, Tax and Advisory businesses. In this capacity, he assessed disruptive and emerging technologies and led strategy development through commercial execution of technology driven growth. He served on Deloitte’s Innovation and Growth Councils. Most recently, he analyzed business impact of select emerging technologies including ML/AI, blockchain, quantum computing, distributed cloud computing and then led development of client service offerings with appropriate technology partners.

On inorganic growth, Ajit has worked with several of the top US private equity firms from front-end due diligence through post merger integration. For example, over a period of 2 years, Ajit led post-merger rationalization of complex product portfolios, indirect sales channel transformation execution and analysis of business segments to carve out, for a $5B technology equipment provider.

As an entrepreneur, Ajit founded two technology companies, both with successful exits. He led the second company from the bootstrapped funded stage, through capital raises, to an IPO.

While at AT&T Bell Labs (now Nokia) for 9 years early in his career, he developed pioneering software in the emerging silicon integrated chip Design Automation industry sector.

Ajit has guest lectured at MBA programs at top business schools including NYU Stern, Cornell and Dartmouth on innovation and impact of disruptive technologies. He has published on impact of emerging technologies. He holds two patents in secure public/private key enabled communications.

Ajit has an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, M.E. Electrical Engineering from the University of Detroit, and a B.E. in Electronics Engineering from Bangalore University.

Ben Madick is a co-founder and CEO at Matic. Prior to Matic, Ben co-founded MQMR, a firm that performs compliance risk management and audit support to mortgage lenders and banks of all sizes.

He currently serves as an advisor to MQMR providing high-level, strategic direction.

Before founding MQMR in 2011, Ben spent five years with Bank of America Correspondent Lending, where he managed relationships with large independent mortgage lenders throughout the nation.

He holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Arizona.

Jodi Sie is the Controller at Rice Park Capital. She is responsible for overseeing accounting, administration, audit, and tax, along with financial analysis and reporting for the funds managed by Rice Park.

Jodi has over 20 years of experience in the alternative investment industry. Prior to joining Rice Park, Jodi was the Controller at Merced Capital. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing all accounting functions, audit, fund administration, and financial and regulatory reporting. She partnered with stakeholders to develop and implement critical business processes, optimize efficiencies, and provide accurate and timely financial reporting across the business and portfolio companies.

Jodi graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and management.

Danielle’s 25+ year career has followed technology transformation across a variety of industries including property management, home services, residential real estate, insurance, digital advertising, content licensing and online learning & ecommerce.

Her career began in Marketing & Product Management and has continued to leverage this customer-driven approach in all her leadership roles. Most recently she was a named executive officer of the Fortune 500 company, Compass, Inc., where she led Central US Operations and launched their first national Customer Success team.

She has been part of several successful startup exits including HomeAdvisor (f/k/a ServiceMagic sold to IAC in 2004), NetQuote (sold to Bankrate in 2010) and Craftsy (sold to NBCUniversal in 2018).

She holds a BA from Smith College and an MBA from the University of Colorado.

Jodi Hall is a member of Rice Park Capital’s Advisory Board. Jodi is a thought leader in mortgage lending and mortgage technology.

Jodi is the Founder & CEO of DandaRoad, a consulting company focused on technology strategy and execution for mortgage lenders and serving as a lending advisor to mortgage technology companies. Jodi, most recently, served as the President and COO of Nationwide Mortgage Bankers and prior to that, the COO of CrossCountry Mortgage.

After more than two decades of building mortgage companies, Jodi realized her passion and purpose. Jodi’s passion is to revolutionize the decades old, paper intensive, redundant mortgage process through technology. Servicing on the advisory board at Rice Park Capital, Jodi enjoys researching, engaging with, and advising mortgage tech companies that have the potential to fulfil her passion. She also wants to share her experience and leadership with the generations of industry leaders who will carry her passion and legacy on for decades to come.

Jodi received her MBA from John Carroll University and a BA in Psychology from Marietta College.

Kamini Rangappan Lane serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Coldwell Banker Realty. One of the nation’s largest real estate brokerages, Coldwell Banker Realty is comprised of a network of approximately 55,000 affiliated real estate agents operating from approximately 600 offices doing business in more than 55 markets across the United States.

Prior to stepping into this role, Lane served as President of Brokerage for Sotheby’s International Realty, responsible for leading the brand’s company-owned brokerages. In that capacity, she played a key role in developing national strategic plans to maintain and grow the brand’s strong luxury presence, working to establish and lead a strategy for local market positioning and long-term growth, driving accountability in the areas of recruitment, retention, and profit.

Previously, Lane served as the President of the West for Compass, Inc., a national real estate company. She oversaw an organization of over 10,000 staff and independent contractors, led all agent-facing operations for the West Region, and was a named officer of the company through the IPO.

Prior to Compass, she served as Chief Marketing Officer of Tradesy, a marketplace for designer fashion.

Lane brings over two decades of experience in marketing, communications, and operations, as well as a deep understanding of the luxury consumer. Through her years in the marketing and advertising agency world, first as a strategist at Interbrand, the world’s leading brand strategy agency, and then running strategy and business leadership at Rapp, a global digital marketing agency, Lane developed deep and broad marketing, branding, and communications expertise. Prior to that, she ran the Men’s and Women’s Accessories category at eBay.com, where she developed a love for luxury markets, and an equal love for designer handbags. She also has extensive experience in the restaurant space, having consulted on launch strategies, branding, and marketing for numerous fine dining establishments through her work with From Scratch Hospitality.

Lane holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. She was named one of the top 100 Most Influential People in Los Angeles by the LA Business Journal in 2020 and 2021 and was one of HousingWire’s Top 100 Most Influential Women in Real Estate in 2021.

With more than 25 years of product development and technology experience under his belt, Kenon Chen is an industry-recognized leader in real estate and fintech. Kenon’s creativity and passion for people-focused solutions allow him to work towards a simple goal: make real estate better for homeowners, homebuyers, and industry professionals alike.

Kenon’s start in technology-enabled solutions began during the dot com boom, when he honed his skills in several technology firms across San Francisco. After his foray into mortgage, Kenon discovered his passion for creating progressive technology solutions that exceed industry needs and allow for simpler, fairer, more efficient real estate transactions.

As EVP of strategy and growth, Kenon sits at the intersection of Clear Capital’s executive, product, marketing, and sales teams – guiding growth and ensuring consistent, long-term value for customers and partners. Since joining Clear Capital in 2003, Kenon has been instrumental to the company’s product strategy and vision, and has developed and brought to market some of the company’s most forward-looking solutions, including ClearProp™ and ClearCollateral® Review.

Along with a pulse on the mortgage marketplace, PRMG Chief Lending Officer and partner, Kevin Peranio continues to exemplify what it truly means to be an active executive leader in the mortgage industry. Kevin is responsible for overseeing all production, including working with the sales and operations teams within the loan manufacturing process. His primary goal is to enhance the overall customer experience when doing business with PRMG. This includes creating robust reporting features along with consumer facing activities and modern lending technology to ensure accountability at all layers and levels of the process. In his own words, “the inside drives the outside”.

Since joining PRMG in 2010, Kevin led the Southeast Region to become the #1 Ranked Region for PRMG, reaching this milestone in record time. This achievement ultimately propelled Kevin to becoming one of the youngest partners at PRMG. Kevin is also a Four-Time President’s Cabinet Member and was recognized by NMP as a Top 40 Under 40. He is a national speaker within the mortgage industry, and has been interviewed on several podcasts, including speaking at HousingWire’s Engage Marketing Summit, AIME Fuse, ICE Technology, and other industry events.

Most recently, Kevin has become known on LinkedIn for his insightful ‘Walk and Talk’ video posts, and for his Instagram ’KP Talks Dollars and Sense’ Podcast where he shares his perspective and knowledge on a wide range of subjects.

Mr. Peranio received his Bachelor of Science in Advertising Business from the University of Texas at Austin.

Lee Smith is executive vice president and president of Mortgage at Flagstar Bank, a position he assumed in September 2020. In this role, he is responsible for the direction and oversight of all aspects of mortgage, including mortgage sales and originations, capital markets and secondary, mortgage fulfillment operations, mortgage servicing, mortgage finance including warehouse and MSR lending, mortgage banking cash and treasury management services, CRA as well as the strategic growth of Flagstar’s mortgage and servicing businesses.

Smith joined Flagstar in 2013 as executive vice president and chief operating officer and held that position until his appointment as head of Mortgage. As COO, he played an integral role in the turnaround of Flagstar in addition to his responsibilities for several key business units—including mortgage servicing—as well as strategy, balance sheet and cost optimization, and mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to joining Flagstar, he was a partner with MatlinPatterson Global Advisers LLC, a private equity fund based in New York, where he managed a number of portfolio companies across a multitude of industries and sat on various boards.

Earlier in his career, he was a senior director at Zolfo Cooper LLC, an advisory and interim management firm. Additionally, he served as a vice president in Ernst & Young’s national restructuring group in both New York and the United Kingdom.

He serves on the board of trustees of Cranbrook Schools and sits on both the finance and audit committees of the board of governors and is vice chairman of the Cranbrook Institute of Science. He is also chairman of the Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which is dedicated to revitalizing distressed neighborhoods and communities in Detroit and is part of the national LISC network.

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Nick Smith is the founder, managing partner and Chief Executive Officer of Rice Park Capital, overseeing all aspects of Rice Park’s strategies and operations.

Nick brings nearly 25 years of experience to his role. Before founding Rice Park Capital, Nick served as Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone’s private residential mortgage REIT and was the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Finance of America Companies (NYSE: FOA), a Blackstone portfolio company.

Prior to Blackstone, Nick served as Managing Director, Two Harbors Investment Corp (NYSE: TWO), where he built and led the investment platform for mortgage servicing rights (MSR) and residential whole loans. From 2004 to 2012, Nick served in a variety of areas for Green Tree Investment Management (“GTIM”). As Chief Investment Officer, he was responsible for the residential mortgage investment platform of Green Tree Holdings, GTIM’s parent company, and its affiliate, Green Tree Servicing. He also served as the Senior Portfolio Manager for the SerVertis Master Fund I LP, a $1.45 billion re-performing mortgage loan investment fund co-managed by GTIM. Nick worked at GMAC ResCap (formerly GMAC-RFC) from 1998 to 2004. He served in a variety of roles on the mortgage trading desk and in corporate development, where he led the valuation of equity investments in U.S., Asian and European consumer finance companies.

Nick studied economics as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota and was a Master of Science, Quantitative Finance candidate at the University of London. Nick is currently a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Minnesota.

Nick has served on several boards for private companies and charitable organizations throughout his career. He currently sits on the board of Brass Ring Capital.

Matt Kennedy is a partner of Rice Park and serves as the co-Chief Investment Officer, overseeing the firm’s investment team and overall portfolio management activities.

Matt served as a senior member of various investment teams for Varde Partners from 2009 to 2021, where he gained extensive investment experience across various fund vehicles, relative value, and activist-based strategies. In his roles, he was responsible for managing opportunities across both residential and commercial assets, and his investment activity took on multiple forms and was inclusive of securities, whole loans, private debt, corporate debt, and equity-based investments. Matt also served in various board member roles within specialty finance companies with a focus on residential lending while at Varde. Prior to 2009, Matt was a trader and portfolio manager at GMAC Residential Capital Corporation, where he managed positions in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), asset-backed securities (ABS), and performing and non-performing whole loans. He also previously worked as an associate for Deloitte with a focus on auditing, capital markets, and securitization.

Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Management Information Systems from the University of Iowa.

Craig Freel is a partner of Rice Park and services as the President and co-Chief Investment Officer, overseeing the firm’s investment team and overall portfolio management activities.

Before joining the Rice Park team in 2020, Craig was the Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management for RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing Corp. At RoundPoint, he was responsible for building and managing the company’s MSR trading desk and secondary marketing functions. He also oversaw the acquisition and management of an MSR portfolio exceeding $100 billion in unpaid principal balance. Additionally, he was a key participant in the firm’s successful placement of $100 million of preferred equity as well as completion of a $650 million MSR term loan. Prior to RoundPoint, Craig worked in the New York office of Navigant Consulting. As a Managing Consultant in the Disputes and Investigations practice, he oversaw and managed a series of complex projects across multiple industries.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering with a Minor in Economics from the University of Virginia. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Shawn Kelly is a Rice Park partner and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the firm’s accounting, operations, transaction management, and asset management.

Before joining Rice Park, Shawn previously worked as Managing Director, Residential Mortgage Operations at Two Harbors Investment Corp. from 2013 to 2019. During that time, he built and led operational and oversight functions supporting a market value of $2+ billion in mortgage servicing rights (MSRs). From 2005 to 2010 Shawn served as the Director of Servicing Operations at Wilshire Credit Corporation (and successor entities).  After IBM acquired the assets of Wilshire in 2010, Shawn led several process re-engineering and system implementation initiatives as the Vice President of Servicing Solutions Delivery from 2010 to 2013.  Shawn served as the Director of Servicing Oversight and Strategy at GMAC ResCap (formerly GMAC-RFC) from 2002 to 2005 where oversaw a network of special servicer.  Prior to joining GMAC ResCap, Shawn was a Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers within the bankruptcy and litigation practice.

Shawn graduated cum laude from Western Washington University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude.

Craig Opp is a partner of Rice Park. As General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, he manages the firm’s legal and compliance functions.

Before joining Rice Park, Craig was General Counsel and a member of the executive committee for GWG Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GWGH) from 2018 to 2020. Prior to GWGH, Craig served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Incenter LLC, a Blackstone portfolio company, leading Incenter’s legal and compliance staff in investment advisory, employment, IP, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial transaction matters. Prior to Incenter, Craig held a variety of roles with Green Tree Servicing and Green Tree Investment Management (“Green Tree”) from 2008 to 2014. In his roles at Green Tree, he served as lead transaction counsel for $200+ billion of MSR and sub-servicing acquisitions and $1+ billion of distressed mortgage loan acquisitions. He also oversaw $5 billion in committed credit for numerous securitizations and credit facilities, including securitizing residential mortgage loans, consumer loans, manufactured housing loans, servicer advance facilities, master repurchase facilities, and corporate credit facilities. From 2003 to 2008, Craig was in-house counsel at GMAC ResCap (formerly GMAC-RFC), a globally diversified real estate finance company. Before that, he worked as an attorney with various law firms in Minneapolis and New York, including Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP, where he represented Fortune 500 companies on complex financial transactions.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University College of Law.

Mark Filler is a Senior Advisor of Rice Park Capital, overseeing investments with a focus on the loan origination sector.

Mark brings more than 25 years of mortgage sector experience and approximately 35 lending company acquisitions to his role. From 2019 to 2020, he was a Managing Director of Guaranteed Rate Co., a top five national mortgage lender. He joined Guaranteed Rate Co. after founding Jordan Capital Finance (“JCF”), a top five lender to residential real estate investors originating in over 40 states. He spearheaded the sale of JCF to Finance of America Companies (NYSE: FOA), a Blackstone portfolio company, in 2017. In 2007, Mark founded Prospect Mortgage Company, where he served as CEO, Executive Chairman, and President. Under his leadership, Prospect grew to be a top five independent retail lender with approximately $10 billion of annual mortgage volume and a retained servicing portfolio of approximately $15 billion. From 2002 to 2006, Mark served as Executive Vice President of American Home Mortgage, a NYSE listed company, with a market capitalization of $1.7 billion. He joined American Home Mortgage after co-founding and leading Prism Financial Corp., which eventually grew to $15 billion in annual origination and $275 million in revenue. The company went public via an IPO and then later went private in a transaction with the Royal Bank of Canada in 2000. Prior to his mortgage career, Mark worked at The Equity Group, Sam Zell’s primary investment vehicle. He was also a lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis, a leading national law firm.

Mark holds an undergraduate degree from University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

Chris Bixby is Managing Director of Strategic Equity Investing for Rice Park and is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, structuring and managing investments in early to mid-stage technology companies operating in the real estate-based finance, equity, services and payments sectors.

Chris has a diverse background having served both in investment and entrepreneurial roles. Prior to Rice Park, Chris was Vice President of Growth at Sezzle, a rapidly growing fintech, where he was focused on building strategic partnerships with enterprise retailers. He joined pre-IPO as Vice President of Marketing and led the successful rebranding efforts. Before Sezzle, Chris joined General Mills in brand management and later founded Collaborate Brands where he advised early-stage businesses in strategy, growth, and fundraising. Chris began his career on Wall Street, working as an investment banking analyst in mergers and acquisitions at Jefferies, LLC, and later as a private equity associate at Castle Harlan, a $1 billion fund, where he spent three years investing in middle-market private equity transactions.

Chris is Chair of the Board for Candor Technology, an automated underwriting platform. He serves as an advisory board member for several PropTech companies including Purlin (Ai-led Real Estate Tools), Capacity (Ai Support Automation Platform) and Realized (1031 Exchange Platform).

Chris received his A.B from Bowdoin College, majoring in Economics and Government & Legal Studies. He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2014. 

Patrice Blaeser is Senior Corporate Governance and Compliance Specialist, Project Manager, and Assistant Secretary at Rice Park. Patrice’s responsibilities include the daily oversight, management, and implementation of best practices in legal, governance, and compliance, including entity management and corporate records, as well as transaction management across all of Rice Park’s investment strategies.

Before joining Rice Park, Patrice was Assistant Secretary and Governance Specialist at Xcel Energy, Inc., SuperValu Inc., and nVent Electric, plc. She most recently served in a consulting role as Governance, Compliance, and Paralegal Specialist at several large public and private companies in Minnesota and California. Patrice brings over 20 years of experience in the legal, governance and compliance sectors to Rice Park.

Patrice holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Business Communications and Legal Studies from the University of Minnesota, Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) from the University of St. Thomas, and ABA Approved Paralegal Certification and Associates Degree from Inver Hills Community College.

Jimmy Bohmbach is an Accountant at Rice Park Capital. He is responsible for providing support for accounting and finance functions.

Before joining Rice Park, Jimmy previously worked as a Treasury Analyst at Naviga Global. During that time, he provided daily cash flow reporting, cashflow forecasts, cash variance analysis, intercompany activity, and international payment processing. Prior to Naviga Global, Jimmy has held positions as an Accounts Payable Lead, Staff Accountant, and Senior Accountant.

Jimmy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with a minor in Law Enforcement from the Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Travis Brown is an Associate of Systems, Reporting, and Analysis at Rice Park. He is responsible for the development and implementation of technology infrastructure and the data landscape.

Before joining Rice Park, Travis worked at Nexben, Inc. as a Data Analyst. During that time, he handled all data and analytical requests for both internal and external facing customers. At Nexben, Travis also constructed and facilitated reporting for the financial operations and sales teams.

Travis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Statistics from Carleton College

Danielle Collignon is Controller at Rice Park Capital. In this role, she is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for all accounting and finance functions.

With over 25 years of experience, she has held executive-level positions in accounting, financial management, financial analysis, and controllership within diverse high-profile corporations both nationally and internationally.

With a wealth of experience in managing and overseeing accounting operations, evaluating and mitigating risks, ensuring regulatory compliance, publishing financial statements, analyzing financial data, monitoring expenditures, forecasting revenues, coordinating audits, maintaining the accuracy of financial information, and managing relationships with stakeholders, she is a seasoned professional.

Gail Callueng is Vice President of Servicing Oversight at Rice Park, responsible for the daily operations of Servicing Oversight for the MSR portfolio.  Before joining Rice Park, Gail was the Subservicing Manager for Pacific Residential Mortgage where she conducted forensic servicing file reviews.  Prior to working for Pacific Residential Mortgage, Gail was a Senior Relationship Performance Manager at Fannie Mae for 7 years where she conducted servicing oversight and reviewed new servicer applications. Gail brings over 25 years of experience in the residential mortgage sector to Rice Park.

Gail graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville University located in Jacksonville, Florida.

Ken Casteel is the Senior Compliance Counsel at Rice Park. Ken’s responsibilities include managing the legal and compliance functions, monitoring for legal and regulatory changes, overseeing licensing maintenance, and managing regulatory examinations for the MSR strategy.

Before joining Rice Park, Ken was in-house counsel for Freedom Mortgage Corporation (Freedom). During that time, he served as subject matter expert and regulatory counsel for Freedom, focusing on the areas of collections, foreclosure, and bankruptcy. While at Freedom, he oversaw the implementation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Debt Collection Final Rules. Prior to Freedom, Ken worked for RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing Corporation (RoundPoint), most recently as in-house counsel. During that time, he served as subject matter expert for all regulatory, GSE, and governmental agency mortgage servicing requirements. While at RoundPoint, he oversaw the implementation of the CFPB’s Final Rule Amending the 2013 Mortgage Rules under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) and the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z).

Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from East Carolina University and a Juris Doctor degree from Charlotte School of Law.

Ghillian Grantham is Vice President of Transaction Management and Transfers with Rice Park. She is responsible for the initial set up and ongoing engagement with counterparties and oversees the service transfer process for the MSR portfolio.

Before joining Rice Park, Ghillian served as Transaction Analyst at Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO) from 2016 to 2021. While in this role, Ghillian managed multiple facets of the service transfer process for bulk and flow MSR acquisitions, including GSE engagement, counterparty set up, subservicer oversight, and loan-level support. Prior to Two Harbors, Ghillian held multiple positions at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage from 2002 to 2016, including Private Mortgage Banker, Relationship Specialist, and Loan Document Specialist.

Ghillian holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism and Spanish from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Stephanie Huotari is Vice President of Systems, Reporting, and Analysis at Rice Park. She is responsible for the developing and implementation of technology infrastructure and the data landscape.

Before joining Rice Park, Stephanie was Assistant Vice President, Data Analyst of Systems, Reporting and Analysis at Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO).  During that time, she provided analytical support, reporting, and data reconciliation.  Additionally, she held previous positions at Two Harbors, including Mortgage Accountant and Controls & Remittance Specialist, from 2015 to 2019.  Prior to Two Harbors, Stephanie was with Thomson Reuters as a Business Systems Analyst of the Tax and Accounting Division.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Michigan Technological University.

Ashley Kelner is Vice President of Servicing Oversight and Document Management at Rice Park. She is responsible for the daily operations of servicing oversight and mortgage documents for the MSR portfolio.

Before joining Rice Park, Ashley was Assistant Vice President of Counterparty Oversight for Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO). During that time, she was responsible for the oversight of servicing activities including GSE guidelines and vendor oversight. Additionally, she was a key leader in document management functions, including vendor oversight and management of collateral and trailing documents. Prior to Two Harbors, Ashley was with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, most recently as the Regional Services Manager providing loan processing training and development. Ashley brings over 12 years of experience in the mortgage sector to Rice Park.

Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Institutional Finance and Human Resource Management with a minor in Business Administration from the Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Kate Nelson is Vice President of Servicing Oversight and GSE Relations at Rice Park. She is the liaison with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in GSE relationships, as well as being responsible for the daily operations of Servicing Oversight for the MSR portfolio.

Before joining Rice Park, Kate was the Assistant Vice President of Counterparty Oversight for Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO). During that time, she was responsible for the oversight of servicing activities at multiple subservicers, including their GSE performance monitoring. Prior to Two Harbors, she was with Fannie Mae, most recently as Director, Servicing Oversight, managing teams of Relationship Performance Managers for several servicing partners and Servicer Approval Analysts for new Fannie Mae servicer-only applicants.

Prior to Fannie Mae, Kate provided leadership in servicing oversight activities for multiple servicing companies as Director at Meridian Asset Services Inc and as Senior Portfolio Manager in the Servicing Oversight and Strategy division of GMAC ResCap (formerly GMAC-RFC). Kate brings over 35 years of experience in the residential mortgage sector to Rice Park.

Karissa Olson is the Executive Assistant to CEO Nicholas Smith.  In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Ms. Olson is also responsible for managing client relations, supporting Rice Park’s internal and external marketing initiatives, content creation, managing Rice Park’s website and social media pages, event planning, and managing our Plymouth office.

Ms. Olson comes with 9 years of professional experience supporting both high-growth start-ups and Fortune 500 companies in Europe and the United States.

Karissa holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Interior Design from Escola Superior Das Artes Decorativas, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Emily Potrykus is Vice President of MSR Analytics at Rice Park where she is responsible for key elements of MSR pricing, hedging, and portfolio management.
Prior to joining Rice Park, Emily worked as Director at Finance of America Capital Management, in acquisitions, hedging and portfolio management of the MSR portfolio. Additionally, she was Director of MSR Hedging at Incenter Mortgage Advisors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Finance of America Companies (NYSE: FOA). Emily established her specialization in the MSR asset class at Optimal Blue where she oversaw and built proprietary MSR products. At Optimal Blue, Emily also managed MSR advisory services and hedging analytics. Prior to Optimal Blue, Emily held risk management positions at Key Bank Capital Markets and Ford Motor Credit.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Minnesota. She also holds an MBA from Georgetown University and is a certified Financial Risk Manager.

Mitch Steffen is Vice President and head of systems, reporting, and analysis at Rice Park Capital. He is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm’s technology infrastructure and data landscape.

Before joining Rice Park, Mitch was Vice President of Systems, Reporting and Analysis at Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO). During that time, he built and led a team that provided analytical support and data reconciliation. Prior to Two Harbors, Mitch was Director of Agency Claims at DiTech (formerly Green Tree). Prior to DiTech, Mitch served ten years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, with a combat tour in Iraq in 2009. Mitch holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Management from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.

Audrey Peter is a Senior Accountant at Rice Park Capital. She is responsible for performing corporate and fund accounting activities for Rice Park Capital and its related Funds.

Audrey has over 10 years of experience in fund accounting. Prior to joining Rice Park, Audrey was a Fund Accounting Manager at SS&C Technologies, a globally recognized fund administrator. During that time, Audrey performed a wide range of fund accounting activities including, but not limited to, processing capital calls and distributions, reconciling derivative positions, trial balance reconciliations, and calculating expense and investor allocations in accordance with governing documents. In her role she also regularly worked with external clients and internal teams to solve problems and improve efficiencies.

Audrey graduated from Minnesota School of Business with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.