A Message from Terry Carr, Senior Advisor, Communications & Congressional Relations
We are proud to present the next chapter in our Q&A series featuring Ginnie Mae’s leadership. In the eighth interview of the series, Ginnie Mae’s Vice President of Strategic Planning & Operations Integration, Barbara Cooper-Jones, answers questions about her new role at the corporation.
You recently joined Ginnie Mae as the newly appointed head of Strategic Planning & Operations Integration. Tell our readers about this new role.
As Vice President of Strategic Planning & Operations Integration at Ginnie Mae, I am responsible for defining and developing enterprise-wide strategies and solutions to ensure the ongoing alignment of corporate operations and technology across our entire business model. More specifically, I will focus on mortgage loan- and mortgage-backed securities (MBS)-related information technology (IT) and data management-related design and development activities to guarantee that all efforts are positioned accurately across multiple operations and production systems, technology systems, data architectures and IT platforms that support Ginnie Mae’s $1.2 trillion MBS program.
Strategic Planning & Operations Integration will be incorporated into every aspect of Ginnie Mae, which means I will be working closely with Program Operations, Capital Markets, MBS and Finance, as well as the Data and Technology Management groups. Our first task is to make sure that Ginnie Mae has the appropriate infrastructure – people, processes and technology – to support the corporation’s overall strategy. If we find that there are gaps or opportunities, it is my job to put the necessary building-blocks and processes in place to enable the implementation of that strategy.
Tell us a little about your background and how you’ll use your experience to drive Ginnie Mae’s corporate strategy.
For the past 25 years, I’ve been working to transform information environments to meet the ever-growing needs of businesses. So, perhaps the best way to describe myself and the role I play is that of a “transformational leader.” I started my career as an auditor in public accounting, but quickly transitioned to focus on information technology in the financial sector. I have worked in the Federal and private sectors – as well as in government contracting – transforming information management environments at Fannie Mae, the Federal Reserve and other government-civilian agencies. While most of these organizations have different workplace environments, processes and technologies, very similar leadership approaches can be applied to almost all organizations. For example, my initial approach in all of the organizations I’ve worked with is to analyze and assess the current state of the business model and devise a core set of guiding principles to support the efforts or changes that need to be made. This is the most crucial part of what I do, because before any change or strategy can be implemented, it is important to identify areas that do not align properly. From there, it is my job to develop a plan that can be implemented to help close those “gaps.” Lastly, I establish a continuous improvement plan to make sure that the new strategies can continue to be successful. Collectively, this works to ensure the organization remains stable and continues to grow business for years to come.
What are Ginnie Mae’s Strategic Planning & Operations Integration 2012 goals and objectives? How will those objectives impact Ginnie Mae’s long standing strength in the housing market?
Our first objective for 2012, related to Strategic Planning & Operations Integration, is to define Ginnie Mae’s architecture blueprint. This blueprint, which will extend between two and four years, will include an overarching strategy that aligns the current business model, with the technology needed to enable the corporation to more seamlessly meet the needs of our lender-partners and the processes needed to better support all of these initiatives. Our second goal is to begin identifying and developing those processes that need to be implemented immediately. While we are working to complete the first two goals, our third goal – to build and strengthen relationships and alliances with business partners and service providers – will fall naturally into place. It is important that Ginnie Mae continues to build key relationships, both individual and collaborative, with other B2B organizations and leaders. As we implement some of the changes we discussed earlier, having these key relationships will help us to broaden our knowledge and expertise and allow us to embrace new and innovative ideas.
In the last Executive Q&A we learned that Ginnie Mae is in the process of implementing a number of enhancements to back office operations. What is your role in these processes?
Strategic Planning & Operations Integration is designed to work in partnership with Program Operations, Capital Markets, MBS, Finance, data and technology management groups to enable them to meet their business objectives. I will be working with each of these groups to build and tailor processes that not only enable them to operate in a more efficient and timely manner, but will also create more standardization. The ultimate goal is to leverage economies-of-scale within each program group, thus making Ginnie Mae more flexible and customer-centric. Our focus is on embracing the new technology innovations to ensure that Ginnie Mae is delivering services faster and more efficiently so our customers can better navigate the tumultuous housing market.
Ginnie Mae recently held an internal workshop to develop actionable programs that support its overall vision, strategy, goals and objectives. What are the next steps to ensure accountability and progress toward delivering on those plans?
After the strategic planning workshop, every corporate program group was responsible for developing actionable activities and proposed timelines for implementing a number of key objectives over the next year. It is our job to monitor these activities to make certain that everything is on track and is being accomplished. If, for whatever reason, we find that we are off schedule, Strategic Planning & Operations Integration will work with each program group to determine what needs to be adjusted in order to get the program back on track.
What do you think the biggest challenges are at Ginnie Mae and how do you plan to address those challenges?
Overall, introducing change and innovation, while not interfering with an organization’s overall growth and mission, can be a challenge no matter where you are. It is my job to help Ginnie Mae walk that fine line by making sure that we execute our risk mitigation strategy properly. Another challenge related to the initiatives that are underway is personnel change and how that impacts the organization’s internal structure. We are currently bringing on new employees, all of whom bring new ideas and perspectives. While this is a very exciting time in our growth, we need to make sure that our corporate culture blends well with these new approaches and management styles. It will be my job to make sure that everything – including our engagement with business partners – is cohesive and continues to work effectively.
You have worked for two other entities that have that unique public/private role (Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and Fannie Mae). Does that dual role present special challenges? If so, how have you learned to deal with those challenges?
Ginnie Mae’s business model and structure is very different than that of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and even the Federal Reserve. The corporation is specifically structured for success because of a very simple and conservative business model. The other organizations have more complex organizational structures where there are many outside factors impacting the day-to-day business process. Because there are so many factors at play in these other organizations, it is a challenge to make sure that all of the processes, technology and people are up-to-date and aligned with one another. I know that there will be challenges ahead as we work to implement some of these changes, but no obstacle is ever insurmountable and I’m looking forward to working with the talented and energized staff here at Ginnie Mae.