The dynamic husband and wife duo of Steve and Deb Sousa share a unique distinction: Both have helped lead the same trade association.

Steve served as president of the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association in the mid-90s. Last month, Deb took on the role of executive director.

Steve and Deb Sousa

Title: Executive Vice President of the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Appraisers; Executive Director of the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association

Age: 60; 48

Experience: More than 30 years, respectively, in the mortgage and banking industries

You guys have a pretty unique history with the association. How did you first encounter the MMBA?

Deb: The MMBA has always been a resource to me, professionally. It’s always been a place to go to for compliance and education and all of that. So [six years ago] when a job ended up opening up, I thought, ‘I would love to work for the association.’ So I was there for five or six years, working with Kevin Cuff. When I was brought on I think my title was director of administration. But as the industry evolved and changed, you had the onset of loan origination licensing, [and] my efforts at the association were more geared toward developing education and planning the events, and really being Kevin’s right arm. I was there for almost six years. And then I decided to work for one of my directors, which I did for about 13 months. It was great having that experience. And if anything it’s really enhanced, making me better at my position now. Because I’ve been back there. In six years, the industry has changed dramatically. When I first left there, you still had automated underwriting that you didn’t care about ratios, and now your underwriting, it’s an amazing difference. We’re back where we were 30 years ago. So I’m just ecstatic to be back as executive director. We’ve got so many goals and plans – I’m just really looking forward to it. Steve: I joined the MMBA in 1990. At that time, the world was mostly financial institutions, and that’s when we began to see the emergence of the non-bank lenders. From my perspective, as I’m sitting here and looking at, for example, the client base that appraisers have, it’s kind of come back to that again. If you look, the mortgage broker profession has become very small. Even the number of mortgage lenders, the numbers have gone down significantly. And that’s what my members have been adjusting to, over the past three years.

What challenges do you see going forward, Deb, as you start your new gig?

Deb: I think the challenge with us is getting out there and reaching some of the younger members of the mortgage community. We’ve been discussing starting a social media committee. Because if you go to an industry event, a typical education program, and some of the faces that you see in that room are some of the same faces that have been there, consistently, 10 and 15 years. So it’s reaching out to that new blood and making sure that they’re part of the association…we’re even trying to brainstorm about how to reach into the community colleges to start education programs.

Steve: Engaging the next generation is a big challenge [for the MBREA as well]. One of the things that most associations have found is that the way people get together and network has changed radically. Fewer people want to get together and network at face-to-face meeting opportunities. We did launch a social networking platform for our members and it’s been very successful. It’s a way for them to network without leaving their desks. Member engagement is a huge thing – trying to keep them involved is a challenge we both face, because there’s a lot of other ways for people to get information now.

Deb: But, surprisingly enough —

Steve: So you’re going to contradict me now?

Deb: Would I ever do that?

Steve: Yes.

Deb: [She pats his arm.] Often. But, surprisingly enough, we’ve had a lot of feedback this year from those who took the online education that they just didn’t like it. It just wasn’t the same – they didn’t learn as much, it was boring. So we’ve had a lot of requests to make sure that on our continuing ed side, they really want to go back to the classroom setting.

Steve: Ah, so I can support your statement. Because we’ve had the same experience here… we’ve been doing it for about three years. People like it for the convenience – they’ve run up against their deadline, they’ve got to get it done, they don’t want to travel. But when you talk to a lot of people that take online education they’ll also comment that they miss being in a classroom.

Do you find you bend each other’s ears a lot? Not too many people out there share your experience.

Deb: Absolutely. And we steal each other’s ideas, and we find once in a while we find a cause and a reason to bring mortgage lenders and appraisers together. Steve: Without there being a fight. Sometimes there’s too much shop talk, but I’ve learned a lot from Deb in terms of how to do some of the stuff I do around here.

Did either of you ever suspect early in your careers that you’d ever take to association leadership?

Steve: It really did seem natural that [Deb] could make a career out of it. Running an association is all about meeting your member’s needs. Customer service is really paramount. And nobody does it better than Deb. It’s been no surprise to me that she’s where she’s at. [As for me,] this is something that I really fell in love with in my first association job. And while I’ve left association life a couple of times, I don’t think I’ll ever do it again.

Steve & Deb Sousa’s Top 5 Tips For Running An Association:

• Remember, you’re the caretakers of the association.
• Keep the focus on the members.
• Always be on the lookout for talent. Get those members involved, so they can be future leaders.
• Think outside the box. It’s good to try new ideas, and to challenge your members to do the same.
• Embrace technology. Let go of the fear of social media and go where your members are.