132: What It’s Like to Work in the Affordable Housing Industry w/ Tyronda Gibson, Fannie Mae [Main T4C episode]

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Tyronda (Ty) Gibson is the Sustainable Communities Pilot Manager at Fannie Mae, a financial services company that provides housing finance in the American housing industry. As the Sustainable Communities Pilot Manager, Ty is responsible for fostering creative programs that ensure affordable homes in safe neighborhoods are available along with access to good schools, medical facilities, grocery stores that sell healthy foods and other community-related services. Ty studied math and economics in college, and began work as a data analyst post-graduation, where she found that the work wasn’t fulfilling. One week on a trip to Atlanta, Ty joined a friend on a trip to an inner city neighborhood and saw up close and personal what an ‘underserved’ community looked and smelled like.  She was instantly moved to tears and decided to pursue a career that would support communities in creating more affordable, safe housing for all Americans. She enrolled in Georgetown University’s public policy program, and set her sights on getting a job at Fannie Mae. She started off in a risk analysis position, and worked her way all around the organization in a variety of interesting jobs.  In addition to working at Fannie Mae, Ty owns her own real estate investing venture, which she started in hopes of getting more personally involved with the people who live in urban communities.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• What is Fannie Mae and why it matters
• How to break into the housing finance industry
• What it means to be a lead management consultant
• How to leverage design thinking in the workplace
• Tips on how to move up the corporate ladder within one organization
• Why being upfront and asking questions is important before you start a project