Kelle Smart of Academy Mortgage is part of the Mortgage Professional America Elite Women 2016.
KELLE SMART
Vice president
Academy Mortgage
Kelle Smart enjoyed tremendous success as a loan originator in 2015, posting an increase in personal loan production from $27.8 million to $40 million – all while leading one of Academy Mortgage’s most successful branches. Smart has more than 30 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry, joining Academy in 1996 as a shareholder and vice president. In these roles, she is involved with numerous company initiatives and product development.
Smart considers her role as a mentor for her production and operations teams to be her most important, but a close second is her relationships with her clients. “What I love most about my job is the close connection with people,” she says. “Working with a borrower on a mortgage loan is very personal. You learn a lot about their financial situation and about their lives. It is fun to be connected so closely and to get to know them so well. These relationships become long-term, as their lives – and mortgage needs – change throughout the years. It is a sincere honor to be included in their lives as a trusted advisor.”
Smart is a member of Academy’s President’s Club, a recognition she has held every year since joining the company. She also currently sits on the board of trustees for a charter school in downtown Salt Lake City and has led fundraising efforts for Special Olympics Utah and the University of Utah’s College of Social Work.
Vice president
Academy Mortgage
Kelle Smart enjoyed tremendous success as a loan originator in 2015, posting an increase in personal loan production from $27.8 million to $40 million – all while leading one of Academy Mortgage’s most successful branches. Smart has more than 30 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry, joining Academy in 1996 as a shareholder and vice president. In these roles, she is involved with numerous company initiatives and product development.
Smart considers her role as a mentor for her production and operations teams to be her most important, but a close second is her relationships with her clients. “What I love most about my job is the close connection with people,” she says. “Working with a borrower on a mortgage loan is very personal. You learn a lot about their financial situation and about their lives. It is fun to be connected so closely and to get to know them so well. These relationships become long-term, as their lives – and mortgage needs – change throughout the years. It is a sincere honor to be included in their lives as a trusted advisor.”
Smart is a member of Academy’s President’s Club, a recognition she has held every year since joining the company. She also currently sits on the board of trustees for a charter school in downtown Salt Lake City and has led fundraising efforts for Special Olympics Utah and the University of Utah’s College of Social Work.
