CYNTHIA HEIL-CORZINE WEW SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Tell us about your career path:

I started working for a small family-owned mortgage company while I was in college.  I moved into Secondary Marketing upon graduating and then two years later moved to a company called Margaretten & Company in the treasury department.  I worked directly with the Treasurer and managed our commercial paper facility and warehouse lines.  I transferred to the product management group four years later and then helped set up one of our first refinance call center departments.  Shortly after that, I got the opportunity to work with a SVP to start the MSR acquisition business channel, and the rest is history.  The company was acquired by Chemical Bank and then we acquired Chase. As a result of these acquisitions, I was able to grow in the MSR space to work on large MSR bulk deals and the agency space for the JPMorgan Chase correspondent division. 

Is this the career you always expected to have? Or the field you wanted to be in?

I like to say I was born into this business! My father was a banker who ran the real estate lending division for a large commercial bank.  I was fascinated by what he did and wanted to be just like him.  I loved economics in high school and decided to pursue an economics and finance degree in college. 

Did you face any challenges/setbacks as a woman in your profession?

I think when I became a mother, it definitely became more challenging because you felt pressure to be in two places at once.  I had a job that required us to travel 50% of the time, and the guilt of not being there every night was hard.  When my son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3, it was a whole second set of challenges that needed to be overcome. 

Who inspired you to be a leader and why?

A mentor I worked with at the start of my managerial career said to me, “A leader is someone people follow not because they have to, but because they want to”.  My former mentor/manager was truly a great leader – he always lead by example and focused on wanting us to be the best we could be both professionally and personally.  I hope in my career I was able to implement his philosophy with my teams.

What does the WEW mean to you?

I am fairly new to WEW as I just joined in 2023.  I have never been part of an organization focused on women and supporting them to be their best – not only in their professional lives but in their personal lives as well. The support I have felt from this group has been tremendous, and I truly appreciate being part of the group. 

How do you encourage women to not give up?

First of all, I try to make them feel they are not alone in whatever challenges they are facing.  I remember when my son was diagnosed with autism back in 2003, I felt so completely alone and overwhelmed with what the future would hold for him. Autism was not really talked about, and unfortunately, people did not understand how to react or what to say. I was lucky enough to have a speech therapist who took me under her wing and help me cope.  As my now 24-year-old son likes to say, “Mom, just like Judi Robinson (from Lost in Space) always says: ‘Every problem has a solution’, we just need to find it.”  He has never given up and approaches life with a smile and positive attitude when it would have been so easy to just walk away at times.  I aspire to  always encourage, cheer and help find the solution.  I know how overwhelming life can be, but it is worth it to keep moving forward. 

What advice do you have for women looking to grow either within their own organization or to start their own business ventures?

What has suited me well to grow within my organization is to work hard and be open to doing every job no matter how exciting it may or may not be.  I have learned so many things just by helping out another area or working with someone on a project outside of my normal work responsibilities.  Also, lead by example.  Don’t ask someone on your team or within your organization to do something that you are not willing to do yourself or help them do.  Once people see you pitching in to help, they will be more than willing to help you in the future.