We are proud to share that HousingWire has named DLS Servicing President and CEO Donna Schmidt a 2026 Vanguards winner.
The HousingWire Vanguards award recognizes housing’s most influential executives – 100 leaders across mortgage, real estate, and homebuilding who have made a lasting impact on their organizations and the housing industry. Honorees are selected based on leadership accomplishments, contributions to organizational growth, and their ability to drive meaningful change.
For more than four decades, Donna has worked through changing markets, evolving regulations, new technologies, and more than a few difficult cycles. Her approach has remained consistent, to understand the issue in front of you, tell the truth about what it will take to solve it, and do the work the right way.
At DLS Servicing, Donna has built a team that understands both the technical and human sides of default servicing. The work is about regulatory compliance and operational performance, but it is also about helping clients make sound decisions when a borrower’s situation has become difficult.
This recognition belongs to the people who contribute to that work every day, including the entire DLS team, clients, industry partners, and the many professionals who are committed to improving outcomes across the mortgage servicing ecosystem.
Thank you to HousingWire for the recognition and congratulations to the full 2026 Vanguards class. We are honored to be included among leaders working to move the housing industry forward.