Each year, HousingWire seeks to honor women in the housing industry who are moving markets and shaping the industry around them. This year, Old Republic Title’s own Carolyn J. Monroe has been named to HousingWire’s 2019 Women of Influence list for her accomplishments within the industry.
On December 31, 2018, Carolyn was named President of Old Republic National Title Holding Company (Old Republic Title), becoming the first woman in the Company’s 112-year history to hold the distinction. While most professionals with 37 years of experience are thinking about slowing down, Carolyn is contemplating how to move the Company and the housing industry forward. This past year marked incredible strides for both.
Throughout her career, Carolyn has supported and volunteered her services to the title insurance industry. She has served as the President of the New Mexico Land Title Association and was awarded its Citizen of the Year Award. She is also a proud member of the American Land Title Association.
Carolyn joined Old Republic Title in 2009 as Vice President and Southwest Direct Operations Manager. During her tenure with the Company, she has enjoyed multiple promotions, built operations from the ground up, and overseen phenomenal growth in both agency and direct operations. In 2015, Carolyn became the first female president of the Company’s Western Title Division, where she oversaw operations for seven states and over 1,500 employees until she advanced to president. Today, she oversees operations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and more than 4,500 employees.
Anyone who has had the privilege to know or work with Carolyn considers her the best kind of leader. She is kind, humble and friendly, and she models honesty, integrity and respect. Carolyn treats her employees like family, and makes time to listen to their concerns, laugh at their weddings and cry at their funerals. She believes in sharing her knowledge, nurturing ambitions and rewarding success – especially for other female leaders.
“Carolyn truly cares about people and leads by example,” says Kristi Gibbs, Albuquerque, New Mexico Division Manager for Old Republic Title. She ought to know – Carolyn hired her 36 years ago and continued to mentor Kristi even when their careers took them to different organizations.
Michelle Lenahan, Marketing Manager for Old Republic Title, can’t sing her boss’s praises high enough. “It’s easy to find the words to describe a great leader: passionate, empowered, confident and optimistic. But it’s something spectacular when that leader evokes those traits in the people around her. Carolyn truly vivifies leadership. It can only be described as the feeling you get when listening to a piece of music that moves you. That is the feeling you get working for Carolyn.”
