Meet Our Team

Eloise Schmitz

CEO & CO-founder

Eloise Schmitz is an accomplished senior executive with experience in finance, strategy, and corporate finance. Eloise has over 26 years of experience in corporate finance, including 12 years with Charter Communications, where she served as SVP of Finance and Strategy and CFO. Prior to Charter, Eloise had a successful banking career in corporate and commercial banking with Mercantile Bank in Saint Louis (now US Bank) and First Union National Bank in Charlotte (now Wells Fargo). During her banking career, she worked on creating asset-backed securities for large ticket medical equipment and computer leases similar to the Mortgage Backed Security financing vehicles. Eloise holds a Bachelor of Science in Management with a major in Finance from Tulane University. She currently is a member of Enterprise Bank and Trust Board of Directors.

Ken Niemann

Principal & Co-Founder

Over the past 27 years, Ken Niemann has been one of the nation’s most prolific residential mortgage originators. Starting in 1989 with a small mortgage bank in St. Louis producing first-time homebuyer loans, he has grown a loan practice that regularly produces in excess of $200 million per year in closed loan production. His career personal production volume is in excess of $2 billion. Ken is an expert in all facets of mortgage origination and he has a wide breadth of experience in secondary marketing, underwriting, regulatory compliance and process management. Most recently as an Executive Vice President for Stifel Bank & Trust, he has been an integral part of the team that developed the mortgage operation from $37 million in production in 2007 into a national operation that produces in excess of $ 1.5 billion in closed volume annually and is widely regarded as one of the Midwest’s highest quality mortgage origination companies. Ken is a 1987 graduate of Vanderbilt University, with a BA in Economics. He lives in St. Louis with his wife Margee and three children.

Amir Kundalic

Chief Technology Officer

Amir Kundalic is an accomplished senior technology executive with over 22 years of demonstrated career success in start-up, mid-size and Fortune 500 companies. He has extensive experience as a change agent in both established and high-growth businesses with strong ability to bridge the gap between technology and business functions. Amir has an excellent record of achievement in managing rapid organizational growth and building value through expertise in managing technology in mission-critical markets. Amir is an expert in strategic planning and tactical execution, enterprise and cloud architecture, complete product and customer life-cycle management and security, compliance and risk management.

Prior to joining LoanNEX®, Amir led the development and implementation of several fraud detection systems for prominent Industry technology leaders including Kroll Factual Data. He was also Technology Leader for one of Industry’s most prominent CRM software companies, Mortgage Returns. Amir designed and developed first-in-industry automated business solution to quantify, price and mitigate risk (mortgage fraud, collateral risk, appraisal risk, regulatory compliance, loss mitigation, loss forecasting and automated valuation models).

Nancy Miller

Chief Operating Officer

Nancy is an accomplished financial services executive with over 25 years of experience spanning sales, business development, project management, professional services, client success, and sales management. She has a proven track record of leading large, high-performing teams and driving results across complex enterprise environments. In her most recent role, Nancy led an organization of approximately 100 consultants, trainers, architects, and implementation professionals – bringing both strategic vision and hands-on leadership to every stage of the client lifecycle.

Prior to joining LoanNEX, Nancy built an extensive career in enterprise financial services, developing deep expertise in the systems, relationships, and workflows that drive growth in mission-critical markets. Nancy is no stranger to LoanNEX – she worked with the team during the company’s early years from 2013 to 2015, collaborating alongside key members of the founding team as LoanNEX launched and established its services.

Erin Whitcomb

VP of Operations

Erin Whitcomb joined LoanNEX in January of 2020 as Manager of Strategic Initiatives, responsible for Client Services, Operations and Project Management. With over 12 years working for technology companies, and more than 5 years in the mortgage industry, Erin has extensive experience in implementing efficient and quality processes to scale operations, while meeting both organizational and customer needs. Erin has a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Missouri – Columbia.

Raj Parekh

Senior Vice President of Business Development

Raj Parekh has more than 15 years senior sales & entrepreneurial executive experience in building startup companies, managing sales, marketing, and operations. Most recently Raj was the Vice President of New Market Development at CreditXpert. Prior to CreditXpert, Raj was the Managing Director of LoanScorecard, a cloud based automated underwriting system and product, pricing, and eligibility solution designed specifically for non-agency (Non-QM) lenders and investors. He has also held executive positions at Insellerate, ActiveProspect, LeadPoint, and was the founder and CEO of LeadROI one of the first lead management and CRM solutions for consumer direct lending. Raj holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Kansas, and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Tulsa College of Law.

Dan Smith

SVP Sales

Dan Smith is a seasoned mortgage technology sales executive with over 25 years of experience driving growth and building strategic partnerships across the software and SaaS landscape. He has a proven track record of success in business development, sales leadership, and industry relations within the mortgage technology sector.

Prior to joining LoanNEX®, Dan served as VP of Sales and Strategy and EVP Brand Ambassador at LendingPad, where he led sales initiatives and expanded brand presence across the industry. Before that, he spent 15 years at Compliance Ease, building deep expertise in sales and industry relations for compliance-focused mortgage technology solutions.

Jeff Waldman

Business Development Manager

Jeff Waldman is a results-driven sales professional with over 15 years of experience and a passion for creating thoughtful, data-informed strategies that help teams grow and perform at their best. He brings deep expertise in business development and commercial sales, with a strong focus on empowering teams through smart, scalable approaches.

Prior to joining LoanNEX®, Jeff served in SME commercial sales at Square, where he honed his ability to drive revenue growth and build high-performing sales operations. His collaborative mindset and analytical approach make him a natural fit for the LoanNEX® business development team.

Chris Rendler

VP of Product and Partner Success

Chris Rendler joined our team as VP Product and Partner Success in 2023. With a wealth of experience in the mortgage industry, Chris is instrumental in driving our partner product roadmap and leading our investor support team.

Chris came to us from Vontive, an Embedded Mortgage Platform, where he focused on growing the white-label partner vertical. Prior to that, he worked at Black Knight as a Business Systems Analyst for their Product & Pricing Engine. He also served as Team Lead for the Product & Pricing Engine at Compass Analytics, with an emphasis on investor content and rules management.

James Booe

VP of Product and Integration Manager

As VP Product and Integration Manager, James Booe leads our partner integration initiatives at LoanNEX. His experience aligning business objectives with customer needs provides LoanNEX with deeper expertise to deliver exceptional value to our clients.

With over 8 years of experience at EllieMae, Inc./ICE Mortgage Technology, including 6 years as the Product Manager for EPPS, James’ experience brings LoanNEX valuable insights into our client’s needs.

Chris Krueger

VP of Engineering, Distinguished Engineer

Chris Krueger is a veteran technology leader with over 25 years of experience in the enterprise software industry, including two decades dedicated to building scalable platforms for the mortgage sector. As VP of Engineering and Distinguished Engineer at LoanNEX®, he sets the technical standard for the organization, combining high-level engineering strategy with deep, hands-on architecture to deliver fast, reliable, and secure software platforms at scale.

Chris joined LoanNEX® in 2013 to architect and build the company’s core platform – work he considers his proudest accomplishment. Prior to LoanNEX®, he built and scaled enterprise software solutions for prominent industry players, including Kroll Factual Data and Interthinx (First American). His career in tech began in 1995 when he launched his own gaming site, sparking a lifelong passion for building from the ground up.

A Computer Science graduate of SIUE, Chris brings a farm-raised work ethic and builder’s mindset to everything he does, from architecting systems to mentoring the next generation of engineers.

Stephanie Krueger

Director of Product Requirement and Quality Assurance

Stephanie Krueger is a dedicated product and quality assurance leader with over a decade of experience ensuring software excellence at LoanNEX®. Since joining the company in 2014 as a part-time Quality Assurance specialist, she has grown into the role of Director of Product Requirement and Quality Assurance – a trajectory that reflects her deep understanding of both product intricacies and business needs.

Stephanie brings a comprehensive skill set shaped by hands-on experience managing software updates, delivering technical support across large retail networks, and leading technical training initiatives for store management in Germany. Her keen eye for detail, commitment to quality, and ability to anticipate evolving business needs ensure that LoanNEX® product development aligns seamlessly with market demands and the highest quality standards.

Heather Carrico

Relationship Manager

Alicia Dortch

Relationship Manager

Krista
Ard

Client Success and Account Manager

Krista Ard joined the LoanNEX Team in 2023 as Client Success and Account Manager. Her extensive background has played a pivotal role in the growth of Mortgage Operations teams. With over 14 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Krista has dedicated 9 years to specializing in the Non-QM market. Additionally, she has earned an FHA DE Certification, further showcasing her expertise in the field.

Meet Our Team

Eloise Schmitz

CEO & CO-founder

Ken Niemann

Principal & Co-Founder

Amir Kundalic

Chief Technology Officer

Nancy Miller

Chief Operating Officer

Erin Whitcomb

VP of Operations

Raj Parekh

Senior Vice President of Business Development

Dan Smith

SVP Sales

Jeff Waldman

Business Development Manager

Chris Rendler

VP of Product and Partner Success

James Booe

VP of Product and Integration Manager

Chris Krueger

VP of Engineering, Distinguished Engineer

Stephanie Krueger

Director of Product Requirement and Quality Assurance

Heather Carrico

Relationship Manager

Alicia Dortch

Relationship Manager

Krista Ard

Client Success and Account Manager

Juan Pablo Salamanca

Manager Investor Support

Krista
Ard