“I still speak regularly at conferences talking about diversity, equity and inclusion,” she said. “Especially after the repeal of affirmative action, those messages need to be shouted even higher from the rooftop because we don’t want to see all of our efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) be minimized just due to that ruling.”
Moreover, Christensen is chair of the American Mortgage Diversity Council and also hosts the California MBA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion podcast. As of January, she is co-chair of the DEI committee for the California MBA.
Together with former colleagues at the Chenoa Fund, she launched Arrive Home in January 2023. “We have some different program we can offer that we weren’t able to offer at Chenoa,” she said. “So it’s more competitive and forward thinking. We lean on technology quite a bit – just a more refreshed version of a new way to do DEI.”
She honed her communication skills at an early age
Invariably, people possess certain traits that help fuel their success. In Christensen’s case, she attributes her ability to connect with people as key to her own success.
It’s a trait that’s developed early: “My mom always used to tell me when was little that I would float across the classroom like a butterfly talking to all the kids,” she said. “I’ve always been the kind of person who likes talking to people. I’m very passionate by nature, and that really lends well to working in a conference circle, making friends in the industry and being able to share our message with the broader population in a way that most people seem to like to receive it. I’ve been a professional networker since kindergarten.”
