Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign hello, and welcome to the Bottom Line Me podcast, where we like to dive into ideas and innovations that are shaping the real estate and title industry. I'm your host, Ann Allard, and today's topic is advocacy and volunteerism.
Now, this is a topic that often flies under the radar, but in reality, it plays a crucial role in strengthening our communities and our industry.
My guest today is one of my own colleagues here at Old Republic Title and is someone who not only understands the ins and outs of title work, but also leads by example when it comes to giving back.
Whether it's through legislative advocacy, community outreach, or mentoring the next generation of title professionals, she's committed to all of that. So please join me in welcoming Sharon Kenny, here to share her insights, experiences, and ideas on how we can all make a difference. Sharon, welcome to the Bottom Line Me podcast. It's great to have you here.
[00:01:14] Speaker B: Thank you, Ann. I'm excited to get started and dive into everything.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: Great. Well, I am, too. This is a topic I know that's very close to your heart and it is to mine as well, so. But before we dive in, why don't you take a couple of minutes to tell us a little bit about what your role is and your responsibilities are at older public title and anything else you want to share with us.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: So, I recently was promoted to assistant vice president and I'm also an agency rep in Virginia based out of the Northern Virginia office.
Listen, I also have over 30 years experience in the title industry. After owning my own title company and managing a few law firms, I decided that I liked being a agency rep more than I liked owning my own company.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: I can understand that for sure.
Anything else you want to share with us about yourself?
[00:02:17] Speaker B: I'm a mom to two wonderful girls and my Silver Lab, which my girls are older and they've moved on and so my Silver Lab is my baby now when I'm not on the road. But I enjoy being on the road more and talking to agents and attorneys about what's going on in our industry and just getting to know them.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: Awesome. Great. Well, I know in addition to all of that, you're also a board member of the Virginia Land Title association. And I believe you mentioned that you were also a member of the American Land Title Association. Tell us a little bit about that.
[00:02:53] Speaker B: I am coming this October.
Virginia Land Title Association. I will be elected as president for this coming year in 2026. So I'm really excited about that. I volunteered for several years with VLTA in different committees and learned how each committee plays an important role to VLTA and our industry.
And then recently, as of last year, I volunteered for ALTA and started with their marketing committee, but moved on to the Congressional Liaison Committee because I felt that was more in line with what my focus and vision was for my presidency. It also created a stronger move for me moving forward with legislation and what affects our industry.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Wow. Well, first, congratulations on becoming elected president of the Virginia Land Title association and on your promotion here at Old Republic Title. That's great.
[00:03:50] Speaker B: Thank you. And I'm really excited about both. I think working here at Older Public has been such a benefit for me, but it's also given me a lot of opportunities that I didn't have before.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: Awesome.
Yeah, I agree. Well, let's dive into our topic and start with advocacy.
Why don't you tell us what advocacy means to you and why you think it's important for title professionals to get involved.
[00:04:20] Speaker B: Well, you're representing the title industry and it's very important because I didn't have that knowledge before.
And so I find that you have a voice. You can email a phone call to any of your state or national government officials to educate them about our industry. A lot of them don't understand what title insurance is. So educating them makes them aware of some of the issues that are so important to us right now.
We are experts in this field, so we need to explain more in detail about what their vote can do and how that will affect us, what the amendments can and the appropriate bills that affect us. So educating them is so important and that's part of what I enjoy.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: Yeah, you don't know what you don't know just to begin with. And I think there are lots of head scratching moments that go on for people about a lot that goes on in title insurance.
But to get back to advocacy, do you think that there are some common misconceptions about what advocacy work is and if so, talk a little bit about that.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: So I have reached out to several of my Virginia agents and others just around the area in Virginia and Hampton Roads area, and some are confused what advocacy is. They don't realize that you can speak to a government official, make that impact.
They still are kind of in fear of talking to a government official.
You know, maybe they're going to be different than us and they're not.
They want the information. So I feel like advocacy is so important in that area and getting people to understand what it really means. You know, you're not just going there to sit there for the day. When you go to advocacy, you're Actually doing work for the industry.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: Interesting. Yeah. And I, and I know in both, I'm sure in the Virginia Land Title association and in the American Land Title association, there's lots of support and help that can prepare you to get in front of a government official or your local legislator. So that's, that's, that's one of the great reasons to be involved in one of these organizations or both of them. So. Yeah, yeah.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: You know, I, when I first went to my first time, you know, the VLTA and other LTAs will do the same. So does ALTA. They educate you on what you need to ask, what bills are important.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: So you're really getting the full impact of everything and you're understanding. You get to speak to some of these representatives also, right?
[00:06:57] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And I think you're building that network with people. You can bounce ideas. How do you approach somebody about something or what would you suggest? Who do you think I should be talking to? All those things. I think being involved in these organizations really help you figure those things out. So. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah, I agree. Well, yeah, let's talk a little bit about volunteerism. So tell us a little bit about what inspired you to start volunteering.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: So when I first joined the industry, and we won't say how long ago that was, I didn't know what to do to volunteer. And I enjoy volunteering. You meet a wonderful group of people and you're meeting them from different parts of the industry. In real estate, you know, you may meet somebody that's a real estate agent. They all have different parts that play into our industry and affect us. And so I knew when I joined Virginia, Virginia Land Title Association, I wanted to make a difference. But what was it? I had to pick because I volunteered on several different committees to figure it out. But I found that I really enjoyed legislation.
I've also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity because that's another one that will impact our industry. Giving back to our industry.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
Great organization.
You know, you mentioned in our opening that you owned a title agency at one time. Do you think that that experience influenced your approach to either advocacy or volunteerism?
And how might it have shaped your professional career going forward?
[00:08:45] Speaker B: It absolutely did shape everything and it. I wasn't aware of the laws and the things, the bills that would affect our title industry. I was just, to me, a title agent, not understanding, you know, how this impacted my day to day work or how I might not be able to do something going forward.
So I then decided that I needed to get involved because being without that knowledge and not having others have that same knowledge.
I knew I needed to do something about it. And I really liked legislation.
I jokingly say to my boss, Kevin Bogota, that if I ever leave the Old Republic, I'm going to go to Capitol Hill. We both laugh about it, but it's so true.
[00:09:37] Speaker A: Awesome. Well, I'll look forward to seeing that someday if it happens.
[00:09:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I'll stay with ot.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: Exactly. Well, you get the best of both worlds that way, too.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: I do, yeah.
[00:09:49] Speaker A: Exactly. Exactly. So, you know, when you started to volunteer, you know, you said you're. You're kind of. Your sweet spot is legislation. But, you know, how do you figure out what's available and, you know, what kind of opportunities exist for somebody that might want to get involved somehow? How do they go about finding these things out?
[00:10:18] Speaker B: So what I would suggest is a number of things. One is you can contact your local or your state lta, and then they usually have a number of different things. You know, I served on Events Committee. I'd served as a treasurer and secretary. I really need to feel out other committees to figure out where I fit in.
But I knew my heart was back to legislation. But if you're not comfortable with that, you can also reach out to American Land Title Association.
They have a wide variety of committees.
One was. I was on marketing at one time, and they always need help in different areas.
[00:10:57] Speaker A: Yeah, they're a great group there, too, to work with.
You know, I participate in a lot of things there, and it's. It's very enjoyable and quite rewarding. I know. So.
[00:11:07] Speaker B: But you're getting. You're getting to know a number of people, and not just in Alta. You get to meet across the United States, and they're all in the same business as you, and they all want the same thing as you. It's coming together and learning from them and understanding what maybe their needs are.
[00:11:27] Speaker A: Exactly. Exactly. Well, let's talk a little bit more about volunteerism. You've been doing it for quite some time from, I'm guessing.
So do you have any story that made a lasting impression on you or made an impression on your community or the industry that you're aware of that you'd like to share with us?
[00:11:49] Speaker B: I think the very first time I volunteered was for Habitat for Humanity, and that impacted me for the rest of my life.
Giving a house to someone that may have not had that ability to have ownership, a home to own and their children to live in was so impactful. I, you know, got to do a number of different things when I was Doing it, whether it was cutting wood that I knew how to do myself or just simply measuring things and putting things up, it was really an experience that will last with me forever. You know, finding somebody that needed that home and now gets to have that home.
[00:12:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Wow. Well, I was going to ask you, you know, what's the one thing that you wish people would understand about the importance of giving back? And you know, you started to share that, but do you have any other thoughts on that?
[00:12:45] Speaker B: Well, the importance is that you're doing such a.
Let me start over.
You're, you're making an impact in this industry.
You're making an impact on your life and others lives.
So it, you know, while you may feel it's a small thing, it really becomes a bigger, a bigger idea or maybe a bigger.
I'm getting frustrated.
It could be a bigger reward, not just for you, but for others. And it really gives me a sense of community and helping everybody around me. I mean, it's just something that I can't, I can't voice enough about. To get involved.
[00:13:30] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's an interesting point that it's not just about making a difference. You know, you're building a network, a community of like minded people that, that you can lean on or support. And I think that's, that's a wonderful reason to participate in advocacy or to start to volunteer. So yeah, those are, those are great reasons to give back, I think. So. Anything else you want to share with us about advocacy or volunteerism before we get to the bottom line?
[00:14:03] Speaker B: I just want everybody to reach out to a local organization. It doesn't have to be Habitat or VLT or alta, but look, to get involved, make a difference in your community, it really will impact you and it impacts others in such a positive way.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: That's great. That's great. Well, that's kind of like a bottom line because I was going to ask you if a listener is inspired by the short, you know, what you've just shared with us. What's, you know, you suggested one action that they could take and that is to reach out to an organization. But is there anything else that, that you would add to the bottom line? What other thing that they could do to get involved?
[00:14:43] Speaker B: They could also just simply sit on a committee.
You know, committees, you don't have to do a whole lot, but a committee, you know, is a group of people coming together to achieve one item. Whether it be an event or whether it be, you know, advocacy or maybe membership in some, some organization.
You can really make an impact there and voicing your opinion or helping those that need direction, it makes a difference. It's made a difference for me and my agents. I'm able to bring back information to them by volunteering.
[00:15:16] Speaker A: Exactly. Exactly. Well, that's great. So. So if you don't really. If you're not really good at hammering nails or painting walls, you can sit on a committee. There's all there' that are all the way across the board. That's great, you know.
[00:15:31] Speaker B: Well, there is.
[00:15:32] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, Sharon, thank you so much for sharing your journey and your passion for advocacy and volunteerism. It's really clear that your leadership is already making a difference, and I'm excited and I'm sure our audience is to see what's ahead for you as you step into your role as the president of. Of the Virginia Land Title association next year. So stay in touch, you know, and for our listeners.
I'm sorry I cut you off there.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: I said thank you, Ann. I will stay in touch.
[00:16:08] Speaker A: Great. Well, thank you again. And for our listeners, if today's conversation inspired you, consider reaching out to your locally entitled association, attending a legislative day, or simply volunteering your time to mentor somebody new in the industry.
As Sharon just shared with us, every single action counts. So until next time, we wish you all opportunities to continue to learn, grow and prosper. Thank you.
