Like many in the affordable housing industry, Morgan Baldwin’s career in compliance was far from planned. She started out working as a nanny to put herself through dental school and was unfamiliar with the affordable housing realm. Then one day, a family friend said that she was in need of a compliance agent.
“I knew nothing about compliance. I knew nothing about affordable housing. My boss took a chance on me and taught me everything she knew. I was 24 at the time and I stayed with that company for about 7 years. So I went from knowing absolutely nothing to teaching their LIHTC classes, and now teaching it on a national level.”
Her life truly took a turn in that moment when someone took a chance on her, opened a door that she didn’t know existed, and helped her find a career that captures her passion for helping others.
Finding Her Passion
Morgan had always struggled with finding “her thing”, as she says. Her friends and family had all gone to school with a clear idea of what they wanted to do and become, but she remained unsure of what she was drawn towards.
“I didn’t have my niche and that was worrisome to me. I struggled a lot with trying to find what I was good at because I didn’t know what I was drawn to. I wish someone told me that it was OK. It was a powerful reminder that it’s okay not to have everything figured out- and that uncertainty can be part of the journey. Normalizing this is not a weakness, everything will happen the way it’s meant to and sometimes we don’t have all of the answers.”
With affordable housing compliance, Morgan was able to find the right blend of precision and compassion. When she started in compliance, she was an auditor conducting file reviews and physical inspection audits at properties all over the state of Florida. She did her reviews by the book, but also took time to explain the findings to the property staff. Morgan’s passion allowed something out of the ordinary to happen – property managers began to call and ask for Morgan specifically, to come back the following year for their audits.
“On a personal level, I wanted managers to know that they can ask me anything because who’s gonna tell them otherwise? If I can provide an extra five minutes of support where they might be able to learn something, or why something is a certain way, or how they can be a little bit more successful in their role, I’m going to do it. If you don’t have empathy, you don’t have anything.”
Working in Different Colors
Morgan’s training expertise and compassionate personality are not the only things that stand out about her. She expressed that she doesn’t like working with black or blue ink, and certainly not red. She strives to be a calming force in this industry and tries to avoid anything with stark or judgmental tones, whenever possible. So, what exactly does Morgan use? Think Pink! Her use of pink ink, a pink wardrobe, and even pink sticky notes is unique and draws people to her. She stays true to herself while also reflecting a warm, accepting, and welcoming presence. Thinking in pink is more than just an aesthetic for her; it’s a reflection of her world view, and the way she views and interacts with people in the world. Always leading with empathy first.
Her approach to the world lead to a perfect match with property management professionals — including both maintenance and management teams. Her smart and thorough professionalism, with her calming demeanor helped her create instant bonds with property teams all around the country.
“The maintenance personnel are the heart and soul of the properties. The complexity of their position is both demanding and impressive. I try and make sure whenever I go on site to thank them personally, I shake their hands. And the property managers need to be recognized more for their efforts because I mean, they’re on the front lines. The tenants, paperwork, trying to make sure all the recertifications are done on time.. all while getting walk-ins, phone calls, emails, their role is truly remarkable.”
Becoming a Compliance Expert and Trainer
It’s a long and challenging journey to begin as an entry level compliance agent and work your way up to becoming a national trainer for the affordable housing industry. With Morgan’s skills and dedication to helping property management staff understand audit findings, she found herself drawn to training larger and larger audiences. All the while, she still attempted to maintain the same feeling she had with managers, doing one on one trainings while the audiences continued to grow.
Joining US Housing Consultants provided Morgan with the opportunity to tackle compliance on a national level, and train even larger audiences – both in person and virtually.
Was Morgan a born public speaker? No, not at all. Her first experiences in front of an audience were met with anxiousness and uncertainty. But, one public training became two, and two became three, and slowly the anxiousness settled to comfort and then comfort settled to confidence.
What does the future hold for Morgan Baldwin? On many levels, the future is as unwritten now as it was when she was in her early twenties and thought “Yeah, sure, I’ll try to be a compliance expert.” But now that her audience is bigger, her “thing” is certain. Her mission to teach the world compliance in a softer, welcoming, and more empathetic way, and maybe with a splash of pink, has just begun.
