Leading at NewDay USA: Seven Women on Building Careers, Teams, and Trust

At NewDay USA, leadership shows up in every part of the business, from compliance and lending to finance, operations, human resources, and production. The women who run these teams come from different backgrounds and bring different strengths, but they share a common purpose: serving the Veterans who count on us, and building teams that can serve them well. We asked eight of our leaders about the lessons that shaped them, the qualities they look for, and the advice they would give to women starting out today. Here is what they told us.

"Don't be afraid to sit at the table"

For the women who lead here, confidence is something you build by showing up, speaking up, and staying curious.

Lindsay Kaptein, Vice President of Compliance, keeps her advice simple and direct. "Number one, don't be afraid to sit at the table. Two, be patient. Learn as much as you can and understand the why behind what you're doing, and use your resources. Make connections with those around you. Learn as much as you can. And I think building that up over time will increase your chances of success."

Destinee Stice, Vice President of Purchase, frames it as a mindset. "To new young women coming into the workforce, I would say be comfortable being uncomfortable. Consistently being in rooms and presenting in front of people, learning new things. You can do whatever you put your mind to, and be confident in training on new things."


Destinee Stice, Vice President of Purchase

Crystal Raines, Chief Operating Officer, points to the habit that helped her grow. "I would give them the advice to really trust their abilities and to also make sure that they advocate for their career. You know, it's really hard in the beginning to speak up in a room full of people and to share your ideas, but when you do that, you grow and you also gain the respect of your peers."

Leading people, not just holding a title

A title opens the door. What these leaders agree on is that earning followership is a different job entirely.

Lindsay Kaptein sees it as a balance. "You can hold a title, but that title in itself doesn't mean that you're going to inspire followership. In addition to that, I think understanding your own blind spots and figuring out ways to improve on how you are as a leader, which will effectively impact your team in a positive way."

For Gabby Garza, Vice President of Loan Origination, it starts with meeting people where they are. "I'd say the number one most important quality is to be able to meet everyone where they live, whether that is your Veterans that you're dealing with or your team. Here at NewDay, some people might be from a different background, where they're from North Jersey and they're high energy, high pace, ready to go. Other people, they might be a little bit slower pace, a little bit of an older Vietnam Veteran. And you have to be able to meet them where they live."

Gabby Garza, Vice President of Loan Origination

Crystal Raines learned to lead by listening first, especially through change. "One thing that I've learned as a leader is to really listen. When you listen to the people who are already in the department, and observe what they're doing, and let them have the opportunity to share their ideas, they have great ones. You know, as we go through change, change is hard. And empowering them to participate in the change creates a level of ownership, and also, you know, a level of accountability as we move forward."

Jenn Harrold, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, knows exactly what she looks for in the next generation. "The two qualities that I look for primarily are coachability and ownership. So I'm looking for individuals who aren't going to take a step back when things get hard, but rather lean in, ask questions, get curious. And when I think about ownership, I'm looking for an individual that doesn't want to be chased as far as being managed, that they're going to step in and volunteer for opportunities, and take mentoring opportunities and feedback really well."


Jenn Harrold, Senior Vice President of Human Resources

The mission is the motivation

The work here is demanding. For these leaders, what makes it worth doing is who it serves.

Destinee Stice says the reward is built into the job. "Leading the purchase department is extremely rewarding, and in our purchase department you learn a lot about buying a house. We're able to assist Veterans, and when you help someone get into their first home, you want to keep doing it over and over again. So that motivation is intrinsic, very exciting, and you learn a lot along the way." She adds that the industry is more human than people expect. "I think a lot of women don't get into this industry because it's financial and they think like, I need a math degree, or business, or accounting, but it's all about feeling you're helping people with the biggest purchase of their life. It's a big deal. Someone's buying a house."

June Busch, Senior Production Manager, connects every project back to the audience that matters most. "Every project that I touch, whether it be direct mail, TV, or digital marketing, that all helps us to get the message out to our Veterans who deserve the very best. And it also helps my team members be able to serve the Veterans in the best way possible." She wants to be known for one thing above all. "I want to make sure that people remember me as someone that they can count on to get the job done, and to do it well."

Building over time

None of these careers happened overnight. The throughline is steady work: strong fundamentals, earned trust, and the discipline to keep going.

Chao Deng, Chief Financial Officer, built her leadership on a foundation. "I always ground myself in strong fundamentals and build complementary skills around that foundation, which has broadened my impact and effectiveness as a leader." That same discipline shapes how she runs the numbers. "I always try to balance the financial discipline and growth by protecting the core business and the cash flow while allocating capital to innovation. The goal is to protect the business against the downside risk, while funding growth opportunities that drive long-term enterprise value."


Chao Deng, Chief Financial Officer

Gabby Garza learned a hard lesson about how far you can carry someone. "It's my job as a leader to find the right seat for them at NewDay USA. And although I wanted it so bad for them, they actually don't want it as bad as I want it for themselves. So my advice to anybody in leadership is: you can't want it for them more than they want it for themselves."

Jenn Harrold sees leadership as something proven quietly, over time. "What it takes is earning trust in the small moments and in the quiet times. And those trust opportunities over time really build up to ensure that leadership can entrust you to bring a steady voice and calming presence when things are hard."

June Busch thrives on the unpredictability of it all. "I am naturally a problem solver. I enjoy it; it actually excites me and energizes me. We can always have schedules, but schedules are very fluid, and when they do change, and they will change, you need to make sure that you are dealing with one step at a time, you know, making good decisions and communicating to everyone else so there are no surprises."

Build your career at NewDay USA

The women who lead here come from different paths, but they are building toward the same thing: a company that serves Veterans well, led by people who lift each other up. If that sounds like the kind of work you want to do, we would love to meet you.