Andrina Valdes – CEO

Andrina Valdes is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience in home lending, and brings a rare blend of strategic insight, operational excellence, and people-first leadership to the teams she leads 

Her career spans nearly every facet of the mortgage industry—sales, operations, marketing, technology, compliance, and joint ventures. At every turn, Andrina has built and led high-performing teams, scaled businesses from startup to multibillion-dollar enterprises, and developed innovative solutions that drive growth while preserving a culture of care, integrity, and accountability. 

Prior to joining Republic, Andrina has served her prior company in multiple executive roles—including COO, CMO, and CTO—where she helped the company grow from $1 billion to $10 billion in annual funded volume. She also founded Temul Capital, a firm dedicated to strategic investments in housing and mortgage ventures and Temul Life where she gives back and supports entrepreneurs and industry professionals.   

She is widely recognized for her ability to simplify complexity, inspire teams, and align execution with vision. A builder at heart, Andrina is especially passionate about creating joint ventures and builder-partner platforms that unlock shared success and long-term profitability. 

On the personal side, Andrina is a dedicated wife and the mother of three.  She is an avid reader and loves the scenic outdoors.  She enjoys, hiking, snowboarding, traveling, cooking, and an occasional round of golf.  Her heart and her passion are the people in her charge.  Pouring into people and making a difference is what really fills her bucket.  

Paulina McGrath – President and CFO
Paulina McGrath is President and CFO Republic State Mortgage Co. Paulina joined Republic in 1999.

Paulina has been giving back to the mortgage industry for many years. She was a founding member of the Community Mortgage Lenders of America (CMLA) in 2009 and has served on the CMLA Board since that time. She has been an outspoken advocate for the mortgage industry in numerous articles, op eds, meetings with members of Congress, regulators and presidential administrations. While serving as Chair of the Board of CMLA, Paulina testified before the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit in April of 2015 to call for Congress to streamline regulations for community-based mortgage lenders. In 2015 during her time as Chair of the CMLA Board, Paulina was recognized by Housing Wire Magazine as one of 15 Women of Influence. Most recently, Paulina served as the President of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association (TMBA) from May of 2018 through April of 2019. She is only the 4th female president of the TMBA in its over 100-year history. She also served on the TMBA Board of Directors from 2011-2016. .

In addition, to her work for her company and her industry, Paulina is also active within her community. Since 2013 she has served on the Board of Trustees of The Women's Fund, a non-profit organization that provides Houston area women and girls with the tools they need to be advocates for their health. She is also an active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Parish. Paulina has an MA from George Washington University and a BS from Auburn University. Paulina resides in Houston with her husband, Jim, their two daughters, Anna and Caragh and their son, Jack.

Dustin Lapresi – VP and Director of Capital Markets
Dustin Lapresi brings over a decade of experience in Secondary/Capital Markets to Republic.  He is a highly motivated employee utilizing technical and analytical skills to formulate and support management objectives.   In addition to being profit oriented, he has sales experience and great customer relations built on sound and personable communication.

Dustin lives in Alpharetta, Georgia with his wife Jessica and two boys – Mikey and Anthony. He enjoys hunting, shooting clays, cooking, Jeeps and loves Auburn Football.

Donna Wright – National Production Manager
Donna has 30 plus years of experience, having helped lead both Fortune 500 and midsized mortgage companies. She successfully transitioned from originator to regional sales manager and national production manager at leading financial institutions, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America and others. She has also proven leadership in recruiting, building, motivating, and coaching teams and individuals. Donna has an outstanding reputation for building markets, generating revenue and driving profit to the bottom line.

Donna has a BA in Economics from the University of Dallas and currently resides in Austin. Her passions are spending time with her children, watching rugby, and travel.

Susan Villanova – Vice President of Operations

Susan is a true customer service and solution oriented Vice President of Operations with over 25 years of expertise leading teams in retail, wholesale, consumer direct and new construction lending environments and has been instrumental in the success of several retail/wholesale mortgage bankers and financial services organizations for 2 of the top 10 builders in the country.

Susan lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband Rich and enjoys the sunny weather, hiking, bicycling, reading and spending time with her family.