Sourcing Partners to Push Sagent Ahead: Meet Charity Kittrell, Director of Vendor Management
In this series, we’re focused on the humans who make up Sagent. We’re fortunate to have a team that is constantly evolving – both professionally and personally – folks from all over the world who bring a variety of experience, education, and perspectives to advance our challenging mission. We’re excited to introduce you to some of these talented people who make Sagent a vibrant, productive community.
Tell me about your family, pets, where you live, and anything else you’d like to share about your life to help people get to know you.
I am an empty nester with three grown children and two young grandchildren. I live in Cary, North Carolina, with my husband, which is just 45 minutes from my hometown, Sanford, where my extended family still lives.
In my free time, I love singing, reading, and giving back to local charities. I am most involved with Habitat for Humanity and a local organization called One Wake, which focuses on civic engagement and affordable housing initiatives. My husband and I both support our local NAACP chapter and volunteer at local food pantries to help feed the homeless.
Tell me about any notable accomplishments that you’re proud of.
I am very proud to be a first-generation college graduate. My graduation paved the way for my brother and my cousins to attend college and earn their degrees. Attending college changed the trajectory of my life, and I am grateful every day for the guidance counselor who pushed me to achieve my dream. I graduated from Duke University with a degree in Zoology. Not quite what I am doing now, hahaha!
Do you have a role model? If so, tell me about them.
My role model was my grandmother. There isn’t a day that goes by without me repeating one of her sayings. She never spoke harshly of others, and she wouldn’t let us do so either. I strive to make her proud in every interaction I have with others.
Tell me more about your career journey. Highlight a particularly positive or negative experience and what you learned from it.
I started as a receptionist, then was promoted to executive administration roles before joining a pharmaceutical company. After about a year in that position, my boss asked if I’d be interested in a buyer role because of my science background. I eagerly accepted, and I’ve now been working in procurement and vendor management for over 25 years.
In one of my early procurement roles, I didn’t do my due diligence in a client-vendor transaction, and that turned out to be quite costly for my company. This failure taught me more than all the successes I ever had before. I learned that I don’t have all the answers and that collaboration is necessary to avoid pitfalls. I carry this experience and reminder with me every day.
How did you get into mortgage fintech?
While working at a global insurance company, my team built a third-party risk organization. This experience was the perfect accompaniment to my procurement background and positioned me for my current role at Sagent. I was looking for a new opportunity, and I came across the Vendor Risk position at Sagent. After speaking with the hiring manager, I knew it was the perfect fit for me. It allowed me to build a program pretty much from the ground up. Three years later, and I am confident I have found the right role.
What does your “day to day” look like in your role at Sagent?
My team collaborates closely with the Legal, Cybersecurity, Procurement, and Information Security teams, as well as vendor managers and relationship owners across the organization. We ensure that when we engage with third parties, both Sagent’s and our clients’ data are protected. We request that our third-party partners complete questionnaires to evaluate their stability as a company and the information security measures they have in place. We also check that appropriate language is included in contracts to mitigate potential risks and provide guidance and oversight for ongoing vendor management activities.
In your opinion, what is the greatest impact of building cloud-native servicing technology?
At a company I previously worked for, customer service representatives had to use multiple systems to answer customer questions because their systems weren’t integrated. The training process was long and complicated because of these separate systems. From what I’ve seen in the mortgage industry, this problem is very common. Dara by Sagent offers cloud-native servicing technology that enables integration, streamlines customer support and provides customers with seamless information without needing to access multiple systems. It is the solution the mortgage industry has been looking for a long time.
What excites you about Sagent’s mission to lead the evolution in loan servicing by solving its most complex challenges?
When someone challenges me by saying I can’t do something, I make it my goal to prove them wrong. I think this aligns with Sagent’s vision as well. Someone must be the first to do something, so why not us? Most problems have a solution; it just might take some time and effort to find it. Sagent has discovered the solution and is making it happen through the development of Dara. With great risk comes great reward!
When you think about Sagent’s values of Relentless, Relevant, Respectful, and Reliable, which of those resonates with you most?
Respectfulness is what resonates with me the most. People don’t care what you know until they know you care. That is such a wonderful saying. By showing your colleagues and your customers that you are invested in their success, you create an environment of mutual respect. I am happy to say I have found that environment at Sagent. We’re all trying to accomplish the same goal and each of us is important, no matter our role.
What is your favorite thing about working for Sagent?
It’s the people, of course! Even though we’re not in an office, it’s fun to take time to talk about our lives and get to know one another. I talk about cooking and baking with some colleagues, and chat about sports and weekend plans with others. Even virtually, it’s so encouraging to work amongst a team of passionate innovators. Being a largely remote company requires a bit more intentionality, but it’s worth it.
We often ask a colleague to offer a quick blurb about our Sagent Standout, and Cynthia Treadwell, General Counsel, had this to say about Charity:
Charity is a multi-faceted, highly skilled “utility player” who has knowledge across risk, procurement, vendor management, and contracting compliance. We are so fortunate to have her expertise and depth of perspective. She is 100% committed to establishing key processes, advancing business objectives and implementing key financial and internal controls that assure third party accountability and performance. Her influence at Sagent extends company-wide and she easily identifies and manages both the ‘micro’ and the ‘macro’ issues and the players who need to come to the table for the solution. On a human level, she is a natural collaborator, a compassionate teammate and a bright light who brings high energy to all that she does.