As the senior vice president and deputy general counsel of Fannie Mae, Renie Grohl has the immense responsibility of managing the legal support for the company’s single family, multifamily, housing and community development, and mortgage securitization businesses. Roughly half of Fannie Mae’s attorneys report directly or indirectly to Grohl.
Grohl’s success at Fannie Mae is, in part, owed to her early training. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, and earned her J.D. from University of California’s Boalt Hall, serving on both the Law Review and Moot Court Board. Grohl’s early law firm experience and eventual appointment as deputy general counsel of the Federal Housing Finance Board’s legal team served as further preparation for her advancement at Fannie Mae.
“For over 20 years, my career has revolved around mortgage finance,” says Grohl, a strong advocate of finding a career tailored to one’s interests. “Figure out what you are passionate about and then find a job that lets you pursue that passion.”
Grohl’s own passion extends to her professional activities. Currently, she is the Budget Officer for the ABA’s Business Law Section. She has chaired its Savings Institutions, and Section Planning and Review Committees. In 2000, the section awarded Grohl with its ‘Glass Cutter Award’ given to one “who has cut through barriers to attain high accomplishments in business law.”
Return to In-House Women-of-Color Leaders List
From the March/April 2003 issue of Diversity & The Bar®