Speakers

Amanda Crawford

Commissioner of Insurance, Texas Department of Insurance

The Honorable Amanda Crawford was appointed Texas Commissioner of Insurance by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2026 and assumed the role on February 3, 2026. As the chief executive of the Texas Department of Insurance, she oversees the regulation of the $293.9 billion Texas insurance market — the second largest in the nation and the fifth largest in the world — including nearly 3,500 regulated companies and more than 983,000 licensed agents and adjusters.

Crawford brings more than 24 years of public service to the role. She most recently served as Executive Director of the Texas Department of Information Resources and Chief Information Officer for the State of Texas, managing a statewide technology portfolio exceeding $6 billion annually. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at the Office of the Attorney General, ultimately serving as General Counsel and Deputy Attorney General for Administration.

Crawford earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from The University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and a past president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.

Aaron Day

Vice President of Government Relations and Counsel, Texas Land Title Association

Aaron Day serves as Vice President of Government Relations and Counsel for the Texas Land Title Association, where he leads TLTA's government affairs and regulatory programs. He acts as the association's registered lobbyist and general counsel, representing the title industry's interests at the Capitol and with the Texas Department of Insurance.

Before joining TLTA, Aaron advocated for the City of Fort Worth at the state and federal levels, developing a strong reputation for navigating complex legislative issues. He holds both undergraduate and law degrees from The University of Texas.

Aaron remains committed to community service, having chaired the Board of Anthropos Arts and served on the ZACH Theatre Board of Trustees. In recognition of his contributions to the industry, he received the TLTA President's Award in 2013.

Gil Ernst

Executive Vice President and Regional Manager, Fidelity National Financial
President, Texas Land Title Association (2025–2026)

Gil Ernst is Executive Vice President and Regional Manager at Fidelity National Financial, one of the nation's largest providers of title insurance and settlement services. With more than four decades of industry experience, Gil oversees operations across Texas and surrounding states. He joined Fidelity in 1991 and has helped guide the company through significant market changes — always with a focus on building strong relationships and supporting local teams.

Gil currently serves as President of the Texas Land Title Association (2025–2026), where he is focused on strengthening the industry and supporting the next generation of title professionals. He holds a finance degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

Outside of work, he enjoys golf and cheering on the Longhorns. He and his wife, Nicole, have three adult children.

Hayden Hamilton

CEO & Co-Founder, TitleSphere

Hayden Hamilton is CEO and Co-Founder of TitleSphere, the first CRM designed by title industry veterans. Developed after years of conversations with title owners, team leads, and producers, TitleSphere integrates production data to highlight an agent's most relevant clients and prospects each day, and pairs that intelligence with a full suite of outreach tools.

Before founding Bright Light Ventures in 2007, Hamilton created an innovation incubator for Ford of Europe and worked as a consultant for Global Business Network, a leading strategic planning firm. At Bright Light, he has built a portfolio of ventures tackling problems across industries — including Zafirro, a sapphire blade razor lasting roughly 100 times longer than steel, and GreenPrint, software that reduced printing waste by eliminating unwanted content. Sphere, Bright Light's CRM platform for real estate agents, became the foundation for TitleSphere after Hamilton saw consistent demand from title professionals for an industry-specific version.

Bright Light Ventures have been featured in hundreds of publications, including Time Magazine's 50 Best Inventions, The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Hamilton was named one of Inc. Magazine's "Top 30 Under 30" and ComputerWorld's "Top 40 Under 40." He holds an MBA from Oxford University and a B.A. in Politics and Economics from Pitzer College.

Leslie S. Johnson, CTIP

Vice President and Texas State Counsel, WFG National Title Insurance Company

Leslie S. Johnson is Vice President and Texas State Counsel for WFG National Title Insurance Company. She provides legal support, underwriting guidance, education, and training to WFG agents across Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

An active TLTA volunteer, Leslie serves on the TLTA Board of Directors, chairs the Judiciary Committee, and is co-chair of the Institute Committee. She is the 2022 recipient of the TLTA James H. Garst President's Award and an alumna of the Alex H. Halff Leadership Academy.

In addition to her volunteer leadership, Leslie regularly contributes to TLTA's Legislative and Regulatory Committees and is a frequent speaker at TLTA events, helping shape the future of the title industry through education and advocacy.

Ted C. Jones, Ph.D.

Real Estate Economist

Ted C. Jones is an internationally recognized real estate economist with more than 40 years of experience in research, analysis, and economic forecasting. He served for more than 26 years as Chief Economist and Senior Vice President at Stewart Title Guaranty Company and also served as the company's first Director of Investor Relations from 1997 to 2017. Over the course of his career, Dr. Jones has typically delivered more than 150 economic presentations annually to audiences across the country.

Before joining Stewart, Dr. Jones served as Chief Economist at the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, the nation's largest publicly funded real estate research group. He served as Chairman of the Houston Association of Realtors® in 2004 and has completed appraisals and complex property analyses in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean.

Dr. Jones earned a Ph.D. in finance with a minor in statistics and a master's degree in land economics and real estate from Texas A&M University, and a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University. 

G. Roland Love, CTIP

Vice President, Business Alliances & Field Operations, Independence Title Company
Chair, TLTA Regulatory Committee, Innovation Task Force & Texas Land Title Institute (24 years)

G. Roland Love is Vice President of Business Alliances & Field Operations at Independence Title Company in Dallas. A Board Certified real estate attorney and Certified Title Insurance Professional (CTIP), Roland brings more than 45 years of experience spanning title insurance, real property law, and industry advocacy. He holds a J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, summa cum laude, from Texas A&M University.

Roland’s TLTA volunteer service spans decades. He currently chairs the Regulatory Committee, the Innovation Task Force, the TLTAPAC Board of Trustees, and the Texas Land Title Institute — a role he has held for 24 consecutive years. He previously chaired the Legislative, Defense Counsel, and Judiciary Committees and serves on the TLTA Board of Directors. He also chairs the State Bar of Texas Real Estate Forms Committee and previously chaired the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section (2014–2018).

Roland has received TLTA’s Title Person of the Year Award (2018), the Peggy Hayes Teaching Excellence Award, and multiple President’s Awards. He is recognized by Best Lawyers in America, has been named a Texas Super Lawyer, and has received the State Bar of Texas Lifetime Achievement Award in Real Estate (2022) and Standing Ovation Award (2023).

Hoyt Mann

President & Co-Founder, Alanna.ai

Hoyt Mann is President and Co-Founder of Alanna.ai, a McKinney, Texas-based company that uses conversational AI to help title companies improve customer communication, operational efficiency, and profitability. Alanna.ai has been recognized as a HousingWire Tech100 honoree.

Mann brings more than 30 years of software industry experience to his work in the title space. He began his career as a Systems Engineer at Electronic Data Systems before moving into technical evangelism and software engineering roles at epicRealm and Open Connect Systems. His title industry roots run through RamQuest Software, where he served as Director of Software Engineering, and PhaseWare, a customer support software company he co-founded in 2004. That combination of title operations knowledge and customer-facing technology directly shaped the founding of Alanna.ai in 2019.

Mann holds a BBA in Business Computer Information Systems from the University of North Texas.

Leslie Midgley, CAE

Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Texas Land Title Association

Leslie Midgley has served as Executive Vice President and CEO of TLTA since 2001, guiding the association's growth and advocacy efforts on behalf of 20,000 title professionals statewide.

A Certified Association Executive (CAE), Leslie first joined TLTA in 1982 and held leadership roles in operations before assuming her current post. She holds a degree in Human Resource Management from St. Edward's University and has served on the Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE) Board of Directors, including a term as Chair.

Leslie's leadership and community service have earned her numerous awards, including TLTA's President's Award and TSAE's Distinguished Executive Award. She lives in Austin with her husband, Mike, and enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with their grandchildren.

Patrick Rose

President, Corridor Title
President-Elect, Texas Land Title Association (2025–2026)

Patrick Rose is President of Corridor Title, which he founded in October 2010 to serve the Austin, Dripping Springs, San Marcos, and New Braunfels communities. Over more than 14 years, he has grown the company to a 92-member team built around local market knowledge, professional service, and strong community ties.

Before founding Corridor Title, Rose served in the Texas House of Representatives, representing Blanco, Caldwell, and Hays Counties from 2002 to 2010. He is a licensed attorney and previously practiced at Ratliff Law Firm. He is a long-standing TLTA member and has served in leadership roles across a range of civic and economic development organizations throughout Central Texas.

Rose holds a J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law and a B.A. in Public Policy from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs. He lives in San Marcos with his wife, Anna, and their sons, Henry and Charlie.

Kristi Scales

Sideline Reporter, Dallas Cowboys Radio Network
On-Air Talent, 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM Dallas)

Kristi Scales is entering her 28th NFL season as Sideline Reporter for Dallas Cowboys games on the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network, and her 36th season overall with the network. She joined the broadcast crew in 1991 as booth producer before moving to the sideline for the 1999 season. In 2002, she became the first woman to fill the role of analyst in the booth for an NFL radio broadcast.

Scales is a recipient of the Blackie Sherrod Lifetime Achievement Award for sports journalism and broadcasting. She and co-winner Charean Williams were the first women to earn the honor, joining a list of recipients that includes Pat Summerall, Dan Jenkins, Frank Luksa, Verne Lundquist, and Brad Sham. She has produced three Super Bowl broadcasts and called international American Bowl games from London, Toronto, Mexico City, Monterrey, and Tokyo, and she broadcast from the sideline at Wembley Stadium for the Cowboys’ 2014 regular-season game in London.

In addition to her game-day work, Scales is on-air talent at 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM Dallas), co-hosts the Girls Talk Boys Talk podcast on DallasCowboys.com, and writes the “Sideline Exclusive” postgame column for The Dallas Morning News at SportsDay.com. She has served as a judge for Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader auditions for 25 years, featured most recently on Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and is the author of the book America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University with a degree in Speech Communication.

Evan Smith

Senior Advisor, Emerson Collective

Evan Smith is a Senior Advisor at Emerson Collective, where he works with journalists and funders nationwide to strengthen local news ecosystems. He also teaches at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, offering courses on politics and media.

Previously, Evan co-founded and led The Texas Tribune and spent nearly two decades at Texas Monthly, including nine years as editor-in-chief. He currently hosts "Overheard with Evan Smith" on PBS and serves on several nonprofit boards, including the LBJ Foundation and the Austin Film Society.

A New York native, Evan is a graduate of Hamilton College and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where he was inducted into the Hall of Achievement.

David Townsend, NTP

Senior Vice President, FNF Family of Companies

David Townsend is Senior Vice President at Fidelity National Financial, where he manages agency operations across the Midwest, Mid-South, Texas, Southwest, and West. With broad experience across multiple facets of the title industry, David previously founded Agents National Title Insurance Company and earlier served as an Agency Representative and Underwriting Counsel at First American and as In-House Counsel at Investors Title.

A longtime contributor to national industry leadership, David serves on the American Land Title Association's Board of Governors and chairs the Underwriters Section. He has taught Title Insurance Practice at the University of Missouri School of Law, authored the Missouri Bar Insurance Practice Series: “Title Insurance,” and regularly speaks at ALTA conferences, Mortgage Bankers Association events, and other continuing education seminars.

David holds a law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law and a bachelor's degree from Drury University. He earned the National Title Professional (NTP) designation from ALTA in 2013 and lives in Columbia, Missouri. 

Sam Trimble

Vice President, Strategic Growth and Development, Fidelity National Financial

Before joining FNF, Sam served as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at MyHome, founded STAR Creative and Consulting, and held leadership roles in marketing technology and business development. He is a frequent speaker at state and national industry events on topics ranging from leveraging technology and social media to regulatory impacts on the real estate and title industries.

Sam earned a bachelor's degree in history from The University of Texas at El Paso.

Luke Wake

Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation

Luke Wake is an attorney in the Separation of Powers practice at Pacific Legal Foundation, where he litigates cases challenging agency rulemaking decisions that conflict with the Constitution's structural protections for individual liberty. His work focuses on reining in the administrative state by reinvigorating the nondelegation doctrine — the foundational principle that only Congress may make law and cannot delegate that authority to federal agencies or the executive branch.

Luke is a recognized expert on clear statement rules, including the major questions doctrine and the nondelegation doctrine, and leads PLF's initiative to advance nondelegation at the Supreme Court level. He has written extensively on regulatory issues through law review articles, white papers, editorials, and educational materials.

Luke graduated cum laude from Elon University, where he double-majored in political science and corporate communications, and earned his law degree from Case Western Reserve School of Law. He completed an externship for Justice Robert Edmunds of the North Carolina Supreme Court and is a member of the bar in California and the District of Columbia.

Darren Woodson

Dallas Cowboys Legend (1992-2004)

Three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Darren Woodson is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Dallas Cowboys uniform. The vocal leader of the defense during the Cowboys' 1990s Super Bowl teams, Woodson was one of the most popular players both inside the clubhouse and as an ambassador in the community. A native of Phoenix, Woodson earned a Bachelor of Science from ASU in Justice Studies.

Woodson joined ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2005 and appeared on NFL Live and SportsCenter, as well as other ESPN platforms. After many years of commuting from Dallas to Bristol, Woodson retired from ESPN.

In 2017, Woodson transitioned into commercial real estate and is currently a Managing Principal at Cresa, LLC located at The Star in Frisco where he is directly involved with the firm’s overall vision, growth, and strategy focusing on assisting tenants and buyers across a variety of industries and markets nationwide.

Woodson is involved in several businesses, and he remains active in the community. He sits on the board of the C5 Youth Foundation and is a proud supporter of many organizations in the DFW Metroplex. Darren is married to Tiffany and has four beautiful children.

Matt Younkle

Co-Founder & CEO, Pythonic Corporation

Matt Younkle is Co-Founder and CEO of Pythonic Corporation, the leading provider of document AI to the title and escrow industry. Founded in 2019, Pythonic's AI agents read and process title and escrow documents, delivering scalable digital labor that automates tedious and labor-intensive workflows common to most real estate transactions.

Before Pythonic, Younkle served on the board of Adeptive Software, developer of ResWare, until its acquisition by Qualia in 2020. An engineer by training, he invented the TurboTap — a draft beer dispensing device now used in pubs and stadiums worldwide — and earlier helped pioneer video and audio streaming technology at Vosaic. As a college student, he developed technology that grew the first food in space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Younkle received product-of-the-year honors from both Popular Science and TIME Magazine. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is a recipient of the university's Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. He lives in Madison with his wife, Susie, and their two children.