Speakers

Lisa M. Beville, JD, CPA, NTP, CTIP, CAEP, CESP

Texan Title Insurance Company
Lisa Beville has more than 30 years of experience in the title industry, with deep expertise in underwriting, regulatory guidance, and education. She recently joined Texan Title Insurance Company as Vice President, Underwriting Counsel, and Director of Education, where she supports agents across Texas with practical insight into complex title and escrow issues. Before Texan Title, Lisa held training and underwriting counsel roles with Old Republic National Title and Fidelity National Financial. She earned her B.B.A. in accounting and finance from Texas Tech University and her J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, and she is a licensed attorney and CPA. Lisa holds ALTA's National Title Professional (NTP) designation along with TLTA's Certified Title Insurance Professional (CTIP), Certified Abstract Examination Professional (CAEP), and Certified Escrow Settlement Professional (CESP) designations. A longtime TLTA volunteer and the 2012 recipient of the Peggy Hayes Teaching Excellence Award, Lisa is a perennial favorite at TLTA's Land Title School and Texas Land Title Institute, where she's known for making challenging topics clear, approachable, and even fun.

Wade A. Thunhorst, JD

Title Resources Guaranty Company
Wade Thunhorst is Vice President and Underwriting Counsel at Title Resources Guaranty Company in Dallas, where he has worked since 2006. His primary focus is answering underwriting questions from title agents across Texas, and he is a familiar voice in the classroom, preparing and presenting webinars for title agents and MCE courses for real estate professionals. Wade earned his B.A. from Rutgers University and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. A member of the Texas Bar since 1982, he practiced commercial real estate law in Houston and held general counsel roles before devoting his career to the title industry. A frequent TLTA and State Bar presenter, Wade received TLTA's G. Gordon Smith Award in 1990 and has spoken at numerous Texas Land Title Institutes on topics ranging from curing title to probate and heirship. We are glad to welcome him back to the South Texas Seminar, where he last presented in 2014.

Kristina Vargas, CTIP

Westcor Land Title Insurance Company
Smart, fast-talking, and full of energy, Kristina Vargas brings more than two decades of hands-on title experience to her role as Agency Representative for Westcor Land Title. Based in Central and West Texas, she works closely with agents to provide guidance, training, and support across all areas of title operations. Before joining Westcor, Kristina spent 24 years at Southwest Abstract Company in Del Rio, where she held roles in operations, compliance, escrow accounting, title examination, and staff education. A Certified Title Insurance Professional since 2010, Kristina is a familiar face on TLTA's faculty and has served on numerous TLTA committees. She currently co-chairs the Land Title School Executive Committee and volunteers on the Education and Certification Committees. Her engaging teaching style and deep industry knowledge make her a crowd favorite year after year.