Executive Management
Rob Clements
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Covius
Mr. Clements is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Covius. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EverBank Financial Corp. During his 23-year tenure at EverBank, he led the bank’s transformation from a monoline mortgage company with less than $200 million in assets into a nationwide banking franchise with more than $27.3 billion in total assets.
Mr. Clements also serves as Chairman of the Board of Southern Bankshares, Inc. and The Claxton Bank and a Member of the Jacksonville Civic Council. Previously, he served as Advisor on the Jacksonville University Public Policy Board, Trustee on the Board of Directors for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Federal Reserve’s Thrift Institutions Advisory Council (TIAC), Director of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Mark’s Episcopal Day School and Trustee of Isidore Newman School. Mr. Clements is a First Coast Business Hall of Fame inductee.
Mr. Clements received a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Chairman and CEO
Covius
John Surface
Chief Executive Officer
Covius Services, LLC
Mr. Surface is the Chief Executive Officer of Covius Services, LLC and a member of the Board of Managers of Covius. Mr. Surface previously had an 18-year tenure at EverBank Financial Corp, where he served as Senior Executive Vice President responsible for corporate strategy, capital raising, mergers and acquisitions and new growth initiatives.
Mr. Surface currently serves on the Board of Directors of FRP Holdings, Inc. and Southern Bankshares, Inc., the Board of Trustees of The Bolles School and as a member of the Jacksonville Civic Council. He has served on the Boards of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Habijax, LISC Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History. He also previously served as a member of the Williams School Board of Advisors for Washington & Lee University.
Mr. Surface received a B.S. in Business Management, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Washington and Lee University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
CEO
Covius Services, LLC
Gary Beckenbaugh
Chief Information Officer
Mr. Beckenbaugh is the Chief Information Officer of Covius. Prior to joining Covius, Mr. Beckenbaugh served as CIO and CTO at large and smaller mortgage services providers, most recently at Sagent Lending Technologies and Black Knight Financial Services. Additional prior experience includes roles at Fidelity National and Washington Mutual.
Mr. Beckenbaugh received a B.S. in Computer Information Science from the University of North Florida and was a distinguished military graduate of the Army ROTC program. He earned an M.S. in Software Engineering from DePaul University.
Chief Information Officer
Sheryl Johnson
General Counsel
Ms. Johnson is General Counsel for Covius. With more than 30 years in financial services, she served as Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer of both public and privately held financial services and technology companies, including Home Point Financial, Walter Investment Management Corp. and Black Knight, Inc. She also founded a risk consultancy, Ascendant Risk & Compliance, LLC, before joining Covius.
Ms. Johnson is the founder and President of Hearts 4 Minds, a public charity that raises awareness about the importance of mental health. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Jewish Family and Children Services as an officer and Chair of the Governance Committee. She previously served on the Board of the Early Childhood and Family Education program in Minnesota.
Ms. Johnson received a B.A. in Economics and Finance from McGill University in Montreal, P.Q. and a J.D. from Rutgers University.
General Counsel
Kevin Miller
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Miller is the Chief Financial Officer at Covius and is responsible for financial planning and analysis, accounting, tax and vendor management.
He joined Covius as SVP of Finance in 2015 after the company’s acquisition of the Walz Group, where he was the Chief Financial Officer. During his career, he has served in various financial leadership positions within the mortgage, transaction management and e-commerce industries.
Mr. Miller received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Southern California and a CPA from the State of California.
Chief Financial Officer
Pete Pannes
Chief Business Officer
Mr. Pannes is Chief Business Officer for Covius Services. He is responsible for new client development and relationship expansion across Covius’ Origination, Servicing and Capital Markets business units. Mr. Pannes is a seasoned industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage and credit sectors, holding numerous leadership positions in sales and marketing.
Prior to joining Covius, he was a founding member of NMI Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:NMIH), a fast-growing mortgage insurance company, serving as both Chief Sales Officer and Executive Vice President. Before NMI, Mr. Pannes spent more than 20 years at PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. in several sales roles, most notably Senior Vice President of Field Sales & National Accounts. While at PMI, Mr. Pannes facilitated the launch of CMG Mortgage Insurance Company, which was jointly owned by PMI and CUNA Mutual and provided mortgage insurance to credit unions. He also served on CMG’s board.
Mr. Pannes received a B.S. in Business Administration from Arizona State University.
Chief Business Officer
Anne Thom
Chief Human Resources Officer
Ms. Thom serves as Covius' Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to joining Covius, Ms. Thom worked at Telseon and Western Union before serving in various HR leadership roles with LenderLive, now Covius, including Director and Vice President of HR. As an HR executive with nearly 30 years of experience, Ms. Thom specializes in partnering with executive leadership to identify and implement strategic organizational visions across management teams. Ms. Thom received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder and holds a certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
Chief Human Resources Officer
Al Will
Chief Operations Officer
Mr. Will is Chief Operations Officer for Covius Services. He is responsible for managing operations across Covius’ Origination, Servicing and Capital Markets business units. Mr. Will joined Covius in April 2018, when it acquired Require Holdings, Inc. where he served as CEO since 2015. Mr. Will has also held several senior-level positions throughout his career at LandAmerica Financial Group, Radian, Banc One Mortgage Corporation and Prudential Home Mortgage.
Mr. Will received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University at Albany.
Chief Operations Officer
Gary Beckenbaugh
Chief Information Officer
Mr. Beckenbaugh is the Chief Information Officer of Covius. Prior to joining Covius, Mr. Beckenbaugh served as CIO and CTO at large and smaller mortgage services providers, most recently at Sagent Lending Technologies and Black Knight Financial Services. Additional prior experience includes roles at Fidelity National and Washington Mutual.
Mr. Beckenbaugh received a B.S. in Computer Information Science from the University of North Florida and was a distinguished military graduate of the Army ROTC program. He earned an M.S. in Software Engineering from DePaul University.
Chief Information Officer
Sheryl Johnson
General Counsel
Ms. Johnson is General Counsel for Covius. With more than 30 years in financial services, she served as Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer of both public and privately held financial services and technology companies, including Home Point Financial, Walter Investment Management Corp. and Black Knight, Inc. She also founded a risk consultancy, Ascendant Risk & Compliance, LLC, before joining Covius.
Ms. Johnson is the founder and President of Hearts 4 Minds, a public charity that raises awareness about the importance of mental health. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Jewish Family and Children Services as an officer and Chair of the Governance Committee. She previously served on the Board of the Early Childhood and Family Education program in Minnesota.
Ms. Johnson received a B.A. in Economics and Finance from McGill University in Montreal, P.Q. and a J.D. from Rutgers University.
General Counsel
Kevin Miller
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Miller is the Chief Financial Officer at Covius and is responsible for financial planning and analysis, accounting, tax and vendor management.
He joined Covius as SVP of Finance in 2015 after the company’s acquisition of the Walz Group, where he was the Chief Financial Officer. During his career, he has served in various financial leadership positions within the mortgage, transaction management and e-commerce industries.
Mr. Miller received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Southern California and a CPA from the State of California.
Chief Financial Officer
Pete Pannes
Chief Business Officer
Mr. Pannes is Chief Business Officer for Covius Services. He is responsible for new client development and relationship expansion across Covius’ Origination, Servicing and Capital Markets business units. Mr. Pannes is a seasoned industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage and credit sectors, holding numerous leadership positions in sales and marketing.
Prior to joining Covius, he was a founding member of NMI Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:NMIH), a fast-growing mortgage insurance company, serving as both Chief Sales Officer and Executive Vice President. Before NMI, Mr. Pannes spent more than 20 years at PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. in several sales roles, most notably Senior Vice President of Field Sales & National Accounts. While at PMI, Mr. Pannes facilitated the launch of CMG Mortgage Insurance Company, which was jointly owned by PMI and CUNA Mutual and provided mortgage insurance to credit unions. He also served on CMG’s board.
Mr. Pannes received a B.S. in Business Administration from Arizona State University.
Chief Business Officer
Anne Thom
Chief Human Resources Officer
Ms. Thom serves as Covius' Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to joining Covius, Ms. Thom worked at Telseon and Western Union before serving in various HR leadership roles with LenderLive, now Covius, including Director and Vice President of HR. As an HR executive with nearly 30 years of experience, Ms. Thom specializes in partnering with executive leadership to identify and implement strategic organizational visions across management teams. Ms. Thom received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder and holds a certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
Chief Human
Resources Officer
Al Will
Chief Operations Officer
Mr. Will is Chief Operations Officer for Covius Services. He is responsible for managing operations across Covius’ Origination, Servicing and Capital Markets business units. Mr. Will joined Covius in April 2018, when it acquired Require Holdings, Inc. where he served as CEO since 2015. Mr. Will has also held several senior-level positions throughout his career at LandAmerica Financial Group, Radian, Banc One Mortgage Corporation and Prudential Home Mortgage.
Mr. Will received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University at Albany.