Our Team
We believe that if you want homeowners, lenders and real estate agents to have a good experience, we need to hire good people who can deliver on that priority. Our team is made up of hardworking, talented people who share our values and work hard every day to make sure our mission to deliver an excellent experience to everyone at the table is fulfilled.
James K. O'Donnell, Esq.
President
Jim's been at the helm for over 20 years. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Rhode Island College and went on to law school at Suffolk University. Before coming on board at Equity, he worked in customer service and sales capacities and spent 8 years in politics and ... Read more...
Benjamin Pettit, Esq.
EVP, Corporate and Legal Affairs
Benjamin graduated from UMass Amherst with a B.A and went on to get his law degree from Roger Williams School of Law. He's a member of the MA, RI and OK state bars and he holds title licenses in DC, NY, OK and RI. Benjamin is also a ... Read more...
Ashley LaFerriere
Director of Settlement
Ashley got her paralegal degree from the University of Rhode Island. She is a Notary in RI and MA as well as a Rhode Island Continuing Education Instructor. Ashley is outgoing, determined, patient and ambitious, which makes her a perfect fit as our Business Development Coordinator.
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Ana DaSilva
Senior Purchase Officer
Ana has been with us for a long time, and has fulfilled many different roles for us over the years—eventually growing into the position of purchase officer. She always wants to learn more and has enjoyed getting to experience many different aspects of working at Equity. Aside from ... Read more...
Lianne Pettit
Director of Pre-Closing Operations
Lianne has a B.S. in Business Administration from Bryant College with a double major in Management and Marketing and a minor in Psychology. If that's not impressive enough, she cut her teeth in business by opening her own restaurant with her husband where she learned how to ... Read more...
Chris Merolla
Production Team Leader
Having worked as a loan officer for years before joining Equity, Chris understood the importance of not just closing loans quickly, but with accuracy. In his four years at Equity, he’s brought both valuable insight and empathy – putting it to work for everyone at the table.
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Diana Abdalla
Senior Purchase Officer
Ambition drives Diana. With a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Rhode Island College, Diana has worked her way up the ranks into current her position at Equity. From the mailroom, to post closing, to settlement coordinator, to purchase officer, she’s shown how hard work and ... Read more...
Brian Gagnon
Controller
Brian has a B.S. in Business Administration from The University of Rhode Island and has risen to the occasion since starting at Equity. His attention to detail and love for analyzing numbers and budgeting is what makes him a perfect match as our Accounting Manager. Though Brian ... Read more...
Kathleen (Kat) Jefferson
Director of Settlement
A student of Culinary and Business studies at Johnson and Wales University, Kat learned how much she enjoyed being a service to others both in her community and beyond.
A member of the Equity family for four years, Kat currently leads the Quality Control, Scheduling, and Partner ... Read more...