Chris Knapp
President

Chris has an illustrious career with over eleven years at Guaranteed Rate and a staggering twenty-nine years in the industry overall bringing a wealth of experience, insight, and leadership to Proper Rate. With an extensive background in sales, strategic planning and operational management, Chris is looking forward to leading Proper Rate into its next phase of growth and success. When he's not navigating Proper Rate toward success, you might find Chris on the golf course and enjoying the lake life with his wife and 3 kids.

Traci Anastasia
Executive Vice President of Operations

Traci is a 2nd generation mortgage professional and is truly passionate about homeownership and partnering with customers to work towards their financial goals. With over 25 years in the business and 20 years in management with both Sales and Operations, she strives to provide the most elite experience from point of sale to closing. Proper Rate is an exciting company to be a part of as we have the most top tier professionals, technology, and service. Traci lives in the Chicago suburbs with her fiancée and their blended family of 4 amazing children. In her spare time, she loves being a hands-on mom, cooking for her family, and traveling to new places.
NMLS: 1901699

Jo Ann Theriault-Fazio
SVP of Mortgage Lending / National Sales Director

Jo Ann is a 2nd generation mortgage professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Her processing and underwriting background has served her well as one of the top producing loan originators in the country and as a sales manager. Her impact goes beyond her personal success. As a founding board member and Mentorship Director for GROW (Guaranteed Rate Organization of Women), she is passionately dedicated to fostering growth and development within the mortgage industry. Through mentorship programs and other initiatives, she is empowering the next generation of professionals to succeed. Jo Ann has been married to her business partner, Sam, for 17 years. Together they share the joys of parenthood and their toddler, who stars in his own series about home buying on their social media channels.

Jennifer Pyrczak
SVP of Processing

Jennifer has over 20 years of industry experience in Operations and is committed to providing a positive experience for customers and hands-on leadership for her team. She prides herself on building relationships and is excited to share her extensive mortgage knowledge with others. Her main goal is to provide a smooth and seamless mortgage process for all parties involved, by putting the customer first. Using all the technology Proper Rate has to offer, she is able to educate borrowers and help them meet their goals quickly and efficiently. Jen resides in Wisconsin with her fiancée and her dog, Bear. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, traveling, cooking and exploring the outdoors.

Steve Levitt
VP of Sales Performance

Steve entered the mortgage industry in 1991 as an Originator and is now part of Proper Rate’s Leadership team as he has successfully worked on growing multibillion dollar mortgage operations throughout the US. His exposure to high levels of volume has allowed him to identify areas needing improvement from origination to closing and provides Executives with implementable strategies that help maximize profitability. Steve prides himself on being able to provide best practices and solutions to make the mortgage transaction a better experience for the customer, interested parties, and employees. Born in NY, raised in NJ, moved to San Diego, and now resides in Chicago…Steve likes to travel and go to concerts, sporting events, golfing, skiing, or fishing. He is most proud of being a father to two children and being married since 1999.

Chris Louis
SVP of Closing

Chris started in mortgage lending in 2001 and strives to keep on top of advanced tech solutions to continuously improve on the borrower experience. He enjoys working closely with the salesforce to make sure their borrowers are getting the absolute best in customer care during the closing process. Chris’s favorite part of Proper Rate is the close-knit comradery felt amongst not only all department leaders, but also with operations staff and sales. Chris has lived in Chicago for 24 years and enjoys all the City has to offer…he is constantly taking advantage of the many restaurants, theaters, and outdoor activities the City provides.