Denise Dodd
Denise Dodd has been a dedicated professional in the title insurance industry since 1996, building a career defined by expertise, adaptability, and a passion for people. Her journey began unexpectedly after leaving a career in court reporting, and she quickly discovered that her strengths lay in relationship-driven work. Starting at Commercial Title of Austin as an assistant to an assistant to the manager, Denise rapidly progressed to work exclusively with an escrow officer, gaining a deep understanding of the back-end operations of title companies, including escrow processes and title commitments.
Over the years, Denise transitioned into sales, where she excelled at cultivating and managing commercial relationships, leveraging the knowledge she gained on the operations side to provide unparalleled guidance to her clients. After a brief hiatus to raise her daughter, she returned to the industry, continuing to thrive on the escrow side and eventually joining First American, where she has been a key contributor for nearly 13 years. Her unique combination of escrow and sales expertise allows her to serve as a trusted advisor, answering complex questions on title commitments, surveys, and policies without needing to defer to others—earning her a reputation as a rare “unicorn” in the industry.
Beyond her professional achievements, Denise is deeply committed to education, mentorship, and community engagement. She currently serves as President of the Greater Austin Chapter of AREAA, where she champions sustainable homeownership and supports real estate agents in developing business plans to reach their goals. Through First American, she provides resources in 24 different languages, partnering with the Austin Board of Realtors’ Global Alliance Unit to ensure accessibility for diverse communities. At the heart of her work is a passion for helping people succeed, knowing that when her clients thrive, so does she.
• Two years at ACC (Austin Community College)
• Court Reporting School
• President of the Greater Austin Chapter of AREAA (Asian Real Estate Association of America)
• Austin Board of Realtors Global Alliance Unit
• Former member of RECO (Real Estate Council Association)
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say that I'm loyal to a fault. When I say I'm gonna show up and become a part of something, I follow through, and I think that reliability and the fact that people know that I'm there, a phone call away, is key. I know agents don't work just during the week - they work on the weekends as well, so I'm available at any time. The other thing I pride myself on is that I started off on the escrow side before I got into sales, so I really learned the backbone of what our business is and what title insurance does. I'm one of the rare unicorns out there when it comes to sales people that know the backside of our business. When clients call, they don't have to talk just to an escrow officer - I can answer questions because I have the knowledge of how to read a title commitment, how to read a survey, what our title policies mean, and what the different schedules say. I also do a lot of teaching and education. I'm real big on education, whether it's business planning or CE courses that the agents need. The relationships I have built along the way are probably what I'm most proud of. The most rewarding thing is when we sit down together and talk about ideas and things they want to accomplish, and I help them facilitate that. When they reach their goals, then obviously I reach my goals, and you develop that relationship and that loyalty.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say dig in deep. I feel like in any field that you decide you're gonna go into, learn the whole part of it, every aspect of it. I always have taught my girls that don't jump around to different companies. When people say that you're loyal to them, that helps you gain your dependability, and people respect that and look for people that are committed. At the end of the day, I'm loyal, like I said, to a fault. Again, it's that education part. Learn every aspect of it, learn a skill, have something that you're good about, you're passionate about, that you enjoy. Because then it's not really a job, yes it is a job, but you enjoy what you're doing instead of not wanting to get up and go to work every day.