Meet the Team at Foundation Mortgage.
We are a team of highly experienced Mortgage Industry professionals. We are here to support you every step of the way through your home buying journey.
NMLS: 1114042
Tamra is a Tennessee native, grew up in Knoxville and graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies. Being in the mortgage industry allows Tamra to combine her love of finance with a passion for helping people. She and Nick have worked together, along with Jeremy, for the past several years and have created a powerful working synergy. They have formed an excellent team that has the trust, familiarity, and capability that allows them to react quickly and efficiently to customer needs and changing market conditions. When she isn’t at work, Tamra is active in the community, volunteering with numerous charitable organizations. She also enjoys competitive team sports such as kickball and softball.
Alex Gaines, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, is a graduate of Farragut High School, and subsequently received a Literary Arts Degree from Pellissippi State Community College. He also achieved honors while attending ITT Technical Institute, focusing on information technology and computer systems security. Our goal at Foundation Mortgage Company is to exceed the expectations of our customers. As a Loan Processor, Alex will strive to provide efficient and quality products to all our clients. His dedication and attention to detail will ensure that the loans processed by Foundation Mortgage Company are prepared accurately, timely, and with the understanding that the needs of the customer always come first!
Jeremy was born in Cooperstown, NY in 1988. He moved to New York City at age 12 and spent a year in Staten Island, NY. In the year 2000 Jeremy and his family moved to Sydney, Australia while his older brother Nick stayed in NYC working on Wall Street. After 3 educating years living overseas he settled here in Knoxville with his family. As an avid sports fan Jeremy embraced Knoxville as his home and has been there ever since. Jeremy has over 5 years of experience in home financing. When he finished college he was approached by brother and co-founder of Foundation Mortgage Company, Nick with a career opportunity. Jeremy became Nick’s full-time assistant at Keystone Mortgage in 2010 and has been working directly with Nick ever since. Jeremy has a lot of experience in both the processing and sales side of the industry. With a combined 20 years of experience in mortgage lending, Nick and Jeremy decided on a new way of servicing their valued clients by starting Foundation Mortgage Company in July, 2015.
NMLS: 154881
Nick has more than a decades’ experience in finance, dating back to 2000. He got an early start in financial markets, working as a licensed trader in New York City at the age of 18. After working on Wall Street for two years, Nick moved into the real estate lending industry while attending City University’s Baruch College of Business. After finishing school, Nick and his family moved to Knoxville TN, where he continued in the mortgage industry. In January 2006, Nick co-founded Keystone Mortgage in Knoxville and acted as Vice President through July 2015. After nearly ten inspiring years of service at Keystone Mortgage, Nick and younger brother Jeremy decided it was time to take a new direction in serving their clients by starting Foundation Mortgage Company.
NMLS: 1731199
Trevor was born and raised in Maryville, TN and graduated from Heritage High School. After graduating, the opportunity was given for Trevor to join the United States Air Force. After a few years of training, he returned to Tennessee as a member of the Air National Guard in Louisville, TN. As a member of the Tennessee Air National Guard, Trevor is goal-oriented, focused, and strives for excellence and integrity in everything he does. In August of 2016, Trevor started an internship with Foundation mortgage. Trevor accepted a full time position in compliance and processor assistance to begin 2017. With the experience he gained in this position, Trevor has a well-rounded knowledge of our processes from contract to close. In April of 2018, Trevor became licensed as a mortgage loan originator, and is available to discuss your financing needs any time. When Trevor is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family or watching his favorite sports teams. Go Vols!
Cell: 865-548-9119
Office: 865-392-5450
Courtney Karschnik was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana. She moved to Maryville TN in 2014, to attend the University of Tennessee where she studied Environmental Science/ Conservation. Courtney joined the Foundation Mortgage team in March 2018 as a Loan Originator Assistant. She supports the Loan Originators with processing loan applications, guiding clients through the loan process, and following-up with clients once the loan has closed. With her love for the environment, the Smoky Mountains have made the perfect home. In her free time, Courtney loves spending time in the mountains hiking and camping with her dog.
NMLS: 157743
Dean has lived in Knoxville for most of his life and attended Bearden High School and Pellissippi State. In 1996, Dean started his work in finance as an account executive with Household Finance, a subsidiary of HSBC Bank. After 2 years, Dean was promoted to Branch Sales Manager in 1998. In 2009, Dean opened his own business, Hometown Lenders, as Owner/Branch Sales Manager. Dean and Hometown Lenders served East Tennessee for over 8 years. Dean joined Foundation Mortgage in 2017 as a senior loan originator. When Dean is not at the office, he enjoys spending time with this children Tatum and Cade.
NMLS: 1565443
Matt McLean is proud to call Knoxville his stomping grounds. He is a University of TN grad, where he discovered his passion for helping people and met his wife. As an athletic trainer, he was privileged to be a part of the UT football team and a national championship.
Discovering real estate as a profession over 15 years ago has led Matt on many unexpected paths. From the joys of creative successes to the humility of setbacks, throughout this experience he has walked alongside countless homebuyers, sellers, investors, agents and friends and learned much from all of them. Most of all, he came to realize that he still loves helping people understand the complexities of real estate.
Matt’s current position as a Loan Originator at Foundation Mortgage allows him to guide homeowners and homebuyers through a process that can be overwhelming. His hope is to create an environment for his clients where they feel educated, heard, and cared for throughout the process of purchasing a home.
If you’re looking for personal attention, integrity, patience, and knowledge, Matt would love to help you or someone you know purchase or refinance a home.
Outside the office, you might find Matt with a fishing rod in hand, hiking/biking a trail in South Knox and beyond and trying to keep pace with his three active kids.
NMLS: 1456661
Josh is a Tennessee native; he grew up on 40 acres in the hills of Maryville. Josh’s love of adventure and the outdoors led him on the journey of his life when he decided to solo Thru-Hike the Appalachian Trail in 2013. His 2,187-mile journey taught him how to persevere through any situation no matter how tough. Josh joined Foundation Mortgage Company in 2016 as a licensed loan originator. With a background of strong ethics and determination he is eager to serve his clients and always looking for ways to exceed expectations. After being personally trained by Michael Maher (Author of 7L book) Josh went on to become a certified referral trainer. With this certification, he can now speak and train on the value of the 7 level system. When he is not at work he enjoys anything outdoors, coaches the Alcoa Middle School girls’ soccer team, and mentors in the Big Brother Big Sister program.
NMLS: 1773022
Morgan Robinson has been with Foundation Mortgage since August 2018. She brings with her over five years of personalized home consulting, sales, and customer appreciation to the team. Prior to joining our team, Morgan worked with Clayton Homes both in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and here in Knoxville. Morgan is originally from Richmond, Virginia and enjoys helping people find a place to call home.
Born and raised in Marietta Georgia & having a strong work ethic, Spencer started working for Big Star food stores at age 15. He worked his way through High School and college with much persistence and graduated from Georgia State University majoring in finance. Upon graduation, he moved to Los Angeles California and approved million-dollar credit sales for Reynolds Metals Company.
Having a strong desire to go to graduate school – Spencer was accepted into The University of Tennessee MBA program. Having graduated with a Finance concentration, he has worked for several local companies such as TVA and Star Construction.
Spencer met his wife in Knoxville and got married in Hawaii. He and his wife recently moved to Pigeon Forge and really enjoys the mountain life.
Spencer has a love for the mortgage business. He has worked for GSF mortgage, 1st Family mortgage and now Foundation mortgage.
“My primary concern is to save our client’s money and help them live a better life.
I look forward to working with you!!!”
Stephanie Smith was born in Boston, MA and grew up on one of the beautiful barrier islands of southeastern North Carolina. She moved to Knoxville as a freshman in high school and quickly fell in love with all things Tennessee. She is a graduate of Maryville College with degrees in Sociology and Environmental Studies. As the Executive Assistant of Foundation Mortgage, Stephanie brings her spirited energy and people skills to the team, engaging with clients to facilitate their financing process and bring the type of personal service that makes them glad they chose Foundation Mortgage. Stephanie and her chef husband make their home right in the heart of Downtown Knoxville, which supports her dedication to UT football, love of live music and her passionate interest in the revitalization of the area.
Austin Terry is Foundation Mortgage’s Processing & Compliance Assistant. Austin supports our loan processors with paperwork, appraisals, and verification’s. He also audits files to ensure compliance, and facilitates the accuracy and timeliness of processing your loan application so you can get approved as fast as possible. Austin began working for Foundation Mortgage in June of 2018. He was raised in Oneida, Tennessee and has an Associate’s Degree in Business from Roan State Community College. Austin loves to watch and talk sports.
Devin Van Kuren joined Foundation Mortgage as an Assistant Manager in August 2018. Devin assists with the daily operations of the company including human resources, book keeping, and marketing. Devin graduated with a dual degree in Early Elementary/Special Education from York College of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Foundation Mortgage, she was an Elementary Special Education Teacher in Harford County, Maryland for three years. Devin grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania and moved to Knoxville in June 2018. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the Smoky Mountains as well as running, cooking and reading.
