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Meet Our Team

Ed Delgado, Chairman, Five Star Global

Ed Delgado is President and CEO of Five Star Global, the parent company of both the Five Star Institute, a leading mortgage banking trade association providing strategic services to the U.S. residential mortgage market, and The Alliance of M&A Advisors® (The Alliance), an international organization serving middle-market merger and acquisition professionals. With executive positions at Wells Fargo and Freddie Mac, Delgado has more than 25 years' experience in mortgage banking and is recognized as a thought leader and innovator in the industry. Delgado has hosted discussions on housing and financial markets with various global leaders, including U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson.

David Wharton, Editor-in-Chief

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David Wharton has served as Five Star's Editor-in-Chief since June 2021. He previously served as Five Star's Managing Editor. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, he received his B.A. in English and minored in Journalism. Wharton has over 17 years' experience in journalism and previously worked at Thomson Reuters, a multinational mass media and information firm, as Associate Content Editor, focusing on producing media content related to tax and accounting principles and government rules and regulations for accounting professionals. Wharton has an extensive and diversified portfolio of freelance material, with published contributions in both online and print media publications. Wharton and his family currently reside in Plano, Texas. He can be reached at [email protected].

Eric C. Peck, Managing Digital Editor

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Eric C. Peck has 25-plus years’ experience covering the mortgage industry, he most recently served as Editor-in-Chief for The Mortgage Press and National Mortgage Professional Magazine. He graduated from the New York Institute of Technology, where he received his B.A. in Communication Arts/Media. After graduating, he began his professional career with Videography Magazine before landing in the mortgage space. Peck has edited three published books, and has served as Copy Editor for Entrepreneur.com. He may be reached at [email protected].

Kyle G. Horst, Reporter

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Kyle G. Horst is a reporter for DS News and MReport. A graduate of the University of Texas at Tyler, he has worked for a number of daily, weekly, and monthly publications in South Dakota and Texas. With more than 10 years of experience in community journalism, he has won a number of state, national, and international awards for his writing and photography including best newspaper design by the Associated Press Managing Editors Group and the international iPhone photographer of the year by the iPhone Photography Awards. He most recently worked as editor of Community Impact Newspaper covering a number of Dallas-Ft. Worth communities on a hyperlocal level. He may be reached at [email protected].

Demetria C. Lester, Reporter

Demetria C. Lester is a reporter for DS News and MReport magazines, with more than eight years of writing experience. She has served as content coordinator and copy editor for the Los Angeles Daily News and the Orange County Register, in addition to 11 other Southern California publications. A former editor-in-chief at Northlake College and staff writer at her alma mater, the University of Texas at Arlington, she has covered events such as the Byron Nelson and Pac-12 Conferences, progressing into her freelance work with the Dallas Wings and D Magazine. Currently located in Dallas, Texas, Lester is an avid jazz lover and likes to read.
She can be reached at [email protected].