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Laura Martin, Owner and Counsel
After living abroad in Rome, Italy, Laura went to paralegal school and began her career in the real estate industry as a real estate paralegal in Wilmington, NC in 1991. Her first son, Giorgio was born in 1993. Later, Laura went back to college at night and obtained an Associates Degree in the Arts from Wake Technical Community College. She then went full time to NC State and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor Degree of Arts in Spanish in 2001. Her second son, Alex was born in 2002. Encouraged by the attorneys she worked with she decided to fulfill a lifelong dream of attending law school. She accomplished this goal by attending the evening program at NC Central University School of Law so that she could continue working full time. In 2008 she obtained her Juris Doctor and was admitted to the bar in 2008. Her daughter Emma was born in December of that year. Laura’s motto has always been “never stop learning.”
She has enjoyed providing excellent customer service as a licensed Title Insurance Underwriter since 2003 and serving as Counsel since 2008. She has worked with attorneys and real estate firms in all of the major markets of Eastern North Carolina including Wake, Durham, Johnston, New Hanover and Cumberland counties.
Laura is married to Ken Martin and together they have three daughters, two fine young men, and four very spoiled cats. Laura enjoys entertaining her friends and family and when she isn’t working you can find her in the kitchen, reading a good book or on the golf course with her husband.
Email: laura@magnoliatitlecompany.com
Call or Text: (919) 696-3067
Mary Moss, Counsel
Mary is a true North Carolina native who has lived in various parts of the TARHEEL state. She earned her BA in psychology from Elon College and then attended a master’s program at Appalachian State University before going on to pursue her law degree at UNC Chapel Hill School of Law – GO HEELS!
With a decade of valuable experience as a closing attorney in both Greensboro and Raleigh, Mary successfully transitioned into the title insurance industry in 2007. Over the years, she has gained significant experience with residential and commercial underwriting as well as 1031 exchanges, disbursement services, and escrow.
After her three children left the nest, Mary and her husband moved to the coast where she is excited to continue her career in title insurance at Magnolia Title Company, LLC. Mary currently serves on the Board of Directors for Cape Fear CREW and is on the Executive Committee for NCLTA. Her husband is a dedicated Physician Assistant at Novant Urology. When not working, Mary enjoys being near the water, whether it’s out on the boat or relaxing on the beach. She also loves traveling and is always seeking her next adventure!
Email: mary@magnoliatitlecompany.com
Call or Text: (919) 696-6229
Janna Whitt, Senior Underwriter and Director of Operations
Janna is a North Carolina native. After attending Appalachian State to study music, she bounced around the southeast for a while, living as far south as Louisiana then moving her way back up through South Carolina & different parts of NC before ultimately settling back in her hometown of Clayton.
Janna began her adventure in Title Insurance in 2006 and feels incredibly lucky to have grown & learned so much and developed such wonderful relationships with the amazing people in this industry.
Janna & her husband Michael share a large family of 9 plus one heavily spoiled grandson. Their mutual love of animals has also led to a pack of Siberian Huskies and other small pets in their home. When she isn’t playing Ring Master, she loves exploring all that western NC has to offer from Charlotte to the Appalachians.
Email: janna@magnoliatitlecompany.com
Call or Text: (919) 437-1289
Jackie Nevins, Senior Underwriter and Social Media Manager
Jackie Nevins is a licensed title insurance underwriter for Magnolia Title Company, LLC. She assists with issuing commitments, final policies, policy revisions, and oversees the company’s social media presence, engagement, and effectiveness on all platforms. She also covers company events on social networks.
Prior to joining the Title Insurance industry in 2018, she was a Real Estate Paralegal for a North Carolina Law Firm. Her passion for Real Estate has allowed her to grow and expand her knowledge and skills.
Outside of all things title, she enjoys the simple things in life. She loves reading, music, the beach, theatre, travel, and spending time with her son, her significant other, her 3 rescue cats, close friends, and family.
Email: jackie@magnoliatitlecompany.com
Call or Text: (757) 401-3550
Shannon Griffith, Senior Underwriter
Shannon began her career as a Title Search Paralegal in 1991 and became a NC Certified Paralegal and in 2009 she furthered her career by becoming a licensed Title Insurance Underwriter. She worked for Guaranty Title from 2009 until 2021 when she made the move to Magnolia Title. Shannon has worked with many law firms in the area and is happiest when she can provide the best customer service possible.
Shannon has one daughter and a very spoiled Beagle. She was born and raised in Raleigh and has made Johnston County her home since 1997. She enjoys beach trips with her girlfriends and trips to see her family in the mountains.
Email: shannon@magnoliatitlecompany.com
Call or Text: (919) 720-5549
Tania Gayle, Underwriter & WNC Marketing Manager
Tania was born into the real estate field. From the young age of six playing around with her mom’s microfiche machine looking up property taxes to working through high school as an assistant to several Real Estate Professionals. She started her career off by obtaining her real estate licenses in both North Carolina and Florida. She became a NC licensed underwriter in 1999. It was then that her love of real estate evolved into learning everything she could about title insurance, while building relationships with paralegals and attorneys. She helped springboard a WNC title company into a successful business that is still going strong in the industry today. During these years and by the age of 26, she also had the honor of having three beautiful boys.
Eventually, Tania decided to take a break from all thing’s real estate, and moved into the non-profit sector, helping those in need of clean water and education. She even had the opportunity to travel to rural Uganda and made some friends across the globe too. Back home, she continues to help others whenever she can. One of her favorite quotes is “We rise by lifting others”. This extends not only to community, but also to her business relationships. She tries her best to find a solution even in the most difficult of circumstances.
The services that Magnolia Title Company offers to their clients align with those that Tania wants to bring to her folks in WNC. Joining Magnolia Title as they extend into Western North Carolina is her next adventure in life.
Email: tania@magnoliatitlecompany.com
Call or Text: (828) 280-4885
Kara Gravitte, Underwriter
As a native of Raleigh, Kara is excited to be joining Magnolia Title Company, LLC in the Wilmington market. She has recently moved and is excited to be a local. Kara is a licensed title insurance underwriter in North Carolina and South Carolina. She assists with prior look-ups, commitments, revisions, and final policies. For the past ten years, she has been enjoying a career in the Real Estate Industry working with New Home Builders.
She is a proud Aunt of 4 nephews and has been known to win Aunt of the year. When she is not spending time with her family, she is enjoying her time at the beach or rooting for the Wolfpack!
Elizabeth Hons, Underwriter
Elizabeth resides on the Crystal Coast with her daughter, Lily, two cats, Boris and Tommy, and her chocolate lab, Pebbles. She has advanced through the ranks of Magnolia Title, starting as a part-time administrative assistant and eventually becoming a licensed title insurance underwriter in 2021. Elizabeth has a strong interest in real estate and aspires to invest in properties in the future.
In her free time, Elizabeth works as a part-time Firefighter-Paramedic and recently completed her Associate's Degree in Emergency Medical Science. She enjoys working out, spending time at the beach, and spending time with her daughter.
Samantha Sloan, Administrative Assistant
Samantha Sloan, is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Political Science. She furthered her education at Johnston Community college and obtained her General Law Office Certificate. She then became a North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegal and was employed at a local law firm for 4 years. Samantha has enjoyed the career switch to the title insurance industry. She presently resides in Clayton with her husband and daughter. When she’s away from the office, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to the beach, reading and watching movies.
Morgan Griffith, Administrative Assistant
Morgan is a native of Johnston County. She graduated from high school in 2020 and later earned her degree from Cape Fear Community College, where she continued her education. While studying in college, she worked for a real estate agent, focusing on social media marketing and transaction coordination. After joining the Magnolia Team in September 2024, she has enjoyed expanding her knowledge in Title Insurance. In her free time, Morgan loves spending time with friends and family, traveling, and exploring new places.
Julie Uzcategui, Bookkeeper and Finance Manager
After over 15 years assisting builders and homeowners design show stopping living and work spaces, Julie is putting her extensive knowledge of business finance into helping Magnolia with all aspects of the business side of running a title company.
Julie and Laura have been inseparable since they met in high school at John T. Hoggard High in Wilmington, NC. Julie has lived all over, from Atlanta, Georgia to Aspen and Beverly Hills to Northern Italy, and finally ended up in Raleigh in the late 90s. Julie has a son here in Raleigh and a daughter, a son-in-law, and 2 adorable grandchildren that live in Italy. Julie loves to read and spends most of her free time down at her place on the Cape Fear River in Wilmington with her husband, stepdaughter, and sweet MaltiPom named Sophie.
Fun fact, Julie hand-drew the Magnolia logo which is so near and dear to our hearts!