Connecticut treasurer to speak at Muni Pride event in NYC

Efforts by Muni Pride to align with other public finance affinity groups are reaping dividends for the group, which has grown to more than 100 individuals since its inception in 2019.

The California-based national LGBTQ+ networking group will host its next event Oct. 1 in New York City.

Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell will offer brief remarks.

Donna Alberico

Russell is the first openly gay Black person elected to a statewide office in the United States, said Muni Pride co-founder Alexander Vaisman.

Russell's story "is inspirational for our community, and we're so impressed by the amazing work that he's been doing at the state, including successfully securing funding to launch Connecticut Baby Bonds, a first-in-the-nation program to combat generational poverty," Vaisman said.

Additionally, "it's important to highlight that Erick has been a part of our industry for many years — in his prior life, Erick was a partner within the Public and Private Finance Group of a law firm, where he represented towns, cities and the state in financing infrastructure projects, managing debt and restructuring pension obligations," Vaisman said.

The event is being jointly hosted by Muni Pride, the Northeast Women in Public Finance and Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP.

Advance registration is required, available through Muni Pride's page on LinkedIn.

Members of the event's planning committee included Vaisman, Alan Bond (BLX Group), Alice Cheng (Janney), Alison Radecki (Norton Rose Fulbright), Aparna Bezawada (Stifel), BK Katzmann (Ballard Spahr), Gregory Hom (Nixon Peabody) and Helen Pennock (Norton Rose Fulbright).

Membership has more than doubled in recent years, Vaisman said. "A lot of it is due to having more events and getting the word out about Muni Pride," he said.

"Last year, we hosted events in Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco," said Vaisman, who is managing VP and head of the national higher education practice for Build America Mutual.

He attributed part of the group's success to working to actively expand our partnerships with other industry groups, which has included first-time collaborations with Women in Public Finance – Chicago, the GFOA LGBTQIA+ Caucus, and the National Association of Bond Lawyers' Diversity Committee.

"We've still got a lot of work to do, but we're enthusiastic and excited about expanding representation and diversity in our industry," Vaisman said.

This year was the first time that Muni Pride expanded beyond social mixers/diversity receptions to include a volunteering event, he said.

In August, Muni Pride partnered with the Northeast Women in Public Finance to prepare meals with God's Love We Deliver.

They hope to provide other similar volunteering opportunities in the future, he said.

Muni Pride has added BK Katzmann as a board member. BK (they/them/theirs) is an associate at Ballard Spahr in the firm's finance department focusing on public finance matters.

"BK is based in Philadelphia (part of Muni Pride's intentional plan to expand the geographic diversity of the board) and brings a diverse combination of skills and perspectives," Vaisman said, noting that Katzmann recently received the Public Service Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association's Large Firm Management Committee.

"We are lucky to have BK!" Vaisman said.

The SoCal Public Affinity Mixer held jointly in Los Angeles in August with African Americans in Public Finance, Asian Americans in Public Finance, Latinos in Public Finance, Muni Pride, and Women in Public Finance — Los Angeles Chapter was a rousing success, Vaisman said.

Nixon Peabody hosted the event, which drew 100 people, roughly in line with prior years, Vaisman said.

"Working with other affinity groups has improved our programming and outreach," he said.

Muni Pride is seeking event sponsors. Interested firms and anyone interested in registering for the event should contact MuniPride@gmail.com for sponsorship opportunities.