Title: Chief of Finance and Senior Counsel
Firm: Office of the Ohio Treasurer
Age: 35
Over the course of his roughly nine-year career as public finance attorney, Jonathan Azoff has rapidly ascended in the field.
He is now chief of finance and senior counsel at the Office of the Ohio Treasurer. Among his current duties are overseeing the $12 billion investment and $11.5 billion debt portfolios of the state.
Acacia Financial Group Co-President Noreen White said of Jon, “During the course of my 37-year career, I have never seen a professional grow so quickly into a position of leadership and exhibit the creativity to implement new programs.”
He has aided the expansion of the Ohio Market Access Program, which provides credit enhancement for local government notes. He has led more than 25 bond transactions totaling over $3 billion.
During the COVID-19 crisis he spearheaded the implementation and development of a variable-rate demand obligation stabilization program that reduced debt service costs for more than $700 million of Ohio hospital debt.
Finally, he has been very active in the State Debt Management Network and National Association of State Treasurers, presenting at the annual conferences and developing webinars.
“Jon is one of the smartest public finance professionals I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Kym Arnone, joint-head of municipal finance at Jefferies. “He grasps nuanced concepts quickly and delves into the detail due, in part, to his intellectual curiosity. Of equal importance, Jon is a leader who marshals resources to work collaboratively regardless of the complexity of the task at hand.”
Jon said municipal finance work pleased him in two ways. “First is the diversity of the work. I have the opportunity to work on both the investing and borrowing sides of municipal finance …. Second, working in municipal finance, you get to make a difference and see tangible results.”
