Kestrel Verifiers hires Dana Villanova as director of business development

Municipal bond veteran Dana Villanova has joined Kestrel Verifiers as director of business development, the firm announced on Friday.

In her new role, Villanova will lead the company on strategy and outreach to meet growing market demand for green, climate, social and sustainability bonds and impact reporting services. She reports directly to CEO Monica Reid.

“We have a deeply experienced team of environmental finance specialists including water, waste, energy, green buildings, transportation, and climate experts,” Reid said. “Adding Dana’s wealth of market experience, knowledge of transaction mechanics and strong public finance relationships to our firm will certainly contribute to Kestrel’s goal to be the Number 1 U.S.-based green bond verifier.”

Of the 36 firms in the world that are Climate Bonds Initiative Approved Verifiers under the Climate Bonds Standard, Kestrel is the only one which is a woman-owned small business and certified women’s business enterprise. It is also one of only 12 contributing external reviewers to the International Capital Markets Association.

“We are seeing tremendous growth in the green bond space and it is very exciting to join a firm with this level of innovation and efficiency poised to meet the needs of both issuers and investors,” Villanova said. “ESG (environmental, social and governance), impact investing, and sustainable finance aren’t just trendy terms. I am constantly reminded that the projects and initiatives that these deals are funding actually contribute to making the world a better place.”

Villanova has over 17 years of experience in finance working for ING, Alliance Bernstein, Morgan Stanley and at monoline insurers MBIA/National Public Finance Guarantee and Assured Guaranty.

She holds certifications in Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Strategies from UNC Wilmington and in Business Strategies for Social Impact from the University of Pennsylvania in addition to a B.S. from Florida Atlantic University in Communication.

Villanova currently serves on the advisory board of The Municipal Bond Women’s Forum and previously served as vice president and treasurer of The Municipal Bond Club of New York. She is a member of Women in Public Finance, Financial Women’s Association and The Impact Capital Forum.

“We are based in the USA and pride ourselves on being bespoke U.S. muni market specialists,” Kestrel said in a release. “Since inception, Kestrel has been selected as the verifier on over $1.345 billion in par across all asset classes.”

Kestrel Verifiers is a division of Kestrel Consulting Inc., which was established in 2000 to provide strategic planning and consultation to government agencies, businesses and community organizations. It is a woman-owned small business and certified women’s business enterprise incorporated in California.

In 2018, Kestrel Verifiers was formed and met the Climate Bonds Initiative’s accreditation standards to become an Approved Verifier. Its services include evaluating for green, climate, social and sustainable bonds and loans. They also provide impact reporting, programmatic frameworks and general environmental consulting services.

California Treasurer Fiona Ma chose Reid as one of 27 professionals to serve on the California Green Bond Development Committee.