Title: Director
Firm: Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
Age: 30
Madison Maher of Oppenheimer & Co. said her family's role in public service and finance in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, put her on course for her career in municipal finance.
"There's no other business where you can see the direct results of your efforts," she said.
After studying finance at DePaul University, Maher started as an analyst at Mesirow Capital Markets, where she focused on compliance, demonstrating a deep knowledge of municipal and financial rules and regulations.
Two-and-a-half years later she joined UBS as an associate director. "This is where my career took off," Maher said. "It was the first time I was given the platform to be me and do that well. One day it just clicked," she said.
"She quickly matured in her role as a banker, serving as a superior deal facilitator for issuers like the city of Chicago Sales Tax Securitization's 2023 transaction that won Deal of the Year" from The Bond Buyer, said Liberty Ziegahn, managing director at Oppenheimer & Co. That $1.7 billion financing was honored for addressing initiatives related to affordable housing, homelessness support services, environmental justice, and community development.
Maher compared her role with the syndicate of 30 banks to a political campaign. She acted as "the coordination station," she said. "I love to be over-communicative. I want to make your life easier. I want to make the client's life easier."
Her near-term goal is to continue to build Oppenheimer's muni business, while "paying it forward" by staying active in Women in Public Finance. She expects to focus on integrating the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, into municipal finance. "I care about making your town, your city, your state better," she said. "Our generation has the skillset to address that opportunity."
