DALLAS – Curtis Culwell, a former Texas school superintendent and senior associate with the Austin research firm Moak, Casey & Associates, has joined the Raymond James public finance practice as senior vice president, the firm said.
Culwell “brings a wealth of Texas public school district knowledge that will continue to bolster our leadership role in underwriting Texas school district financings,” said Tom Oppenheim, senior managing director and head of Southwest Public Finance for Raymond James.
After more than 23 years as a Texas public school superintendent, Culwell joined Moak, Casey & Associates as senior associate, focusing on accountability and assessment issues, board training, and school finance and superintendent transition programs.
He began his 37-year public school career as an English teacher, later becoming a high school principal and central office administrator. He served as superintendent in Pittsburg, Lubbock, and Garland.
Culwell has also been appointed to several statewide commissions, including the 2010 Select Committee on Public School Weights, Allotments and Adjustments and the 2006 Tax Appraisal Committee, which reviewed the tax appraisal system for the state.
He was twice elected as president of the Texas School Alliance and was appointed by the governor to the State Board of Educator Certification. He was also a long-time member of the University Interscholastic League Legislative Committee. He has worked as a superintendent search consultant with districts including Lubbock ISD, Burleson ISD, Millsap ISD, and Brownsboro ISD.
“It feels great to join a firm with the reputation of Raymond James, and I look forward to helping the Raymond James Texas K-12 underwriting practice continue to grow and thrive,” said Culwell. “It is a natural fit for me given my knowledge and experience of the Texas school district landscape.”
According to Thomson Reuters, Raymond James has senior managed 443 Texas K-12 negotiated underwritings, aggregating over $14.6 billion since 2011, making the firm the leading underwriter of Texas K-12 financings.
