Rising Stars

Sarah Jansen was introduced to the world of public finance while taking a public financial management class in graduate school at the University of Texas.

"The teams are pretty small, so I got exposure to things very early and that's helped me along the way," Stephanie Lom said.

Anthony Kinsey's talent comes in handy while helping issuers with the ongoing challenge of updating their official statements and investor presentations based on new disclosure requirements.

"I had no idea what public finance was going into it," Olyvia Jarmoszka said. "Dealing with the government was actually something that I enjoyed, considering my education."

"I traded in my labor and delivery scrubs for a career in finance when I had an incredible opportunity to intern at Merrill Lynch as a 16-year-old senior at Stuyvesant High School," William Kim said

"I had the opportunity to work with interesting issuers and complex transactions early on in my career, which gave me a solid foundation to build on," Kevin Plunkett said.

Greg Shuman said he favors municipals for being a niche market, its blend of government policy and economics, the quantitative focus of fixed income as an asset class, and the complexity and evolving nature of municipal finance and markets.

"What I've learned is to do my best no matter what and always have internal goals for myself," Brittany Whelan said.

"I've always been interested in the fiscal health of a city or county, it goes to the health of the people really," Rob Widigan said.

Meet this year's Rising Stars of municipal finance.

The 2022 Rising Stars discuss their work, hobbies, interests, and their thoughts about the future of the public finance sector. We also link to all the profiles, in case you missed them.

New York-based Anne Tricerri took a circuitous route to becoming Fitch Rating's director of global infrastructure and project finance.

Thinking creatively in the housing finance world has helped Claire Merritt execute over 200 transactions for a total par amount of approximately $5 billion.

"Continued refinement of state Medicaid managed care programs will remain the cornerstone of driving accessibility for underserved communities," said Brad Henkel.

"There's always a new issue you might not be aware of; with 50 states you are constantly learning something new," Cooper Howard said. "It's not a homogenized market."

Kevin Boomhower believes water infrastructure is a basic necessity and the work EFC does is helping all communities in the state meet that need.

Nicole Riggs loves infrastructure and the opportunity to provide mentorship.

"The diversity of people and places I get to work with in U.S. Public Finance, from small special purpose districts to large cities and states," makes work interesting for Cora Bruemmer. I feel like I'm always learning something new."

"Every credit has its quirks," Peter Scherer said. "I enjoy the challenge of putting them in context while delivering thoughtful and punchy credit opinions that inform investors and inspire confidence in the municipal market."

"I've always found public finance very intellectually engaging. The business and regulatory landscapes are constantly shifting, so there's always something new to learn," Tyler Cobb said.