Rising Stars

"Almost everything around you serves as a reminder of our work and the benefits it has brought to the public," said Adam Gordon.

When Douglas Goldmacher, a Long Island native, graduated from the University of Rochester in 2011, a career in municipal finances wasn't on his mind.

A mentorship that started during a college internship helped steer Melissa Bennett to a partnership in public finance law.

"I saw public finance as a good intersection of markets and public policy and I've been doing it ever since," said Sam Denton-Schneider.

"Since I started in this industry, it's been a constant series of new issues, new questions of change, new transactions and creative ways to deal with the shifting legal and economic climate," Helen Pennock said.

"Having the team infrastructure and everybody looking to be on the same page and work together, that's something that has been really fun," Christopher Flosi said.

"It's almost like a mission now for me to build better efficiency and better tools for analysts everywhere," Abhishek Lodha said.

"The muni market was a calling for me," Vernon Lewis said. "It was something where I can finally give my expertise and help my city as a whole, as well as the taxpayers."

For Patrice Mitchell it's important to build and have sustainable affordable housing, especially in underserved communities.

A job tip from a former Little League coach helped lead Heather Litzebauer to a fruitful career at municipal underwriting and advisory firm NW Financial Group.

"I always looked up to my dad and was amazed by the amount of time he spent at the office," Russell Feldman said. "I became a lot more intimately aware of the challenges in fixed income when I joined the industry years later."

"I'm proud of how well we adapted as an organization and set ourselves up to hit the ground running on large projects," said David Amdor.

"Be ready to do anything that is asked of you," Mary Hinojosa Kelly said. "You need to have all of those skill sets in your toolbox to add value."

"I was excited to take part in an industry that plays an integral role in developing public infrastructure," Nicole Pey said.

Akshai Patel, 39, an accidental banker, moved to RBC after founding a Phoenix, Arizona, charter school.

The 2021 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.

Even while he was graduating from law school, Charles Stavitski envisioned a career in public finance.

A strong worth ethic, leadership, personality and selflessness are among the qualities that make Casey a "foundational employee at PNC."

Svetlana Olchevski is an integral part of Prince William County’s municipal finance team. Although she’s been working in municipal finance only about a year, Svetlana has grasped the many details and regulations of the industry, which have been compounded by the challenges brought on by COVID-19.

David plays a key role in the modernization of an important aspect of the market: real-time yield curves, the first of which was the ICE Muni Yield Curve, which has been a core component of the firm's evaluated pricing process.