He moved to the East Coast to attend law school at Maryland. As an associate at Miles & Stockbridge in Baltimore, he entered the field of public finance soon after graduating from law school. After that, he spent three years working facilitating the development of public finance regulations and rulings at the Internal Revenue Service’s Chief Counsel’s Office in Washington, DC. As Chair of this year’s Workshop,  he and the leadership team have prepared a fascinating Opening General Session about the challenges in Reedy Creek. He is a down-to-earth and modest individual who attributes most of his success to his late wife.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in Duluth, Minnesota but grew up in Colorado. After finishing high school, I moved on to the University of Colorado in Boulder, where I majored in International Affairs and was active in cross country and track. I came east for law school at the University of Maryland. My first job out of law school was as an associate at Miles & Stockbridge in Baltimore, where I first began doing public finance work. From there I went to IRS Chief Counsel’s Office in DC for three years, where I was involved in drafting regulations and rulings in the public finance area. I have been at Hogan Lovells (previously Hogan & Hartson) in Washington, DC for over 28 years. My family is important to me, I have two sons who are now in their twenties, and owe whatever success I have had to the support of my late wife. I have been active in NABL for most of my professional life and have found it to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my career, both personally and professionally.  

As Chair of The Workshop: Hybrid 2022, can you give us insights about the Opening General Session topic covering the Lessons from Reedy Creek? 

I think this session will be both interesting and informative. While the starting point for the panel will be discussion of the situation in Florida with respect to the Reedy Creek Improvement District, we expect the panel to evolve into a more general exploration of the recent increase in political issues unrelated to finance intruding into the public finance arena in the current highly partisan environment, and the impact it is having on public finance more generally.

What are new topics that will be presented this year at The Workshop?

We are very excited about a new panel added this year titled “Let Me Check With My Desk,” which will explore the role played by the municipal bond trading desk. Topics to be covered include the factors that shape pricing and trends in the municipal bond market, the mechanics of underwriting an actual sale of municipal bonds, as well as special topics such as the inner workings of DTC, and proprietary trading risk. 

If someone is on the fence about attending The Workshop, what are your top reasons for why they should go? 

The Workshop presents an incredible opportunity to both stay abreast of the latest developments in public finance law and at the same time network and interact with other members of the public finance community.  As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, it is more important than ever to reconnect with our colleagues from around the country.

Which book and/or podcasts have you enjoyed and would recommend to others?

My most recent reads are When We Cease to Understand the World, by Benjamin Labatut Sebaldian, examining some of the moral quandaries that are inherent in scientific discovery, and Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, a thoughtful exploration of why we so often fail to understand each other.  For podcasts, I am a fan of WTF with Marc Maron, featuring excellent interviews with a wide range of guests.