A lawyer with more than 25 years of experience in public finance, volunteer for NABL and local organizations and boards, and a life-long learner who loves to read books. Meet Teresa Metcalf Beasley.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

As a member of McDonald Hopkins LLC, a business advisory and advocacy law firm, I serve as the Chair of the firm’s Public Law Practice Group and am also a member of the Real Estate Group. I have over 25 years of legal experience in the areas of public law, public finance, commercial finance and real estate. I am also involved in all facets of bond transactions, economic development incentives, and the intricacies of real estate development and financing. I have represented the private sector for profit and non-profit entities and local, county and state governmental agencies, including municipalities, higher education, commercial financing, real estate, construction, and government relations.

I am a proud graduate of the University of Alabama (RollTide) and Cleveland State University College of Law. I’m extremely passionate about giving back to our community and work to do just that through the organizations and boards I am a part of which include The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Playhouse Square Foundation, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and more.

What inspired you to join NABL in 2014?

As the premier organization for bond attorneys, it was important for me to not only join and become a member, but to actively participate in the wealth of knowledge and community it represents. I am grateful to be able to learn from the top practitioners and to have access to a network of experts to consult and collaborate with. It’s invaluable.

You are a member of the Government Affairs Committee and volunteered for past projects for NABL. How has volunteering impacted your career?

Volunteering for projects has shown my character, capability, motivation and the like. I enjoy learning from others and with that helps me develop even more so as a leader in my own career by stepping into leadership roles.

You have attended several Workshops and webinars in the past. What is one new idea you learned and implemented into your practice?

Attending Workshops and webinars have consistently proven beneficial to my own practice. Each session addresses a topical concept, issue, or strategy that I find relevant to my current work or something that I anticipate to encounter in the near future. One significant takeaway has been the diverse perspectives that both the panelists and audience members offer, which enhances my own understanding and ability to navigate issues effectively.

If you could have dinner with two people (dead or alive), who would you choose and why?

Today, if there were two people that I could have dinner with, dead or alive, I would choose Cicely Tyson and Viola Davis. Last year, I read Cicely Tyson’s ‘Just as I am: A Memoir’ and Viola Davis’ ‘Finding Me: A Memoir,’ and was so deeply moved by their personal narratives and the life lessons they imparted. Their childhood stories and experiences were so similar to my own, as well as so many other people who look like me.  A dinner with each of these remarkable women would be an opportunity to reflect on the challenges they overcame to emerge as influential women leaders. They both have remarkable stories to share, and while I’m grateful they put those stories in their memoirs, I’m sure a dinner would come with even more tales about their strength and resilience.