The Bond Buyer announces Hall of Fame class of 2023

The Bond Buyer has announced its second annual class of inductees into its Hall of Fame of municipal finance, which recognizes and celebrates groundbreaking individuals who have left an indelible legacy on the muni community and the people and places it represents.

The new class of groundbreaking, standout Hall of Famers gives representation to a range of different areas and specialties within the business and provides an aspirational path for all areas of public finance. The honorees will be celebrated at a Sept. 13 dinner to close out The Bond Buyer INFRASTRUCTURE event, which takes place on Sept. 12-13 at The Palmer House in Chicago. 

This year’s class includes seven living honorees, each of whom will be in attendance and give remarks at the Sept. 13 dinner, following an introduction by a handpicked individual important to their career. Full profiles of each of the inductees are linked in the alphabetical list below.

• GREG CAREY — Greg Carey has worked on hundreds of innovative transactions that span a wide gamut of infrastructure sectors, from project finance and surface transportation to major stadiums and arenas across the country and Europe.

• FRANK FAIRMAN — Frank Fairman has spent his long career with one firm — Minneapolis-based Piper Sandler — which he joined in 1983. During his tenure, Fairman led the growth of Piper Sandler from less than $10 million in public finance revenue to close to $200 million.

• HILL FEINBERG — Hill Feinberg finds satisfaction in seeing the airport, the school, the toll road, and other infrastructure his firm played a role in financing. The key to success is to learn about clients’ wishes and help execute what they dream about doing, according to Feinberg.  

• PEG HENRY — Margaret “Peg” Henry is among the most important contributors to contemporary municipal finance law, navigating seismic changes in the landscape as a lawyer in private practice, an educator, a regulator, and in-house broker-dealer counsel. 

• JAMES REYNOLDS — Under James Reynolds’ leadership, Loop has grown into a full-service investment firm with more than 260 employees that’s one of the world’s largest minority or women-owned investment banking firms.

• LOIS SCOTT — The arc of Lois Scott’s diverse career path — from investment banker to White House Fellow to financial advisory firm co-founder to Chicago CFO to executive producer of women-directed film — has an underlying theme. Altruism, she said, has been the focus whether in the public or private sector.

• HOWARD ZUCKER — Howard Zucker has over 46 years of experience in housing finance. He was the first chairman of the bond finance practice division of the Forum of Affordable Housing and Community Development Law of the American Bar Association.

Additionally, three posthumous inductees have been added to the Hall’s new Legacy Wing that celebrates deserving individuals who have passed on:

• TIM SCHAEFER — Tim Schaefer, who died in January at age 75, had the distinction of working in the municipal bond industry from multiple angles: as a trader, a financial advisor, a banker, and finally as California’s deputy treasurer for public finance.

• JAMES SPIOTTO — Friends, colleagues, and industry professionals held James Spiotto in high esteem as a consummate but humble voice in the municipal industry for his bankruptcy and restructuring expertise.

• YVETTE SHIELDS — Yvette Shields, a reporter originally trained to cover Chicago City Hall, turned her fearless pen to Midwest state and local finance when she joined the Bond Buyer nearly 26 years ago and launched a career that enriched the public finance industry with unrivaled coverage of the people, deals and events that matter to the bond world. And in the days and weeks that followed Yvette’s passing, it was made abundantly clear just how much not just that community, but the muni community at large, felt this loss and wanted the industry to honor her. 

The Sept. 13 dinner will also include remarks made on behalf of two of these Legacy Wing inductees. Please note that, by special request, due to Tim Schaefer’s deep ties to the state of California, his official Legacy Wing Hall of Fame induction will instead take place at The Bond Buyer‘s California Public Finance event on October 18 in San Francisco.

“The members of this year’s class truly embody the spirit of the term ‘Hall of Famer,'” Michael Scarchilli, Editor in Chief of The Bond Buyer, says. “Through their bodies of work to date, they’ve influenced and inspired peers, clients, and colleagues, and made an incredible impact on the municipal finance community.”  

Candidates were eligible across all areas, specialties, and corners of the municipal finance community. Nominees did not need to be partially or completely retired to qualify, but must have been involved in extensive, influential work for such a lifetime achievement honor. All applications were judged by a panel with The Bond Buyer’s editorial leadership and a diverse group of municipal finance leaders.

Both groups will be honored at The Bond Buyer INFRASTRUCTURE event, which takes place on Sept. 12-13 at The Palmer House in Chicago. A dinner celebrating the new classes of Hall of Famers and Rising Stars will be held Sept. 13.

Additionally, the Sept. 13 dinner will honor the incoming set of Bond Buyer Rising Stars with an on-stage acknowledgement of the class of 2023. Full bios of each of the new Rising Stars will be published Sept. 13 in advance of the ceremony. The Rising Stars program recognizes municipal finance professionals under the age of 40 who have made positive contributions for their community while demonstrating exceptional leadership, excellent collaboration skills, innovation and creativity in their roles.

These Hall of Fame and Rising Stars programs shine a light on outstanding municipal finance leadership by honoring the past and recognizing the future. Whether they’ve already built their legacies or they’re still in the process, these are individuals whose character and innovative spirit will inspire others in the sector.