Joseph Giordano joined TD Cowen in 2013 and currently covers diversified industrials, automation & robotics. Mr. Giordano is a leading expert on industrial robotics and has authored numerous publications exploring the application of robotics to a wide range of markets such as logistics, manufacturing, agriculture, medical, energy, retail and others. Prior to joining TD Cowen, Mr. Giordano worked at Dahlman Rose. Prior to becoming a sell side analyst, Mr. Giordano spent four years at Deloitte & Touche in the financial services audit and commercial mortgage-backed securitization practices and three years at Kingdon Capital Management.  Mr. Giordano is one of the authors of, Ahead Of The Curve – Muni Water Survey Suggests Momentum, With Caveats. 

Michael Engelbrecht is a Managing Director at Wells Fargo, where he serves as Head of Utilities and Co-Head of the West Region, and acts as day-to-day banker on major municipal engagements. With over 30 years of capital markets experience, he provides investment banking services to general municipal clients, public power, water and wastewater utilities, and special district clients nationally.  During his tenure at Wells Fargo, Michael has assisted issuers obtain initial credit ratings on 31 transactions with an aggregate par amount of approximately $2.9 billion. Michael has assisted clients with several unique financing structures including securitizations of third-party contracts for water banking facilities and financings to facilitate the historic San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act.  Michael holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from Wheaton College. Michael FINRA Series 7, 24, 52, 53, 63, 79, and 99 securities registrations.

Ron Banaszek is currently Executive Director, Head of Public Finance and Underwriting at Blaylock Van.  He joined Blaylock Van in 2022 after more than 11 years at Ramirez & Co., where he served as Municipal Institutional Sales Manager and a member of the Institutional Sales Team. Prior to Ramirez, he worked in the municipal department at UBS as an institutional salesperson and later as sales manager. Since joining Blaylock, Mr. Banaszek has served as a lead underwriter and the firm’s National Sales Manager, roles he held until January 2026, when he was promoted to Head of Public Finance. He brings more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, including over 30 years focused on the municipal bond market, with extensive background in trading, underwriting, and sales. Mr. Banaszek holds Series 7, 53, and 63 licenses.

Scott Shad is an Associate Director serving as a primary credit analyst for State and Transportation issuers within the Americas Public Finance Rating’s team. His transportation expertise includes mass transit systems, airports, airport special facility projects, toll roads, port authorities, and parking facilities. In addition, Scott covers the state sector where he serves as primary credit analyst for the State of Colorado and Wisconsin. Scott has worked at S&P since 2018.

Prior to joining S&P Global, Scott was a Vice President at George K. Baum & Company (acquired by Stifel) serving as an investment banker and financial advisor for municipal issuers. Scott completed over 190 bond financings totaling over $9 billion in par for general obligation, revenue, or lease purchase financings for municipal issuers and non-profit clients during his seven years at the firm. 

Scott is a graduate of Washington & Lee University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Minor in Philosophy. He is also a graduate of the Downtown Denver Leadership Program.

State Controller Malia M. Cohen was elected in November 2022, following her service on the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), the nation’s only elected tax commission responsible for administering California’s $100 billion property tax system. She was elected to the BOE in November 2018 and was Chair in 2019 and 2022. As Controller, she continues to serve the Board as its fifth voting member.

As chief fiscal officer of the world’s fifth-largest economy, Controller Cohen’s primary responsibility is to account for and protect the state’s financial resources. Controller Cohen also independently audits government agencies that spend state funds, safeguards many types of property until claimed by the rightful owners, and administers the payroll system for state government employees and California State University employees. She serves on 70 boards and commissions with authority ranging from affordable housing to crime victim compensation to land management. Controller Cohen chairs the Franchise Tax Board and serves on the boards of the nation’s two largest public pension funds, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Boards, which have a combined portfolio of $750 billion. The Controller is one of eight statewide constitutional officials who are elected every four years in California.

As the BOE Board Member for District 2, she represented 10 million constituents living in all or parts of 23 counties extending from Del Norte County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. As Chair of the BOE, she led the effort to modernize California’s property tax system, provide guidance to the 58 county assessors on remote assessment appeals board hearings, and utilize property tax abatements to stimulate affordable housing. Controller Cohen also ensured that the views of all who came before the Board were considered carefully, with respect, civility, and courtesy.

Prior to being elected to the BOE, Controller Cohen served as President of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. As a Supervisor, she served as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Audit and Oversight Committee. During this time, she also served as President of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS), which at the time was a $23 billion pension fund.

JOHN DELERAY is the national head of sales for municipal trust, corporate trust and M&A Administration at UMB Bank. His current focus is primarily on expanding UMB Bank’s presence to the West Coast, establishing its national M&A Administration practice, and growing its already robust municipal trust presence throughout the U.S.

Lori Ann Farrell is the Chief Executive OƯicer, eƯective July 6, 2026.  

Farrell brings 35 years of leadership in public finance, housing, and core government  services to the agency at a critical moment in L.A. County’s effort to expand affordable housing, protect renters, and prevent homelessness.  

Throughout her career in the public and private sectors, Farrell has managed multi-billion dollar budgets, directed large public agencies, and secured hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. As City Manager of Costa Mesa and former Chief Financial Officer for the City of Long Beach she has a proven record of delivering results in politically complex environments. 

Farrell’s financial credentials are extensive and widely recognized. As CFO for the City of  Long Beach, she oversaw the administration of a $2.4 billion bonded debt portfolio and  managed a $2.5 billion citywide budget. She achieved the first-ever AAA bond credit rating  for the City of Huntington Beach and delivered the first clean audit for Long Beach in 12  years. She has issued and managed over $2.5 billion in bonded debt across multiple cities and financing authorities. 

During her tenure in Costa Mesa, the City secured more than $17 million in local, state and county grants to convert motels into 164 permanent supportive housing units for seniors, veterans and at-risk residents. She also lobbied for and won a $3.5 million state planning grant to develop over 2,300 units of housing at a local infill site. Under her leadership, the City constructed its first permanent bridge shelter and negotiated a regional agreement that provided additional funding for 100 beds for unhoused individuals. Her commitment  to affordable housing production and homelessness prevention is demonstrated by the creation of the City’s first ever Affordable Housing Ordinance, and the establishment of a Tenant Eviction Protection Ordinance that reduced evictions by 50 percent in the first six months. 

Most recently, Farrell has been serving as Interim City Manager for the City of Santa Rosa, where she oversees 1,276 employees and a $554 million budget spanning public safety, housing, homelessness services, and infrastructure, among other departments.

She holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of  International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College of Columbia University.

Ryan Higgins is a vice president of Municipal Finance for Fidelity Capital Markets, the institutional trading arm of  Fidelity Investments that provides trading products and services to a wide array of clients and Fidelity businesses.  Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance,  brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries,  and individuals. 

Every year the Municipal Finance team is involved with hundreds of separate tax-exempt and taxable bonds and  note transactions, totaling billions of dollars. The team seeks to provide market access to our retail investors and  deliver market demand to municipal issuers for public financing initiatives. 

Mr. Higgins joined Fidelity in 2024 to help lead its municipal finance banking efforts across the country. Mr. Higgins  has over 19 years of public finance experience, having served public entities across the country as an investment  banker, municipal advisor and placement agent. He has expertise with senior managed, co-managed and privately  placed transactions spanning every sector of the public finance market, including general infrastructure,  transportation, housing, higher education, healthcare, public power and utilities. In addition, he has executed  derivative transactions as part of comprehensive financing strategies. 

Mr. Higgins has a B.A. degree in business with honors from Saint Anselm College. He currently holds the Financial  Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) series 7, 52, 53, 63 and 79 licenses.