Executive Director
CDIAC
Treasurer Fiona Ma appointed Robert Berry to the position of Executive Director of the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission (CDIAC) in January 2020. Prior to his appointment and since joining CDIAC in late 2010, he served as Deputy Executive Director. Before joining CDIAC, Robert was a manager in the Capital Markets Group of Panattoni Development Company, one of the largest private merchant development companies in the country at the time. As a registered representative and manager of the company’s private equity placement program, he was charged with placing investments of high net-worth individuals in the company’s development projects across 29 US, Canadian, and Eastern European markets. Preceding his years in real estate finance, Robert worked over fourteen years in economic development as a business attraction and retention specialist with the State of California.
Robert earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of California, Davis.
Managing the cost of financing is one of the highest priority responsibilities for agency finance professionals. Refunding is one of the most impactful financial management tools issuers can use to mitigate risk and reduce the cost of debt, or is it? The preconference sessions will explore refunding strategies, the financial justifications, the call option itself, and the circumstances when refundings may not be as efficient as issuers would like them to be. This program is intended to help issuers to understand and challenge conventions, and more fully consider the factors that can drive the success of future refunding transactions.