Women in Public Finance
Women in Public Finance has announced the 2025 members of its board of directors and will continue expanding its offerings as the organization nears its 30th anniversary next year.
The board’s leadership includes President Kathleen Bowe of Wells Fargo; President-Elect Melanie Johnson of Piper Sandler; Immediate Past President Jennifer Fredericks of Baker Tilly; Vice President – Chapters Sarah Sanchez of UMB Bank; Vice President – Conference Amanda Lee of Jefferies; Treasurer Toni-Marie Kahre of the San Diego County Water Authority; Assistant Treasurer Laurie Scott of Integrity Public Finance Consulting; and Secretary Anna Horevay of McGuireWoods LLP.
“We have been supporting women in the industry for 29 years now, and throughout that time, we have grown from a Chicago-based organization to supporting women nationally,” Bowe, executive director and government banking relationship manager at Wells Fargo Bank, told The Bond Buyer. “There are so many stories of women who have connected with others, who have received opportunities and education through Women in Public Finance to help them grow in their careers.”
After adding a North Carolina chapter last year, WPF now has 24 chapters across the country.
The organization’s top goal this year will be promoting the visibility of women in the public finance industry. Bowe said the board is particularly focused on the next generation of public finance leaders, shining a spotlight on them and getting them more involved with WPF.
“We now have 1,000 members, and we want to see the great work of those women continue to be recognized,” she said. “We’re so well-represented with women across many different facets of the industry.”
The board will also be preparing for WPF’s annual conference, which will take place Sept. 17-19 in Atlanta.
The organization is especially proud of its scholarship program, and Bowe said the board hopes to grow that further this year. Last year, WPF awarded five scholarships at the national level totaling $15,000. Local chapters awarded an additional $56,000 to 26 recipients.
“We have been working to continue to grow that program … and build in more mentoring and support for those award recipients,” Bowe said. “We want to recruit top talent to come into, and stay in, a career in public finance, and give them the support to be successful in the field.”
The 2025 WPF directors are Bhanu Patil of Flagstar Bank; Romy McCarthy of D.A. Davidson & Co.; Tamika Reed of Siebert Williams Shank & Co.; Christina Long of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority; Liberty Ziegahn of Oppenheimer & Co.; Lindsay Evans of BOK Financial Securities; Shawn Dralle of Cabrera Capital Markets; Abigail Urtz of FHN Financial; Christine Reynolds of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Mikki Mathews of JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Martina Hinojosa of Bracewell LLP; and Mary Kate Rogan of PNC Capital.
Co-founded in 1997 by Lois Scott, Sarah Eubanks, Courtney Shea and Nancy Remar, WPF’s members span the public finance industry and include professionals from state and municipal governments, non-profit organizations, investment banks, rating agencies, bond insurers and legal firms, as well as financial consultants and trust officers.
“I can speak for myself personally and the relationships that I’ve made,” Bowe said. “The opportunity to pursue leadership positions within Women in Public Finance has helped me become more successful in my career, and I know many others, [including] my fellow board members, can say the same.”