SAN FRANCISCO - Washington's new treasurer, Jim McIntire, named Ellen Evans to oversee the municipal bond side of his operation.
McIntire took office in January after winning the seat vacated by Mike Murphy, who retired after three four-year terms.
Evans, deputy Treasurer for debt management, is one of two key personnel changes McIntire made, along with assistant treasurer Wolfgang Opitz. Most other core staff were retained, McIntire said.
"There is not a big change in staffing but there is a big change in perspective," the treasurer said in an e-mail. "I think that we will be a little bit more interested in what the rest of the investment banking community has to say and suggest about how we move forward in these uncertain times and certainly very unusual market circumstances."
Under Murphy, the treasurer's office sold bonds on a competitive basis only. During the campaign, McIntire said he would consider being more flexible on the method of sale.
Evans' resume includes institutional finance experience at GE Capital, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and five years at Seattle-Northwest Securities as one of the state's financial advisers.
"We now have a debt management staff with experience in both the public and private sector, with a communication network that will give us the very best advice and input," McIntire said. "We look forward to hearing from everyone."
Opitz has nine years experience as Washingon's deputy budget director, where he was involved in structuring the capital budget and participated in credit rating discussions.
The first bond sale under McIntire's administration is tentatively planned for the second week of April. It will involve about $460 million of general obligation bond authorization remaining from the state's January GO sale, according to treasurer's office spokesman Chris McGann. That January sale was scaled back to $400 million because of uncertain market conditions.
