Rising Stars

"I always looked up to my dad and was amazed by the amount of time he spent at the office," Russell Feldman said. "I became a lot more intimately aware of the challenges in fixed income when I joined the industry years later."

"I'm proud of how well we adapted as an organization and set ourselves up to hit the ground running on large projects," said David Amdor.

"Be ready to do anything that is asked of you," Mary Hinojosa Kelly said. "You need to have all of those skill sets in your toolbox to add value."

"I was excited to take part in an industry that plays an integral role in developing public infrastructure," Nicole Pey said.

Akshai Patel, 39, an accidental banker, moved to RBC after founding a Phoenix, Arizona, charter school.

The 2021 Rising Stars discuss their work, hobbies, interests, and their thoughts about the future of the public finance sector. We also link to all the profiles, in case you missed them.

Even while he was graduating from law school, Charles Stavitski envisioned a career in public finance.

A strong worth ethic, leadership, personality and selflessness are among the qualities that make Casey a "foundational employee at PNC."

Svetlana Olchevski is an integral part of Prince William County’s municipal finance team. Although she’s been working in municipal finance only about a year, Svetlana has grasped the many details and regulations of the industry, which have been compounded by the challenges brought on by COVID-19.

David plays a key role in the modernization of an important aspect of the market: real-time yield curves, the first of which was the ICE Muni Yield Curve, which has been a core component of the firm's evaluated pricing process.

Kimberly advises cities, counties and special-purpose districts as they structure financings for their capital and operational needs through the issuance of various types of municipal bonds and other obligations.

The 16-year public finance veteran has concentrated much of his career on aviation-related financings.

While in college, Safi Najdawi knew he wanted to pursue a career in finance. Healthcare in particular interested him.

In the last decade Omid was involved in cyber security issues.

Raquel Wilson's love of finance and legal work are both requited at her job.

Rising Star Greenwald instituted docu-sign for her clients during the pandemic.

Joanie said she likes public finance because “you get to do the financial side while still having a lot of interaction with clients.”

Kristen Fontana was nominated for her ability to collaborate with bankers, underwriters, salespeople and traders, and a wide-ranging perspective allowing for the crossover of ideas and innovative credit strategies.

The 28-year-old is the lead on what is likely San Francisco's largest development project.

The Rising Star selection represents her second Bond Buyer honor as she served on the disclosure team for LA Metro on a deal that won a green bond award.