Rising Stars

"It's almost like a mission now for me to build better efficiency and better tools for analysts everywhere," Abhishek Lodha said.

"The muni market was a calling for me," Vernon Lewis said. "It was something where I can finally give my expertise and help my city as a whole, as well as the taxpayers."

For Patrice Mitchell it's important to build and have sustainable affordable housing, especially in underserved communities.

A job tip from a former Little League coach helped lead Heather Litzebauer to a fruitful career at municipal underwriting and advisory firm NW Financial Group.

"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.