Ira Smelkinson joined Loop Capital Markets in June 2022 as a Managing Director in the Investment Banking/Public Finance Division in New York to lead the firm’s national transportation business. Ira has over 35 years of Wall Street investment banking experience. He joined Loop Capital Markets from Morgan Stanley where he worked for 23 years, most recently heading that firm’s municipal transportation practice. He started his investment banking career at Merrill Lynch. During his career he has been involved in over $40 billion of bond financing to develop transportation infrastructure throughout the United States. Additionally, he has served as both sell side and buy side advisor in connection with P3 transactions for transportation assets. Ira earned a B.S. with honors in Accounting from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Prior to working in investment banking, he served as a senior tax accountant at an international accounting firm.

Dan is the CEO and co-founder of Adaje Inc., a cutting-edge AI-powered platform for modeling, marketing, and managing the bond issuance lifecycle for issuers, bankers, advisors, and investors. Previously, Dan served as a municipal advisor for over fifteen years on hundreds of transactions spanning various credits and structures. His disappointment with legacy bond structuring solutions led to the innovation of Adaje. Dan also co-founded Callowhill Capital Advisors, a financial advisory firm known for its analytical expertise and exceptional service. Dan received his bachelor’s degree with honors and majors in Finance and Economics from Drexel University. He is a CFA charterholder and Series 50 and Series 54 licensee.

Julie Secrist, PE, F.ASCE is a Professional Engineer, CEO and Founder of Red Stone Group Development & Engineering, who manages multiple lines of business for the company. Julie is an expert in site hydrology, design, and construction for private site development projects including, mixed-use, office, residential, and commercial projects as well as aviation planning, design and construction oversight. She has managed major expansion projects at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world’s busiest air transportation hub. She is renowned for her use of green spaces in large-scale site development. A few of her exceptional projects include the following: Halcyon, Avalon, Eastmore, Delta Ground Support Facility and Main Terminal Transportation Improvements at Hartsfield Jackson. Throughout Julie’s 20-year career, she has continuously been involved in the leadership of multiple professional engineering and land development organizations, both on the local and national levels. She has been on the leadership team for all four of the Georgia Infrastructure Report Cards which have directly impacted the state’s increased infrastructure funding over the last two decades. She has led three civil engineering departments, multiple large-scale project teams, has been responsible for over 60 engineers, and has mentored countless more. Julie serves as President for Georgia Engineering Foundation, Past-President of ASCE Georgia, Past-Chair for UGA’s College of Engineering Advisory Board, and Co-Chair for the Georgia Infrastructure Report Card. In 2025, she was named Georgia’s Engineer of the Year in Construction.

Bryan Rowan has an extensive work experience spanning over several years. Bryan currently holds the position of Director, Finance and Strategy at The New Terminal One at JFK since September 2022. Prior to this, they served as the Principal and Owner at Transcendis LLC starting from February 2019. From June 2016 to June 2018, they worked as the Director at Frasca & Associates, LLC. Before that, they held the roles of Vice President, Associate, and Analyst at the same company. Bryan has acquired a diverse range of skills and expertise throughout their professional career. Bryan Rowan obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics & Applied Mathematics from Dowling College in 2006. Bryan also held the Municipal Advisor Representative certification (Series 50) from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, although the exact date of obtaining this certification is unknown.

Nicole Riggs is a Senior Vice President and Relationship Manager in U.S. Bank’s Government and Higher Education Division covering government and university clients and prospects in New York and Massachusetts. With nearly 20 years of public finance experience in both government and banking roles, Nicole is adept at identifying financial solutions offered by the bank, with expertise in funded and off-balance sheet lending. Nicole joined U.S. Bank in December 2022, upon the completion of its acquisition of MUFG Union Bank’s public finance business. Prior to joining MUFG Union Bank in 2014, Nicole spent 7 years with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As the Manager of Aviation Capital Financial Services, she oversaw the financial aspects of the Aviation Department’s multi-billion-dollar capital plan and Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) program. Nicole also managed the annual strategic business planning process, analyzed and consolidated unit and facility operating budgets, and supported procurement and Board approval processes. Nicole is a regular speaker at municipal industry and educational conferences, and a member of the Municipal Analysts Group of New York and the Northeast Women in Public Finance. Nicole earned Master’s Degrees in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a B.A. in Communications, with minors in Political Science and Spanish, from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She holds Series 52, 63, and 79 securities licenses and resides with her family in New York City.

James Pruskowski is the Chief Investment Officer & Head of Global Client Business at 16Rock. Mr. Pruskowski is responsible for investment strategy, portfolio construction and client engagement.Before joining the firm, Mr. Pruskowski was a Managing Director & Global Chief Investment Officer for Municipal Bonds, Institutional & Wealth Management. He was the head portfolio manager for long-short and long-only municipal products across investment grade, high yield and multi-asset fixed income. He worked extensively with leading financial institutions, individuals and financial regulation requirements around the world. He was a municipal management committee member, leader of 58 investment professionals, strategic growth initiatives and innovation. Prior to Municipal Bonds, Mr. Pruskowski worked extensively to help start BlackRock’s Financial Institutions Group, the leading insurance asset management business in the world. He delivered a range of balance sheet management & analytics, capital markets and portfolio construction services to banks, insurance companies and official institutions globally. He was responsible for setting the group’s multi-sector total return strategies, performance, strategic positioning, customized solution creation, and developing and maintaining client relationships. Mr. Pruskowski’s career started at BlackRock in 1994 shortly after the firm’s inception with just $25b in assets under management. He was a risk analyst on the firm’s first external risk assignment that was instrumental in helping to create what is BlackRock Solutions today. Mr. Pruskowski earned a BA degree in Business Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, New Jersey in 1995.

Mark Price is the Director of Capital Markets for New York State Homes & Community Renewal. In that role, he manages the issuance of bonds for the New York State Housing Financing Agency (HFA) and the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA). Mark oversees HFA’s and SONYMA’s annual issuance of $1.5 to $2.0 billion of bonds and over $20 billion of outstanding debt. HFA and SONYMA bonds have funded an annual average of 5100 units of affordable housing and 1700 mortgage loans to first time home buyers, respectively, to carry out HCR’s mission of building, preserving and protecting affordable housing and increasing home ownership across the State of New York. Mark has nearly 25 years of municipal finance experience as a public finance banker and government finance professional. He has taken part in significant municipal finance transactions during his career including overseeing the issuance of the City of Atlanta’s first tax increment transactions while he was the City’s Debt Manager and as a banker, advising the Detroit Downtown Development Authority on its first bond transaction after Detroit emerged from bankruptcy. Additionally, Mark was a key member of the financing team for the City of Chicago’s first Social Bond transaction which won the Bond Buyer’s 2023 Deal of the Year. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. Additionally, he is a board member of the Municipal Forum of New York.

Alex Petrone is Managing Director and Director of Fixed Income for Rockefeller Asset Management. Ms. Petrone is responsible for leading Rockefeller Asset Management’s Fixed Income business – setting strategy, driving investment performance, and working closely with clients and prospects. Prior to joining Rockefeller in September 2022, Ms. Petrone was a senior member of PIMCO’s municipal portfolio management, municipal product strategy, and global wealth management teams. Ms. Petrone’s responsibilities included buy and sell decisions, portfolio construction, and risk management for the firm’s taxable and tax-exempt municipal bond allocations. Prior to joining PIMCO, Ms. Petrone worked at Goldman Sachs Asset Management as a senior lead client portfolio manager within the municipal team and as a member of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s Capital Markets team for municipal sales and trading.