John is the Managing Partner of Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. He is a creative problem-solver and strategist who assists clients in understanding and navigating the legal complexities of financial transactions.
John’s practice is focused on transactional, governance, disclosure and corporate matters, with an emphasis on financing activity within the health care, housing, cultural and higher education sectors. He has been lead counsel for issuers, borrowers, underwriters, lenders and credit providers in connection with more than $25 billion of financing activity, and he has participated in transactions in nearly every state during his 30 years of practice. John led the firm’s participation in several transactions that were awarded “Deal of the Year” by The Bond Buyer.
John advises government entity clients with respect to constitutional and legal authority, contracts, pending legislation, proposed regulations, compliance matters and federal tax issues. For private sector clients, he organizes and assists with the maintenance of private business entities, including applications for tax-exempt status, merger/affiliation work, §501(c)(3) joint venture documentation, public-private partnerships, start-up activities, compliance matters and on-going general legal representation. During the course of his practice, John has interacted with all of the nationally recognized credit rating agencies and is familiar with their criteria and rationale for the assignment of ratings, including those for structured financings.
John has participated as a panelist and as a panel chairperson at conferences of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the American Bar Association and the National Association of Local Housing Finance Authorities. He has written articles and white papers on issues relating to finance transactions, securities law and tax matters.
Jessica Wood is a Managing Director in the US Public Finance Ratings Group, and the sector leader and group spokesperson for the not-for-profit higher education and charter school groups. She is based in Chicago and co-leads a team of education analysts throughout the country. Jessica is actively involved in all aspects of the education practices including criteria development, and she serves as chair for many education committees. Jessica is also the lead analyst for many charter schools and high profile universities. Jessica joined S&P Global in March 2010 and has analytical responsibility for a diverse portfolio of public and private colleges and universities, research institutions, cultural institutions, privatized housing projects, and charter schools throughout the United States.
Prior to joining S&P Global, Jessica worked as an investment banking associate at Lincoln International, coordinating middle market M&A transactions in various sectors, specializing in business services. Prior to her tenure at LI, Jessica worked as an investment banking associate director in debt capital markets for J.P. Morgan Chase.
Jessica has authored numerous publications and special reports on the education sector and is a current board member of the Chicago chapter or Women in Public Finance and the Kohls Childrens Museum.
Jessica holds an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BS in Mathematics and Economics, cum laude from Wake Forest University.
Ms. Frederick is the CFO of Battery Park City Authority, a NY State Authority commercial and residential real estate entity spanning the southwestern tip of Manhattan. She manages all financial operations, including its municipal bonds portfolio and its investments portfolio.
She previously served in senior financing roles at Citigroup, GE Capital, Fieldstone Private Capital Group, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Chase Manhattan Bank. Her expertise includes fixed income derivatives, mergers and acquisitions, commercial lending and global infrastructure project finance.
She holds an MBA and BA from the University of Michigan, attended Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Jouy en Josas, France and previously served as a FINRA Registered Securities Representative and held Series 7 and 63 licenses.
She resides in the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut where she was appointed to the Greenwich Retirement Board and was previously elected to serve on the town council (RTM), where she headed its Finance Committee. She also serves on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and on the Board of Governors of the Municipal Forum of New York. Her community work extends to South Africa, where she serves on the Umlambo Foundation USA Board, supporting training of primary school teachers and administrators in STEM
William J. Fazioli was appointed as the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank in August 2023. Bill has over 35 years of public administration experience in municipal finance, economic development, and infrastructure investment. Most recently, Bill was the Director of Planning & Economic Development for the City of East Providence where he oversaw the city’s largest ever residential, industrial and commercial developments which were shepherded through the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. His background includes senior financial advisory roles with the nation’s largest public finance firms where he implemented successful municipal debt financings for notable regional clients including Boston, MA, Manchester, NH, New Haven, CT, Burlington, VT and Providence, RI. He previously also served as the Executive Director of the New England States Government Finance Officers Association for over 20 years. Bill continues to serve as Chair of the East Providence Waterfront District Redevelopment Commission that is charged with the revitalization of Brownfield properties into vibrant mixed use development projects. Bill earned an MPA degree in public finance from SUNY-Albany and a BA in public administration & sociology from Rhode Island College.
Kimberly Mooers joined the State of Connecticut’s Office of the Treasurer on June 4, 2024 as an Assistant Treasurer and became Assistant Treasurer for Debt Management on August 1, 2024. In this role, Kim oversees the management of the State’s $25 billion bond portfolio, as well as the issuance of new debt for the State’s four bonding programs (General Obligation, Transportation, State Revolving Fund, UConn). Kim also serves as Treasurer Erick Russell’s designee on the boards of the Connecticut Green Bank, Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority, and the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority.
Kim’s public finance career began in 1994 as an analyst in the public finance department of BayBank in Boston. For the next three decades, she took on roles with increasing responsibilities, serving in the positions of investment banker, municipal advisor, and ultimately managing chief executive. From 2018 to 2023, Kim served as the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation (RIHEBC or the Corporation). At RIHEBC, the largest bond issuer in the state of Rhode Island, Kim was responsible for not only the day-to-day management of the Corporation, but also the management of its bond portfolio and the issuance of new bonds on behalf of municipalities, higher educational institutions, healthcare entities, and other not-for-profits. Prior to RIHEBC, Kim was Senior Vice President and Managing Principal of UniBank Fiscal Advisory Services, Inc. (UFASI). She led a team of six municipal advisors and four support staff and herself served as a municipal advisor to the City of Worcester, MA, among other municipalities. Kim oversaw the daily activities of UFASI, served as the Principal for MSRB/SEC regulatory compliance, and served on the parent bank’s executive management team.
As the industry grapples with the retirements and retrenchment, how does it entice talented younger individuals to enter the space? Where does the public finance industry fit into the tech evolution? How do we encourage public service employment in a time of political upheaval? How can public finance stay competitive in the financial services industry at large?