Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Brooke McLean has been actively involved in the Navy’s MHPI program since conception in 1995.  Through 2010 she was a PPV Project Manager for the Navy’s PPV consulting firm: Basile Baumann Prost Cole & Associates (BBPCA).  At BBPCA she was actively involved in all aspects of the Navy’s privatization efforts to include concept development, solicitation preparation, developer proposals review, negotiating business terms and conditions with the selected developers, and asset management oversight for many of the Navy’s projects.  In 2010, Brooke was hired by the Navy and her expertise is utilized in the day-to-day oversight of 18 projects and also working on new initiatives.    Her current duties include monitoring the status of the PPV projects, ensuring compliance with business agreements, instituting various oversight metrics and assessing risks and opportunities to protect the DoN investment. 

The last couple of years Russell Garcia was the ARRA-West region Director at Johnson Controls. He was responsible for regional success in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act across all public & private sectors. Johnson Controls ARRA secured sales have exceeded $800M to date of Recovery funds with EECBG, SEP, BAB, and QECB. His mission was to create, implement, measure, and document lasting change in our country though public/private collaboration. His responsibilities include creating jobs, saving money, energy efficiency & renewable energy projects, and economic impact. Specifically, Mr. Garcia coordinated with US Department of Energy, State & Local offices, industry organizations, and ARRA Agencies to identify and create regional strategies & opportunities for energy efficiency & renewable energy projects, sustainable programs, and funding models like PACE, performance contracting, and revolving loan funds. Russell Garcia currently manages the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program for Johnson Controls in California. Manage and services the program to ensure success in implementing PACE projects and performance contracts that save energy, costs, and create sustainable clean energy jobs. Mr. Garcia is also the President at Green Cabinet, a nonprofit organization that provides education about pursuing sustainability and President of NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Association of Sacramento. He grew up in southern California and attended University of Nevada, Reno.

Kittrell serves as a Vice President in Fixed Income Trading. His primary responsibility is trading taxable municipal and military housing securities as a trader on the institutional municipal desk.   Kittrell holds a Masters of Science in Finance from the University of Memphis (2008) and is an undergraduate of the University of Memphis with a Bachelors of Business Administration with a concentration in finance (2007). He joined Morgan Keegan in June 2007.   Kittrell holds the following professional licenses: Series 7 – General Securities Representative, Series 63 – Uniform Securities Agent State Law, Series 55 – Equity Trader.

Brooke Abola, a partner in the San Francisco office, is a member of the Public Finance Department and its Transportation Group. Ms. Abola's practice has included bond counsel and disclosure work for a wide variety of bond issuers as well as underwriter’s counsel work for major investment and commercial banks. Ms. Abola has significant experience with transportation, water and power revenue bonds in California and Guam. Her experience also includes higher education financings; conduit 501(c)(3) financings; lease revenue bonds; certificates of participation in lease and installment purchase obligations; commercial paper programs; the establishment and ongoing maintenance of California joint powers authorities; the application of elections law in connection with voter-approved bonds, fees and taxes; and drafting legislation.She has devoted considerable time in recent years to complex restructuring and refunding transactions occasioned by the demise of municipal bond insurers, auction rate securities, and inexpensive credit and liquidity support.

�Trisha Ortiz is a shareholder in the Public Finance Department of Richards, Watson & Gershon.� Ms. Ortiz specializes in advising public agencies with regard to imposing and increasing taxes and fees, special tax and assessment financing, contractual assessment financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements, and redevelopment dissolution. �In addition, Ms. Ortiz provides bond and disclosure counsel services to public agencies in connection with financing public projects. �Ms. Ortiz is General Counsel for the Marin Emergency Radio Authority, Assistant General Counsel for the California Statewide Communities Development Authority and Assistant City Attorney for Fairfield, Mill Valley and the Town of Ross.�Prior to attending law school, Ms. Ortiz spent over seven years working in state legislative government. Ms. Ortiz served as legislative staff in the Arizona House of Representatives where she focused on education finance, tax policy, and the state budget and also worked as a lobbyist in the Michigan State Legislature.Ms Ortiz earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles in 2003, an M.B.A. from Arizona State University in 2000 and a B.S. in Finance from University of Arizona in 1992.

Gary Breaux is the chief financial officer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He manages all of the Metropolitan’s financial programs, including financial planning, investments, debt management, accounting and reporting, and developing Metropolitan's water rates and charges.Prior to Metropolitan, Breaux was the Director of Finance for East Bay Municipal Utility District. He has had extensive experience working for local governments since 1983. He joined EBMUD in 1994 as Director of Finance. At EBMUD, he was responsible for all financial areas including treasury operations, debt management, rates, internal audit, accounting and reporting, risk management and customer and community services. Prior to joining EBMUD, he was Director of Finance for the City of Oakland, CA. A native of Colorado, Breaux received a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Colorado in 1977 and a master’s in Public Administration in 1987 from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and is also a member of the American Water Works Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Kate Speir joins HOCHTIEF�s New York office after 13 years of direct P3 experience in project finance and infrastructure development in the Canadian and US markets. As Vice President, Ms. Speir is responsible for business and project development in the US market with a focus on transportation infrastructure. Kate has successfully executed bid strategy and management of transportation projects collectively valuing over $3bn, most notably the $367m Presidio Parkway Project in San Francisco (2011) where she acted in the capacity of Bid Director and General Manager, the $760m Southeast Stoney Trail Project in Calgary (2009-2010), the $1.4bn Northwest Anthony Project in Edmonton (2008), and the $650m Northeast Stoney Trail Project in Calgary (2007).

Elisse B. Walter was appointed by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was sworn in on July 9, 2008. Under designation by President Barack Obama, she served as Acting Chairman during January 2009. Prior to her appointment as an SEC Commissioner, Ms. Walter served as Senior Executive Vice President, Regulatory Policy & Programs, for FINRA. She held the same position at NASD before its 2007 consolidation with NYSE Member Regulation. Ms. Walter coordinated policy issues across FINRA and oversaw a number of departments including Investment Company Regulation, Member Education and Training, Investor Education and Emerging Regulatory Issues. She also served on the Board of Directors of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. Prior to joining NASD, Ms. Walter served as the General Counsel of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Before joining the CFTC in 1994, Ms. Walter was the Deputy Director of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission. She served on the SEC's staff beginning in 1977, both in that Division and in the Office of the General Counsel. Before joining the SEC, Ms. Walter was an attorney with a private law firm. Ms. Walter is a member of the Academy of Women Achievers of the YWCA of the City of New York and the inaugural class of the ABA's DirectWomen Institute. She also has received, among other honors, the Presidential Rank Award (Distinguished), the SEC Chairman's Award for Excellence, the SEC's Distinguished Service Award, and the Federal Bar Association's Philip Loomis and Manuel F. Cohen Younger Lawyer Awards. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A., cum laude, in mathematics and received her J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Jeffrey Smith, County Executive of Santa Clara County, has the unique distinction of having served as a doctor, lawyer, an elected official, and an executive manager. Jeff holds a Juris Doctor degree, and is a member of the California State Bar. He earned his Medical Doctor degree in 1980, and certification by the American Board of Family Medicine in 1985. Jeff served as Chief Medical Officer and County Supervisor in Contra Costa County. Jeff is committed to providing quality services to the residents of Santa Clara County and plays an active role shaping policies that lead to better governance.