Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Laura Franke is a Senior Managing Consultant in PFM’s Los Angeles office. Prior to joining PFM, Ms. Franke founded an independent financial advisory firm that specialized in assisting public agencies and private sector clients with debt financing for energy and water efficiency projects. At PFM, she continues to focus on providing clients with services that include: evaluation of municipal debt bond types, incentives, and grants to achieve the most cost-effective debt issuance for environmental projects; development, funding and management of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Programs; evaluation, structuring and funding of power purchase agreements and leases; and traditional municipal debt issuance for capital projects and cash flow financing. Prior to founding her financial advisory firm, Ms. Franke was an Investment Banker for over 20 years with expertise in the management of pooled debt issuance. As an investment banker at Piper Jaffray Companies and George K. Baum & Company, Ms. Franke worked with over 500 California clients and issued municipal debt exceeding $17 billion. As a member of the Program Management team to California School Boards Association (CSBA) for its annual Cash Reserve Program, Ms. Franke worked closely with school districts and Program colleagues to prepare, structure and simultaneously issue tax and revenue anticipation notes (TRANS) for over 400 participants with a par amount exceeding $1 billion (peak amount in 2001, annual amounts varied). In addition to this Program, Ms. Franke managed issuance of dozens of General Obligation Bonds, Certificates of Participation, and Refundings. Ms. Franke was born and raised in the Seattle, Washington area and is a graduate of Central Washington University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

Mr. Richardson has over 25 years of experience in public finance, in the capacity of issuer, managing underwriter and financial advisor. He is a former economic development director for the City of St. Louis and the State of Illinois. Mr. Richardson began his career with A.G. Edwards in June of 1990 and specializes in general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, lease/revenue bonds and certificates of participation. He has completed financings for major municipal issuers across the country, including the State of Ohio, City of Chicago, City of St. Louis, City of Kansas City, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Missouri Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority among others. Mr. Richardson is a member of Wells Fargo’s Sustainable Public Infrastructure Group which has a nationwide mandate to assist municipalities with financing projects designed to use energy more efficiently, including renewable technologies such as solar or wind. The group also assists clients in implementing certain provisions that were created or enhanced under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Mr. Richardson is a current Board of Directors member at Swarthmore College. Mr. Richardson holds a BA in Economics from Swarthmore College, an MBA from The Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Richardson also holds Series 7, 53, 52 and 63 securities licenses.