Speakers

James Rizzo, ASA, MAAA

Senior Consultant

James is a Senior Consultant and Actuary for Gabriel, Roeder, Smith and Company (GRS) – a national firm specializing in actuarial and benefits consulting for the public sector. With a national reputation as an expert in public sector retirement systems, he is an author who frequently speaks at national, state, and local conferences and serves on various national committees within the actuarial profession. James has more than 35 years of experience in virtually all aspects of pension and retiree medical plans for governmental entities. He has served as an investment consultant for retirement plans where he developed investment policies, recommended the engagement and termination of investment managers, and monitored their performance.

Leif Chase

Industry Manager

Leif Chase is an Industry Manager in the Specialized Industry Group, Government Banking with J.P. Morgan, a division of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is responsible for leading a team of specialized government bankers who provide solutions to the banking needs of government clients across the Southeast. Leif Chase joined JPMorgan Chase in March 2010. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Chase, Leif worked for over fourteen years in public finance including local government, a financial advisory firm and regional underwriters and regional bank focused exclusively on governmental banking. Leif received his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida.

Joseph Scharf

Treasury Management Officer

Joe serves the West, Central, and North Florida markets as an Executive Director with the goal of building long-term relationships. He uses his treasury services expertise to bring receivable and payables solutions and ideas to his clients. Joe has more than 39 years of banking experience with significant time dedicated to cash management sales, business development, and product management. He has worked with the public sector, middle market, government, not-for-profit, and higher education clients. Joe earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the State University College at Buffalo.

Molly Clark

Senior Managing Director

Ms. Clark is a senior managing director with Public Resources Advisory Group. She spent the first 17 years of her 22-year municipal finance career as a public finance investment banker and joined PRAG as a municipal advisor in 2018. Ms. Clark works with state and local governments throughout Florida, with a focus on utility systems, general obligation, revenue, and appropriation backed debt. Ms. Clark is a founding member of the Florida chapter of Women in Public Finance. She has a B.A. in Economics from Carleton College. She is a Municipal Advisor Registered Representative (Series 50) and an Investment Advisor Representative (Series 65).

Mark Creger

Director, Portfolio Management

Mark is a Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for Public Trust where he is responsible for providing daily portfolio management oversight and investment advisory services for strategic clients in California and nationwide. He joined Public Trust in 2016 in conjunction with the acquisition of the BLX Group Investment Management, where he served as the Chief Investment Officer, and brought with him more than 18 years of experience working with public agencies and 501(c)(3) organizations to develop customized portfolio management strategies for operating funds, reserve funds, and bond proceeds. Mark received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. He is an Investment Advisor Representative, has passed Level II of the CFA program, and previously held FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 63, and 66 licenses.

Matthew Sansbury

Director

Matthew Sansbury joined RBCCM in April 2021 and currently has over 21 years of municipal finance experience, providing investment banking services to municipal issuers across Florida. Mr. Sansbury has worked on nearly 300 financings within the State valued at a total par amount of more than $38 billion. Throughout his career, Mr. Sansbury has worked with over 100 Florida issuers, consisting mostly of cities, counties, and K-12 school districts. Mr. Sansbury’s financing experience includes the entire gamut of municipal credits including, but not limited to, bonds backed by an issuer’s CB&A, ad valorem taxes, water and sewer system revenues, electric system revenues, stormwater system revenues, solid waste system revenues, parking revenues, gas taxes, sales taxes, guaranteed entitlement revenues, tourist development taxes, tax increment revenues and special assessments. Mr. Sansbury received a B.S. in Business Administration from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida and a M.B.A. from the University of South Florida. Mr. Sansbury is a registered securities representative, currently holding Series 7, 50, 52, 53, 63, and 79 licenses.

Christopher J. Kessler, CPA

Principal

Chris is a principal with CLA’s state and local government services team and leads CLA’s marketing activities for CLA’s Florida state and local government and regulated industry practices. Chris has more than 16 years of experience in working with state and local governments throughout the country, including states, counties, municipalities, airport authorities, school districts, and state-wide municipal pension plans. Because of Chris’s extensive background in serving governments around the country, he is well known throughout the firm for providing his clients with innovative solutions to the financial, operational, and regulatory challenges that governmental entities face daily. Chris has authored numerous articles and speaks frequently on topics designed to assist and inform government finance officers of the emerging topics affecting their operations and to advise solutions to the challenges that may result.

Zoran Jovic, GPEN, CCNA, Sec+

Cybersecurity Consultant

Zoran is a Cybersecurity Consultant in the CLA Cybersecurity & Advisory Services Group focused on Technical Assessments. Zoran currently performs network penetration testing, internal and external vulnerability assessments, social engineering assessments, and wireless network security assessments. Prior to joining the firm, Zoran worked with a wide range of organizations, spanning start-up small businesses up to Fortune 10. Zoran’s experience includes technical assessments, project management and consulting. Zoran is a United States Army Veteran and has a B.A. in Cybersecurity.

John F. Grady III

Partner, Managing Director

John is a Managing Director and Partner of Investment Advisory Services for Public Trust and has more than twenty years of government, investment management, and public finance experience serving as an investment advisor for fixed-income assets for numerous public entities across the U.S. John’s diverse client base throughout his career includes state agencies, counties, municipalities, school districts, higher education, water districts, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and special districts. His specific areas of expertise include investment program implementation with a full-scope treasury management approach; public finance debt transactions and bond proceeds investment strategies; development of cash flow models; and creating investment reports to meet industry and client-specific requirements. John is also a frequent speaker for the national, state, and local chapters of the GFOA. Prior to joining Public Trust, John served as the Vice President of Investment Advisory and Client Relationships for government and institutional clients at Cutwater Asset Management and as a Senior Managing Consultant with PFM Asset Management where he provided asset management and financial advisory services for public entities. John received both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance and Insurance and a Minor in Economics as well a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida.

Rodrigo Bettini

Director, Investment Services

Rod is a Director of Investment Services for Public Trust based in Florida where he is responsible for business development and client relationships across the state. In this role, Rod provides clients with technical and analytical resources for treasury management and investment strategies. Before joining Public Trust, Rod most recently served as Director of Business & Program Development for the Milken Institute, a California based think-tank; he focused on developing and implementing their expansion into Latin America and served as point person to the region’s Family Office Principals, Pension Fund CIOs, and Fortune 100 corporate leaders. Rod received a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from the University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida. Rod has been a featured speaker at regional, national, and global conferences for many organizations including the Government Finance Officers Association, the California Municipal Treasurers’ Association, and more. He is a proud member of the Local Government Hispanic Network, a regional Board Member of the National Academy Foundation, and serves as a LATAM Advisor to the Milken Institute. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Alex Bugallo

Director

Alex Bugallo joined RBCCM in May 2021 and currently has over 21 years of municipal finance experience serving Florida local governments since 2004. Mr. Bugallo has participated in the completion of over 350 short-term and long-term financings exceeding $35 billion in par issuance. Serving as an investment banker to counties, cities, school districts, independent authorities, State agencies and 501(c)3 organizations, his experience includes the securitization of sales tax revenue, water and sewer revenue, solid waste revenue, general obligation, COPs, covenant to budget and appropriate, special assessment, seaport revenue, airport revenue, tourist development tax, special tax revenue, tax increment revenue and revolving loan financings, among others. Mr. Bugallo received a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. in Political Science from Cleveland State University and later attended The Ohio State University where he obtained a M.B.A. Mr. Bugallo is a registered securities representative, currently holding Series 7, 50, 52, 53, and 79 licenses

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