About Our Chapter

On February 29, leading public finance professionals from across the state will meet in Atlanta for the annual gathering of the Georgia Chapter of Women in Public Finance. The evening networking and speaker event, “Building Sustainable Communities,” will feature Althea Broughton, a partner at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP and Chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Affordable Housing Advisory Council; Jannine Miller, Executive Director for the State Road and Tollway Authority; and Anna Roach, Executive Director and CEO of Atlanta Regional Commission, for a discussion about transportation, infrastructure and affordable housing initiatives.

“We are excited to host this year’s event and are looking forward to reconnecting with our friends and colleagues in the Georgia public finance community,” said Chapter President Shaney Lokken. “The Georgia Chapter of WPF continues to thrive and grow thanks in large part to the efforts of our founders, Leslie Powell, Laura Takeshita, Peggy Farnham and others, who worked tirelessly to ensure our success.”

The Georgia Chapter’s story began ten years ago, when Leslie Powell unwittingly embarked on a mission to create a network of the best and brightest female public finance minds in Georgia. As a then-associate attorney in the banking group at Kutak Rock LLP, Powell found herself in search of mentorship and programming opportunities for women, who were becoming an ascendant force in the traditionally male-dominated public finance sector.

But in 2014, there weren’t many options in Atlanta. Expanding her search, Powell discovered Women in Public Finance, a national professional networking organization that aims to advance women’s leadership opportunities by fostering relationships and providing educational activities and forums. Founded in 1997, WPF was initially a regionally-focused organization that was met with such enthusiasm that within three years, it began recognizing regional chapters and affiliates. Today, WPF has a presence in 23 states.

WPF’s mission statement resonated with Powell and she decided to attend the organization’s national meeting in Chicago.

“I got a chance to meet attorneys in Chicago where WPF has its roots,” Powell recalled. “That experience—listening to their stories and being able to network and ask questions was very reassuring and motivating for me. It made me realize that we needed this in Georgia.”

When she returned to Atlanta, Powell was determined to launch the Georgia chapter of WPF. She recruited Peggy Farnham and Laura Takeshita and together they began planning and reaching out to colleagues about joining the nascent organization. It wasn’t easy in the beginning. At an early cocktail reception, only three people were in attendance, all of whom were chapter founders.

Undeterred, the group forged ahead and in 2016, the national organization officially recognized its Georgia affiliate and Powell became Chapter president. The founders’ efforts paid off. Today, the Georgia Chapter boasts a robust membership, including state and local government issuers,

not-for-profit issuers, investment bankers, municipal advisors, attorneys, credit providers and analysts, trust officers and developers.

“It required a real grass roots movement to get off the ground,” Powell said. “It took a year and a half to generate enough momentum. People are busy and it’s hard to get buy-in unless you have a clear value proposition. But we knew there was a desire for more connectiveness among female public finance professionals, so we channeled our energy into developing small, pay-as-you go lunch events and happy hours to get the word out and to showcase the benefits of WPF membership.”

Takeshita, a former vice president at The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company and other top Corporate Trust providers who served as a Chapter director, said she was initially drawn to join because she was looking for an organization for women to share their professional experiences. Takeshita, who spent over three decades doing bond and corporate trust work for BNYM, JPMorgan, Bank One and other Michigan banks, also viewed the organization as a vehicle to serve as a mentor for women who were new to the profession.

“When I got into corporate trust work years ago, I really knew nothing about it and it was really hard for me,” she said. “I found that if you can find someone you can approach and ask questions, eventually, you will learn. Early in my career, I was always looking for mentors and later, I wanted to serve in that role for others.”

Fadzai Konteh, a current Chapter director and immediate past President, echoed Takeshita’s sentiments. She also noted the networking benefit the organization offered to her when she moved in 2018 to Atlanta, in her role as vice president of Public Finance at PNC.

“I was intentionally looking for a way to figure out who the local players were in public finance, where they were doing deals and to build authentic relationships with them,” she said. “It’s an incredibly impactful way to help build your business and develop as a professional.”

Lokken, Counsel in the public finance group at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, agreed.

“There are a lot of players on bond deals,” she said. “To go in already knowing them, is really helpful. Building those relationships before you work together on projects establishes a level of trust and credibility that would otherwise not necessarily exist.”

As the Chapter’s informal functions increased in popularity and attendance, they began to evolve into a series of formal events that the Chapter was able to hold with the help of corporate sponsorships. The annual February networking and speaker event has consistently drawn strong member participation. A wine tasting event at Perrine’s Wine Shop and a "2024 Economic Outlook with Moody’s” virtual session in 2023 were well received.

Some of the Chapter’s larger events draw a number of male attendees, which Powell described as not only “incredibly validating,” but as demonstrative of the substantive worth and value of the Chapter’s programming. It’s also indicative of the rapidly growing influence women have in the public finance space, as they rise to the C-Suite and assume leadership positions in local government.

“It’s not lost on me that in a room full of public finance professionals, many of the clients are women,” Powell said.

In 2020, as the Chapter was hitting its stride, the pandemic struck, which brought in-person networking events across the country to a screeching halt for more than a year. That could have closed the book on WPF Georgia, if not for the resolve of the Chapter’s leaders.

“The board that took over in 2019, under Fadzai’s and Shaney’s leadership, really brought new life to the organization and helped it recover from the impact of COVID,” said Powell. “Their energy and determination enabled the Chapter to not only survive, but helped elevate it to the success it is today.”

Chapter leadership gained fresh energy with the addition of Emma Kern, an analyst at Truist Securities, Darquita Williams, Finance Director for the City of Nashville, Georgia, and Sarah Gregg, associate attorney with Kutak Rock LLP beginning in 2024. Board member Elise Lomel, a senior managing consultant at PFM Financial Advisors, coordinates the Chapter’s events and planned programming throughout the year, including the annual meeting, which are anticipated to draw strong crowds, based on early buzz.

Included among the Chapter’s upcoming events are an insider’s tour of bond financed projects at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, planned for early this year (spearheaded by board member Tyronia Smith, Assistant General Manager, Commercial Revenue for the airport), as well as the popular Spring and Fall happy hours. The Chapter is also eyeing opportunities to expand its connections outside of the metro Atlanta area this year.

KayDee Hoard, a vice president at Truist Securities who previously served as a board member and the Chapter’s communications and outreach director, said the growing popularity of WPF is a testament to the important role it plays in the professional lives of its members.

“It’s amazing to see how far the chapter has come from the early days and how people are responding to the opportunity to participate in a community where they can grow as a professional,” she said. “I would encourage anyone who works in public finance and is looking to build their network and advance their career to reach out and attend a chapter event. You won’t regret it.”