Freda Johnson Award WinnersThe award recognizes a woman serving or who has served in a position for a public or non-profit issuer who exemplifies the qualities that Freda brought to our industry as a trailblazer, leader, innovator, and mentor. Learn more about Freda Johnson. 2024 Recipients14th Annual Freda Johnson AwardsWe are thrilled to announce that the 2024 recipients of the Freda Johnson Awards for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance are Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of LACMTA (Public Sector) and Vivian Altman, Head of Public Finance at Janney (Private Sector). Each of these women are highly respected professionals in public finance, and epitomize the best in our industry. All of these recipients will be recognized at The Bond Buyer Deal of the Year Awards Gala on December 3, 2024. In addition to the Freda Johnson Award recipients, the following women were selected as Trailblazers: PRIVATE SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR Trailblazers: 2023 Recipients13th Annual Freda Johnson AwardsWe are thrilled to announce that the 2023 recipients of the Freda Johnson Awards for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance are Megan Kilgore, City Auditor, City of Columbus OH (Public Sector) and Virginia Wong, Partner and Practice Group Leader, Nixon Peabody LLP (Private Sector). Each of these women are highly respected professionals in public finance, and epitomize the best in our industry. All of these recipients were recognized at The Bond Buyer Deal of the Year Awards Gala on December 5, 2023. In addition to the Freda Johnson Award recipients, the following women were selected as Trailblazers: PRIVATE SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR 2022 Recipients12th Annual Freda Johnson AwardsWe are thrilled to announce that the 2022 recipients of the Freda Johnson Awards for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance are Debbie Goldberg, Treasurer, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Public Sector) and Emilie Ninan, Partner and Co-Chair of Finance Department, Member of Expanded Board, Ballard Spahr LLP (Private Sector). Each of these women are highly respected professionals in public finance, and epitomize the best in our industry. All of these recipients will be recognized at The Bond Buyer Deal of the Year Awards Gala on December 6, 2022. In addition to the Freda Johnson Award recipients, the following women were selected as Trailblazers: PRIVATE SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR 2021 Recipients11th Annual Freda Johnson AwardsWe are thrilled to announce that the 2021 recipients of the Freda Johnson Awards for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance are Arlesa Wood, Director of Bond Administration, Miami-Dade County Finance Department (Public Sector) and Robin Prunty, Managing Director Head of Analytics and Research of S&P Global Ratings (Private Sector). Each of these women are highly respected professionals in public finance, and epitomize the best in our industry. In addition to the Freda Johnson Award recipients, the following women were selected as Trailblazers: PRIVATE SECTOR 2020 Recipients10th Annual Freda Johnson AwardsWe are pleased to announce that the 2020 Freda Johnson Awards for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance were presented to Suzanne Mayes of Cozen O’Conner and California Treasurer Fiona Ma at The Bond Buyer Annual Deal of the Year Awards, held virtually on December 16, 2020. In addition, the following Trailblazers were honored: PUBLIC SECTOR Marge Basrai, chief financial officer of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority PRIVATE SECTOR Emilie Ninan, partner and co-chair of the Finance Department at Ballard Spahr 2019 RecipientsWe are pleased to announce that the 2019 Freda Johnson Awards for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance will be presented to Ritta McLaughlin, Public Finance Professional, and Courtney Shea, Managing Partner at Columbia Capital Management at The Bond Buyer's 18th Annual Deal of the Year Awards on December 4, 2019. In addition, the following Trailblazers will be honored: PUBLIC SECTOR Emily Brock, Federal Liaison Center, GFOA, Director PRIVATE SECTOR Renee Boicourt, Lamont Financial Services, Managing Director 2018 RecipientsWe are pleased to announce that the 2018 Freda Johnson Awards for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance were presented to Katano Kasaine, Director of Finance for the City of Oakland, Calif., and Noreen White, co-founder of Acacia Financial Group, at The Bond Buyer's 17th Annual Deal of the Year Awards on December 6, 2018. In addition, the following Trailblazers were honored: PUBLIC SECTOR PRIVATE SECTOR 2017 RecipientsWe are pleased to announce the following two winners of the annual Freda Johnson Awards as well as these 12 Trailblazing Women in Public Finance. These awards were presented at The Bond Buyer's 16th Annual Deal of the Year Awards gala on December 6, 2017. Download the The 7th Annual Trailblazing Women in Public Finance Supplement. Private Trailblazers: 2016 Recipients...
We are pleased to announce the following two winners of the annual Freda Johnson Awards as well as these 9 Trailblazing Women in Public Finance. These awards were presented at The Bond Buyer's 15th Annual Deal of the Year Awards gala on December 1, 2016. Private Trailblazers: 2015 Recipients...
We are pleased to announce the following two winners of the annual Freda Johnson Awards as well as these 9 Trailblazing Women in Public Finance. These awards were presented at The Bond Buyer's 14th Annual Deal of the Year Awards gala on December 3, 2015. PUBLIC SECTOR
Freda Johnson Award: Carol Kostik, Deputy Comptroller City of New York for Public Finance
Trailblazers:
PRIVATE SECTOR
Freda Johnson Award Winner: Meghan Burke, Head of Public Finance, Mintz Levin
Trailblazers: Mary Francoeur, Managing Director, Assured Guaranty
2014 Recipients
Pictured above: Lois Scott, Kimberley Lyons, Freda Johnson, Alexandra Lebenthal, Vivian Altman, Kym Arnone
At The Bond Buyers Deal of the Year Awards held on December 4, 2014, The Bond Buyers and Northeast Women in Public Finance presented the fourth annual Freda Johnson Award to Lois Scott, Chief Financial Officer of the City of Chicago, and Kym Arnone, managing director at Barclay's. In addition, the following 8 women were honored as Trailblazing Women in Public Finance: Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Julia Cooper, Katherine Craven, Alicia Glen, Susan Dushock, Diana Hoadley, Leah Sandbank, and Lisel Wells. Download the 4th Annual Trailblazing Women in Public Finance Supplement. 2013 Recipients
At The Bond Buyers Deal of the Year Awards in December 2013, The Bond Buyers and Northeast Women in Public Finance presented the third annual Freda Johnson Award to Nancy Winkler, Treasurer of the City of Philadelphia and Muriel Siebert (posthumous). In addition, the following 8 women were honored as Trailblazing Women in Public Finance: Claire Cohen, Roberta Edge, JoAnne Kennedy, Joanne Mahoney, Stephanie Miner, Sarah Sanders, Beth Smayda, and Kendra York. 2012 Recipients
At The Bond Buyers Deal of the Year Awards in December 2012, The Bond Buyers and Northeast Women in Public Finance presented the second annual Freda Johnson Award to Gina Raimondo, Rhode Island General Treasurer. In addition, the following women were honored as Trailblazing Women in Public Finance: Ann Flynn, Carla Sledge, Gail Sussman, Frances Walton, and Robin Weissman. 2011 Recipents
At The Bond Buyer's Deal of the Year Awards in December 2011, The Bond Buyer and Northeast Women in Public Finance presented the first annual Freda Johnson Award to The Honorable Denise Nappier, State of Connecticut. In addition, the following women were honored as Trailblazing Women in Public Finance: Vivian Altman, Marcy Edwards, Caren Franzini, Doreen Frasca, Carol Kostik, Hon. Beth Pearce, Lois Scott, Betsy Taylor and Nancy Winkler. 2011: NEWPF Founding Board Member Freda Johnson Honored by The Bond BuyerFreda Johnson, President of Government Finance Associates, Inc., was honored by the Bond Buyer and NEWPF at the Bond Buyer New York/Tristate Public Finance Conference: "New Leadership. New Policies. Enduring Challenges." at a reception held at the Downtown Marriott in New York on April 13, 2011. Ms. Johnson and her husband Chester Johnson were honored for over 40 years of Public Finance Service, their individual accomplishments, and what they have done together over combined 86 years in Public Finance. Ms. Johnson began her career in public finance at The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation (D&B) and its subsidiary, Moody's Investors Service (Moody's). From 1979 through 1990, Freda was Executive Vice President and the head of the Public Finance Division of Moody's Investors Service. She also attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration Advanced Management Program, a semester-long program for senior executives. At the time of her departure from Moody's, the Public Finance Division, which she had renamed, had some 35,000 outstanding municipal bond ratings and a staff of 230, of whom some 70% were professionals and administered its sizable budget. During her tenure as head of the Division, she was chair of the Public Finance Division's Rating Committee and a member of the D&B Senior Management Group (the Group), which was comprised of the senior managers from each of the Corporation's subsidiaries and, for many years, was the youngest member and the only woman member of the Group. After leaving Moody's in 1990, she joined Government Finance Associates, Inc and was later named President, a position she retains today. GFA is an independent public finance advisory firm specializing in consulting in the debt and financial management and strategic planning areas for large and complex state and local governments. In her capacity as President, Ms. Johnson has been actively involved with all of the firm's clients. In addition to being a founding Board Member of NEWPF, and spearheading its Mentoring Program, she is currently on the National Board of Directors of The Transition Network, a not-for-profit organization which works to promote women over 50 years old, and serves as its Treasurer. Ms. Johnson has been involved in the creation of a system of public finance in the Republic of Russia. She has been an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. She is a past member of the MSRB's Committee on Disclosure, and a past member of NASACT's National Advisory Board on State and Local Government Secondary Market Disclosure as well as the Corporate Advisory Board of Queens College. She was a member of the Anthony Commisssion on Public Finance,, together with Bill Clinton, which sought to expand the use of tax-exempt municipal bonds, and she is a past President and past member of the Board of Governors the The Municipal Forum of New York. |