The focus is on Ohio’s fiscal future

The Ohio Urban University Program (UUP) will present a series of discussions with experts on timely topics affecting the fiscal future of the State of Ohio. The first forum, entitled "Innovative Bond Finance in a Credit Crisis," will be held on Tuesday, January 27 at The Athletic Club of Columbus, Crystal Room, 136 East Broad Street, Columbus, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. There will be a reception immediately following. Check-in for the forum begins at 3:30 p.m.

The forum will review the effect of the credit crisis on the municipal bond market and local government access to capital. The speakers will also explore innovative financing tools and credit enhancements, and how new bond financing tools and strategies can bring greater efficiencies to a post-credit crunch bond market and boost economic opportunities in Ohio.

Participants include Ohio Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and Paolo DeMaria, Executive Vice Chancellor, University System of Ohio. Panelists will include:

• Raymond C. Headen, a member of the Bond, Structured, and Public Finance practice group of Brickler & Eckler L.L.P., Columbus, Cincinnati, and throughout Ohio. Mr. Headen serves as general counsel to the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT), an umbrella association of state elected or appointed chief financial officers. He also serves as bond, underwriters and disclosure counsel to issuers and investors of municipal bonds.
• George H. Butcher, Managing Director, Butcher Mark Financial Advisors LLC, and former Managing Director in the Municipal Bond Department of Goldman, Sachs, and Company. Mr. Butcher has more than 30 years of municipal finance experience as a bond lawyer and investment banker. His expertise covers a broad range of municipal finance topics including airports, transportation, water, sewer, and general governmental financings.
• Kevin O'Brien, Executive Director, Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center, Center for Public Management, Ohio Urban University Program, and College Fellow, Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Mr. O’Brien’s professional expertise is in the areas of public and environmental finance, public management, and economic development. He is a member of the U.S. EPA Environmental Finance Advisory Board and was formerly with Moody's Investors Service on Wall Street in New York.
• Michael Curley, Founder and Executive Director, International Center for Environmental Finance, Lutherville, Maryland. Mr. Curley is a pioneer in the financial guaranty insurance industry, working nationally and internationally to develop financial systems for environmental infrastructure. He is a member of the U.S. EPA Environmental Finance Advisory Board.

The UUP Forums in Columbus are presented by the Ohio Urban University Program (UUP), a program of the University System of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly. The UUP is a unique network that links the resources of Ohio's urban universities with the communities and students they serve in a cooperative effort to boost economic development efforts in the state's urban regions. UUP universities are Cleveland State University, The University of Akron, The University of Cincinnati, Kent State University, The Ohio State University, The University of Toledo, Wright State University, and Youngstown State University.

For additional information or questions about registration, contact Barbara Benevento at b.benevento@csuohio.edu.

For additional information or questions about the UUP Forum Programs in Columbus, contact Claudette Robey at c.robey@csuohio.edu.

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