Back to top
Date:

Contact: Jennifer A. Galloway, Chief Communications Officer
              (703) 797-6600
              jgalloway@msrb.org 

MSRB NAMES DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND HIRES MARKET PROFESSIONAL

Alexandria, VA - The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) today announced that Ernesto A. Lanza, MSRB General Counsel, has been named Deputy Executive Director.

As Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Lanza, who will continue to serve as the MSRB’s General Counsel, will focus on major municipal market issues, including long-term trends and potential initiatives aimed at improving investor and issuer protection and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the municipal capital markets. In recent years, Mr. Lanza played a key role in the development and launch of the MSRB’s Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) system, which has fundamentally changed disclosure and transparency in the municipal market. Mr. Lanza joined the MSRB in 1997 as Assistant General Counsel and has served as General Counsel since 2008. He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

The MSRB has also brought on staff Ritta McLaughlin, a municipal finance professional who has been working with the MSRB on its market leadership initiatives. Ms. McLaughlin, who joins the MSRB as Director of Market Leadership, will develop and lead the MSRB’s market leadership initiatives, including addressing market-related issues that promote a fair and efficient municipal market. Ms. McLaughlin has broad experience in the municipal finance market, including investment banking, debt management and debt restructuring. She previously served as associate treasurer for the District of Columbia, and earlier worked for J.P. Morgan, Bear Stearns and Fitch Ratings. Ms. McLaughlin received a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, and a master’s degree in urban policy and management from the New School for Social Research.

“The talents of these two highly experienced individuals will help guide the MSRB in fundamental areas,” said MSRB Executive Director Lynnette Kelly Hotchkiss. “Ernie’s deep technical knowledge and broad understanding of the market, and Ritta’s market experience and extensive relationships will provide strategic leadership to stay on top of market trends, anticipate future needs and identify where the MSRB can have a positive impact.”

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) protects and strengthens the municipal bond market, enabling access to capital, economic growth, and societal progress in tens of thousands of communities across the country. The MSRB fulfills this mission by creating trust in our market through informed regulation of dealers and municipal advisors that protects investors, issuers and the public interest; building technology systems that power our market and provide transparency for issuers, institutions, and the investing public; and serving as the steward of market data that empowers better decisions and fuels innovation for the future. The MSRB is a self-regulatory organization governed by a board of directors that has a majority of public members, in addition to representatives of regulated entities. The MSRB is overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Congress.

Print