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Contact: Leah Szarek, Chief External Relations Officer
202-838-1300
lszarek@msrb.org

MSRB OFFERS NYC STUDENTS A VIRTUAL WINDOW INTO PUBLIC FINANCE CAREERS IN DC

 

Washington, DC – For the ninth year, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) is proud to support the Municipal Forum of New York’s Urban Leadership Fellows Program for New York City high school students. The MSRB is hosting a virtual panel discussion on regulatory and policy careers in public finance for the students today, July 27, 2021.

“Creating opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to explore careers in public finance helps build a stronger municipal securities market that in turn creates more opportunities for public investment in our neighborhoods, towns and cities,” said MSRB CEO Mark Kim. “The MSRB’s longstanding support of the Urban Leadership Fellows Program is one way we help advance the goal of greater diversity and inclusion in the capital market that has such a profound impact on communities across America.”

The Urban Leadership Fellows Program dates back to 1992 and has enabled hundreds of New York City's underserved youth to explore careers in finance through a paid summer internship at a financial or finance-related company. In prior years, the MSRB would sponsor a field trip to Washington, DC to help the students build on the skills gained at their internships with an understanding of the legal, regulatory and policy implications facing the municipal securities market.

The 2021 Urban Leadership Fellows program is fully virtual, with students receiving mentorship opportunities and an enriching program of virtual speakers and events throughout the summer.

The MSRB has arranged for the students to hear from U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks (D) of New York’s 5th Congressional District and Byron Donalds (R) of Florida’s 19th Congressional District, as well as Rebecca Olsen, Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Municipal Securities. MSRB CEO Mark Kim, Chief Regulatory Officer Gail Marshall, Chief Technology Officer Adam Cusson and Chief Data Officer Brian Anthony will also participate to describe their varied career paths that led them to the municipal market’s primary regulatory agency.

“For the MSRB, it is an honor to have a direct role in connecting policymakers and top regulators with the next generation of public finance professionals,” Kim said. “We look forward to a dynamic virtual program and remain hopeful that we will once again welcome students to DC in person in our tenth year as supporters of the Urban Leadership Fellows program.”

About the Urban Leadership Fellow Program

In 1992, the Municipal Forum of New York initiated the Urban Leadership Fellows (ULF) Program, a paid summer internship program for graduating high school students. The purpose of the program was to introduce talented young men and women from diverse backgrounds to the municipal finance industry and inspire them to pursue careers in the field. In 1996, Futures and Options was hired by the Municipal Forum to manage the ULF Program with a view to expand and deepen its educational component. This year, the program is operating as an externship in a fully remote format. The ULF externs receive extensive training in both career-readiness and specific industry skills, work closely with professionals in the municipal finance sector, and engage in meaningful projects.

About the MSRB

The MSRB protects investors, state and local governments and other municipal entities, and the public interest by promoting a fair and efficient municipal securities market. The MSRB fulfills this mission by regulating the municipal securities firms, banks and municipal advisors that engage in municipal securities and advisory activities. To further protect market participants, the MSRB provides market transparency through its Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA®) website, the official repository for information on all municipal bonds. The MSRB also serves as an objective resource on the municipal market, conducts extensive education and outreach to market stakeholders, and provides insights on key issues. 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.




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. 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. 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. MSRB is overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Congress.

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