Naomi Richman Senior Vice President, US Public Finance Moody's Ratings

Naomi Richman is a Senior Vice President in Moody's US Public Finance Group. Naomi manages the Surveillance team and Data and Analytics team. She is also responsible for contributing to state and local government analytical initiatives, research and methodologies. Naomi was previously a Managing Director in US Public Finance and Chief Credit Officer for global public sector ratings. Naomi has over 35 years of experience in credit analysis at Moody's, covering state and local governments, housing, higher education, financial guarantors, and global sovereigns.

Prior to joining Moody's, Naomi spent four years with the New York City Department of Finance. Naomi holds an MPP from Harvard University and an AB from Bryn Mawr College.

Rachel Cortez Associate Managing Director, US Public Finance Moody's Ratings

Rachel Cortez is an Associate Managing Director with the US Public Finance Group of Moody’s Investors Service. As the manager of Moody’s Chicago-based analytical team, Rachel oversees local government credits in ten Midwest states. She has extensive experience covering tax-backed and revenue-secured credits issued by US local governments and not-for-profit health care organizations.

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2005, Rachel spent five years with American Management Systems (now CGI Group), where she implemented budget and financial management systems for state and local governments. She was also a budget analyst with the State of Illinois Bureau of the Budget (now Office of Management and Budget) and spent several years working in development and fundraising for a Chicago not-for-profit organization.

Rachel is a former President of the Chicago Municipal Analysts Society (CMAS) and served on the Board of Governors of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts (NFMA). Rachel received an MPA from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University and a BA in Government from Cornell University.

Matthew Butler Vice President - Senior Credit Officer, US Public Finance Moody's Ratings

Matthew Butler is a Vice President-Senior Credit Officer on the US State Ratings Team. He is lead analyst for several states, including California and Pennsylvania. He spent over seven years as a local government credit analyst and was previously lead analyst for the cities of Chicago and Detroit as well as others throughout the Midwest. Prior to joining Moody’s, Matthew was a budget analyst with the State of Michigan and an analyst with the Government Accountability Office in both Washington, DC and Chicago. Matthew holds an MPP degree from the University of Massachusetts and an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.

Douglas Goldmacher Vice President / Senior Analyst Moody's Investors Service

Douglas is a Vice President/Senior Analyst in Moody’s Public Finance Group and the lead analyst for local government credits in New Jersey. He joined Moody’s in 2013 and has experience in a diverse portfolio of local government, enterprise, federal lease and mass transit credits.

He is also the author of numerous research pieces including “Decoding New Jersey Municipal Accounting” which explains the adjustments Moody’s makes to New Jersey fund balances.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Douglas worked for Xerox. He received his BA from Duke University with a double major in History and French. He holds an MBA from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business

Kenneth Surgenor AVP-Analyst Moody's Investors Service

Ken Surgenor is an Analyst for the Dallas Local Governments Ratings Team covering credits primarily in Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, and Texas. He is the lead analyst for Missouri local governments. Ken also serves on the Enterprise Risk Task Force.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Ken worked for the City of San Antonio in the Office of Management and Budget. Ken holds a Master’s of Public Service and Administration from Texas A&M University and a BS from the University of Texas at Dallas