Lead Faculty

Michael D. Belsky, Executive Director of the Harris Public Policy Center for Municipal Finance

In addition to his role as Executive Director of the Harris Public Policy Center for Municipal Finance, Michael Belsky is also the Managing Director for Fixed Income at Greenwich Investment Management a firm specializing in High Yield Municipal Bonds. Prior to joining the firm he worked in the municipal finance industry for over 30 years. From 2009 to 2011 he developed a credit review process for Chicago-based C.W. Henderson and Associates, a $3 billion municipal bond investment advisory firm.

Mr. Belsky is a recognized expert in municipal finance and has spoken at numerous conferences and seminars, including at Bloomberg and the Greenwich Round Table. He was asked by the SEC to testify as an expert in hearings on secondary market disclosure in the municipal bond market. He has lectured on public finance at Northwestern University, the L.B.J. School at the University of Texas, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, the Graduate Program in City Management at Northern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois.

Mr. Belsky received a BA in urban studies from Lake Forest College and an MA in public policy from the University of Chicago.

Lourdes Germán, Director, International & Institute-Wide Initiatives, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Lourdes Germán is Director of International & Institute-Wide Initiatives at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, where she is helping to advance the Institute’s global municipal fiscal health campaign and its work as a co-lead organization for the municipal finance policy unit of the United Nations Habitat III effort.

An expert in municipal finance, Lourdes began her career as a public finance attorney representing government entities. Following that work, Lourdes co-created the national municipal finance business division at Fidelity Investments, the largest global mutual fund company, as a Vice President of Municipal Finance, and opened and managed Fidelity’s first New York office for public finance.

Following Fidelity, Lourdes’ professional experiences included serving as General Counsel and Vice President of a national municipal investment management company, creating and teaching a graduate government finance course at Northeastern University, and advising non-profits focused on urban economic growth.

Lourdes is also the founder and director of the Civic Innovation Project, an online thought leadership platform that was awarded the 2015 State of Boston Innovation Award for its impact using technology to advance city-to-city learning with respect to the most challenging issues facing governments.

Keynote Speaker

Steve Koch, Former Deputy Mayor, City of Chicago

Workshop Leaders and Speakers

John E. Anderson, Baird Family Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Christopher Berry, William J. and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor and Academic Director, Center for Municipal Finance, Harris Public Policy

Kathryn J. Ierulli, Instructor, Harris Public Policy

Gerald Korngold, Professor of Law and Director, Center for Real Estate Studies, New York Law School

Rita McGlaughlin, Chief Education Officer, Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board

Philip R. McKenna, President, Kane, McKenna and Associates, Inc.

David Narefsky, Partner, Mayer Brown

Ivan Samstein, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, University of Chicago