“The Texas Roundup:
Municipal Stories from the Frontier”
2026 AGENDA
All Thursday events will be at
the Stockyards
Fort Worth, TX
Wednesday, October 21
5:30 - 7:30 pm - Welcome Reception sponsored by BAM at Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N Commerce St.
Fort Worth, TX 76164
Thursday, October 23
8:00 am - Registration and Breakfast
9:00 am - Round ‘Em Up! Opening Remarks
Rachel Perlman (Chairwoman Municipal Bond Womens Forum)
Barbara Smallwood (TRB Capital Markets)
Stacey Barnett (SAMCO Capital)
9:15 am - Interactive Ice Breaker: Howdy Partner!
Moderator: TBD
9:45 am - Riding Into the Storm: Midterms & The Municipal Outlook
Moderator:
Heather McCardle (S&P)
Panelists:
Nora Wittstruck (MD and Chief Analytical Officer for Governments at S&P Global)
Emily Brock (Director of GFOA’s Federal Liaison Center in Washington DC)
Tom Kozlik (Head of Public Policy and Municipal Strategy at Hilltop Securities)
10:45 am - Break
11:00 am - The Money Trail: Where Capital is Heading in the Municipal Frontier
Moderator:
TBD
Panelists:
Bryce Pickering (First Eagle HY)
Jordan Peters (Vanguard Funds HG)
Marlin Brown (Blackrock ETF)
Nuveen or Franklin
12:00 pm - Lunch
1:00 pm - Interactive Ice Breaker: Claiming Your Territory - Breaking Barriers and Forging Your Career
Moderator:
Cambrea Merriwether (TRB Human Resources)
1:30 pm - Keynote Speaker
Christi Craddick (Texas Commissioner)
Moderator:
Mary Hinojosa Kelly
2:30 pm - Traversing the Texas Terrain: Municipal Finance in the Lone Star State
Moderator:
Caroline Wenker (PGIM)
Panelists:
Christina M. Lane (Senior Managing Director, SAMCO Capital)
Alice Felch, CPA (Comptroller, Texas Permanent School Fund)
Laura Slaughter (Executive Director, MAC)
3:30 pm - Break and Afternoon Snack
3:45 pm - Trailblazers: Leaders in the Industry
Moderator:
Anna Ellis (TRBCM)
Panelists:
Women in the industry to be decided by proxy by July 1
4:45 pm - The Final Roundup: Closing Comments and Handing Over the Reins
Rachel Perlman (Chairwoman Municipal Bond Womens Forum)
Kristen Cummins (TRB Capital Markets)
Stacey Barnett (SAMCO Capital)
5:00 pm - Snap Photo and Sip Cocktails
Longhorn photos, Cowboy Magician, Custom Leather Branding, Armadillos Race
6:00 pm - Dinner
After Dinner Line Dancing and Music
Shuttle back to the hotel
Friday, October 23
Saddle up, partner! We are fixin’ to head east from Cowtown over to Big D for a little day-trip dally.
We’ll gather in the lobby of the AC Hotel before moseying down to Fort Worth’s T&P Station. From there, we board the Trinity Railway Express for a ride across the Texas plains, landing us smack in the middle of Dallas.
WaiIng for us is a Red Trolley—our iron-clad stagecoach and rolling watering hole—for a 90-minute tour of the territory. When the noon sun beats down, we’ll retreat to the rooftop at Vidorra for tacos and tequila with a bird's-eye view of the city. Spend the afternoon roaming Big D as you please, then catch the iron horse back to Cowtown.
Download the flyer for details.
Thank you to our 2026 Hosts!
