“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 pm - Welcome Reception sponsored by BAM
Location: Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N Commerce St, Fort Worth, TX

Thursday, October 23

8:00 am - Registration and Breakfast

9:00 am - Round ‘Em Up! Opening Remarks
Rachel Perlman (Institutional Sales, Stifel and Chairwoman Municipal Bond Women’s Forum)
Barbara Smallwood (Senior Managing Director, Co-Head Public Finance, TRB Capital Markets)
Stacey Barnett (Managing Director, Institutional Sales, SAMCO Capital Markets)

9:15 am - Interactive Ice Breaker: Pull Up a Chair, Y’all – Who’re You Fixin’ to Invite
Moderator: TBD

9:45 am - Riding Into the Unknown: Midterms & The Municipal Outlook
Moderator: Heather McArdle (Director of Fixed Income Indices, S&P Global)  
Panelists:
Nora Wittstruck (Managing Director and Chief Analytical Officer for Governments, S&P Global) 
Emily Brock (Director, Federal Liaison Center at the GFOA, Washington DC)   
Tom Kozlik (Head of Public Policy and Municipal Strategy, Hilltop Securities)  

10:45 am - Break

11:00 am - The Money Trail: Where Capital is Heading in the Municipal Frontier
Moderator: Kristen Cummins (Managing Director, Municipal Sales, TRB Capital Markets)
Panelists:
Bryce Pickering (Head of Municipal Trading, First Eagle)
Jordan Peters (Municipal Trading, Vanguard)  
Marlin Brown (Director, Municipal Index Fixed Income, BlackRock) 
Liz West (Portfolio Manager, Nuveen)

12:00 pm - Lunch

1:00 pm - Interactive Session: Claiming Your Territory - Breaking Barriers and Forging Your Career
Moderator: Cambrea Merriwether (Chief Human Resources Officer, TRB Capital Markets)  

1:30 pm - Keynote Speaker: Christi Craddick - Commissioner, Railroad Commission of Texas
Moderator: Mary Hinojosa Kelly (Managing Director, Municipal Banking, TRB Capital Markets)

2:30 pm - Traversing the Texas Terrain: Municipal Finance in the Lone Star State
Moderator: Caroline Wenker (Senior Director, Municipal Portfolio Manager, PGIM) 
Panelists:
Christina (Chris) Lane (Senior Managing Director, Municipal Banking, SAMCO Capital Markets)
Laura Slaughter (Executive Director, Municipal Advisory Council of Texas)
Alice Felch, CPA (Controller, Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation)

3:30 pm - Break and Afternoon Snack

3:45 pm - Trailblazers: Leaders in the Industry
Moderator: Anna Ellis (Senior Vice President, Municipal Sales, TRB Capital Markets)
Panelists:
TBD (based on attendees nominations)

4:45 pm - The Final Roundup: Closing Comments and Handing Over the Reins
Rachel Perlman (Institutional Sales, Stifel and Chairwoman Municipal Bond Women’s Forum)

5:00 pm - Cocktails in the Stockman’s Club

6:00 pm - Dinner in the Stampede Room
After Dinner Line Dancing and Music
Shuttle back to the hotel

Friday, October 23

“Trains, Trolleys, Tequila, and Tacos”
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.

Waiting 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!