For KayDee Hoard, a director at Truist Securities at age 31, municipal finance presented an opportunity to make a difference in an area she cared about.

"Growing up in North Georgia, I was acutely aware of how underfunded schools are," said Hoard, who has made a specialty of school financings. "My mom was a high school teacher."

Hoard took classes in financing infrastructure in college and, upon graduation from The Wharton School with a Bachelor of Science in economics, was recruited by PNC Capital Markets. She rose through the ranks from analyst to senior associate at PNC before joining Truist as a vice president in 2021.

"KayDee has been an integral part of the success of our growing platform," according to Truist Managing Director Scott Frail, who nominated her to be 2024 Bond Buyer Rising Stars. Among the clients on the platform are Wake Forest, North Carolina, Belmont University, Tennessee, Duke Energy, Marathon Oil, "and dozens of charter schools," Frail said.

Hoard attributes her rise through the ranks to the mentoring she received along the way, and now aims to pass along similar guidance to newer employees. One mentor for Hoard was Mary Grace Pattison at PNC, who not only answered every question, but did "a great job of letting me take on responsibility," Hoard said. "I've had the same experience with Scott Frail."

Hoard has been active in Women in Public Finance, both at the national and state level, and served on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion councils at both PNC and Truist.

"Kaydee is passionate about causes related to children, economic empowerment, and education," Frail said. "She reinvests in the communities she serves, partnering with local high school teachers and counselors to help low-income students with the college admission process."