Matt Calcavecchia

P3 Case Studies
Tuesday, May 5, 3:20 - 4:10 PM

Vice President
Public Facilities Group

Matt is a Vice President at Public Facilities Group. He has over 15 years of experience in P3 and has served in a variety of roles from asset management duties, promotion, marketing, project management and strategic planning.
 
Matt has been with Public Facilities Group since its founding in 2016.  Before that, Matt worked for the National Development Council, now named Grow America. He has experience in a variety of products and services, including low-income housing, New Markets Tax Credits, small business lending and Public-Private Partnerships. Matt served on Grow America’s Public-Private partnership team where he was focused on outreach and education. He also helped to create and implement strategies for advocating for Public-Private Partnerships at the federal level.

Donald Gibson

P3 Case Studies
Tuesday, May 5, 3:20 - 4:10 PM

Partner
Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate

Donald Gibson is a Managing Director and Partner at Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, where he leverages over 25 years of experience in commercial construction and real estate development. He plays a pivotal role in the firm’s leadership, focusing on sourcing new opportunities, managing complex project development activities, and overseeing financial structuring and contract negotiations. Donald is particularly recognized for his expertise in Public-Private Partnerships (P3) and turnkey delivery models, having been instrumental in high-profile projects like the Howard County Circuit Courthouse and the recently delivered John Tulloch Business Building at the University of Nevada, Reno.

His professional foundation is built on a high-level academic background and active industry engagement. He holds a Master of Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University. This unique blend of design and technical engineering allows him to navigate the intricacies of project management with a holistic perspective, often sharing these insights through articles on procurement best practices and risk management. Beyond his role at Edgemoor, Gibson is an active member of the Board of Trustees at the Congressional School in Falls Church, Virginia.

Jason Halligan

P3 in the United States: Key Characteristics
Tuesday, May 5, 11:50 - 12:15 PM

Counsel
FBT Gibbons

Jason is an attorney and consultant specializing in Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) with state and local governments and universities, including projects in the utility, transportation, and social infrastructure sectors. His expertise includes strategy, procurement, negotiating government contracts, economic development, local government law, and public finance. Jason specializes in high-profile, politically sensitive, and first-of-their-kind projects and finding a path to yes.
 
Prior to joining FBT Gibbons, Jason served as an active duty Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army, where he commanded multiple organizations, planned combat and training operations, and deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. He continues to serve as a Civil Affairs Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and is a Colonel.

Jason has a J.D. from Harvard Law School, a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, an M.S. in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, and a B.S. from West Point.

Jill Jamieson

Understanding Public-Private Partnerships
Tuesday, May 5, 11:10 - 11:50 AM

CEO
Illuminati Infrastructure Advisors

Jill Jamieson is the CEO of Illuminati Infrastructure Advisors, a boutique advisory firm specializing in providing infrastructure advisory services to public sector and governmental entities. She is a globally recognized leader in infrastructure finance and public-private-partnerships (P3), having worked extensively in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia for a wide variety of public and private sector clients. With nearly 30 years of experience managing complex mega-project transactions and advising public sector clients in all activities relating to innovative finance and delivery, specific areas of expertise include innovative project delivery and performance-based contracting; P3 program and framework development; structuring and implementing asset optimization and monetization / value-capture strategies; government transformation; and P3 transaction advisory assistance. Successful transaction experience encompasses work across multiple infrastructure sectors, ranging from transportation and water to energy and higher ed, with a total capital investment portfolio in excess of US$25 billion. Ms. Jamieson currently advises a wide range of federal, state, and local public authorities across the U.S. and the globe on innovative finance and delivery. A frequent keynote speaker on issues relating to infrastructure finance and delivery, Ms. Jamieson has also been called to testify as an independent expert before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on P3 and other forms of alternative finance and delivery for public works. Ms. Jamieson’s professional background includes investment banking, law, and management

Seth Kirshenberg

Negotiating the Terms & Managing Risk
Tuesday, May 5, 2:00 - 3:10 PM

Partner
Kutak Rock LLP

Seth Kirshenberg is a Partner at Kutak Rock LLP and has worked on the financing and structuring of over $20 billion in public private partnership (P3) transactions and has worked on some of the largest federal real estate transactions in the United States. He has over 30 years of experience as a transactional lawyer structuring, negotiating, documenting and closing large, complex transactions for federal agencies, states, municipalities, universities, financial entities, investors, developers, contractors, and utilities. Mr. Kirshenberg’s unique practice requires him to work on all phases of projects including procurement, design and construction, financing, management and operation, work-outs, legislative authority development, federal agency rulemaking and policy development, budgetary scoring, environment and historic analysis and everything in between.
Seth has been the Vice-Chair to the American Bar Association Privatization, Outsourcing and Financing Transactions Committee and serves on the Executive Board of the Council of Development Finance Agencies.  He has served on several DOE, DOD, EPA and other federal agency advisory boards and non-profit policy committees on real estate, environmental cleanup and energy issues. He has authored and co-authored several books, papers and guides on P3s, energy development, military base closure, the redevelopment of DOE and DOD facilities, brownfields redevelopment, and environmental cleanup. He regularly speaks at national conferences on P3s, energy financing, energy transaction structures, real estate, and financing issues, and has published numerous articles on redeveloping federal facilities.  Seth also serves as the Executive Director of Energy Communities Alliance.

Ozlem Kose

Unique P3 Models & Approaches
Tuesday, May 5, 4:10 - 4:55 PM

Assistant Vice President – Analyst
Moody's Ratings

Ozlem Kose is an Assistant Vice President – Analyst on Moody’s Global Project and Infrastructure Finance team, based in New York. Ozlem covers a diverse portfolio of infrastructure issuers across the transportation and public power sectors, including airports, toll roads, and project finance transactions.

Ozlem joined Moody’s in 2015 as an Associate Analyst in the Project Finance group in Canada. Prior to Moody’s, Ozlem worked at the Industrial Development Bank of Turkey as a financial analyst and project economist.

Ozlem holds a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering and a Master’s degree in Economics from Sabanci University in Turkey, and earned an MBA from the University of Toronto.

Chris Livingstone

Unique P3 Models & Approaches
Tuesday, May 5, 4:10 - 4:55 PM

Partner
CohnReznick Advisory LLC

Christopher Livingstone has more than 20 years of infrastructure consulting experience focused on the transportation sector, including state and local government entities overseeing transportation and mobility-focused projects. He has extensive experience in project finance, commercial and financial transaction structuring, asset strategy, mitigation strategy, funding source identification, value for money analysis, and financial analysis and modeling.

Livingstone has worked extensively in the social infrastructure, energy, and higher education sectors and previously ran his own consultancy firm specializing in project finance, commercial transaction structuring, financial structuring, and public-private partnerships (P3s). He is based in Los Angeles.

John Lushis Jr.

Identifying P3 Project Potential
Tuesday, May 5, 12:15 - 12:45 PM

Member
Norris McLaughlin P.A.

John F. Lushis Jr., a Member of the firm and Co-Chair of the Economic Development Law Practice, focuses his practice on real estate, commercial transaction law, and environmental law. He provides counsel on an extensive diversity of transactions including leases, acquisitions and divestitures, tax-exempt and conventional financings, brownfields redevelopment, and an array of commercial agreements. John has worked on multi-million-dollar loans and major tax-exempt financings for businesses and non-profits including Cetronia Ambulance Corps, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Moravian College, and St. Luke’s Hospital. He also has been involved in tax increment financing projects including Hamilton Crossings Retail Complex and West Hills Business Center. He serves as solicitor for Lehigh County Industrial Development Authority, and served as solicitor for Northampton County New Jobs Corp, Northampton County General Purpose Authority, and Lehigh Valley Economic Investment Corp.

In late 2015, John became involved in “P3” projects (public-private partnerships), and is a lead architect of a first-of-its-kind P3 project in Pennsylvania. This project, which includes a novel financing structure, will allow Northampton County to replace or rehabilitate numerous bridges at substantial cost and time savings compared to traditional methods. The project has become a model for other P3 projects and has received statewide and national attention. As an outgrowth of the project, John assisted in drafting legislation signed by Governor Wolfe in October 2017 to allow counties having a certain population, such as Northampton County, to construct a new jail using a P3 transaction structure.

As one of the firm's corporate environmental counsel, John focuses on soil and groundwater issues and other environmental issues for various businesses. John is also registered to practice in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and his knowledge of intellectual property is a valuable resource for clients who have projects and transactions in this area.

John has represented prominent entities including Always Bagels, BB&T, Health Network Labs, Lehigh University, LifePath, Melting Pot Restaurants, and Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

For more than 22 years, John was in-house counsel for Bethlehem Steel where he was co-lead counsel on the sale of assets to the International Steel Group for $1.5 billion to companies owned by Wilbur Ross, the United States Secretary of Commerce. While at Bethlehem Steel, John was heavily involved with brownfield re-development of the corporation’s Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, property, and directed the development and implementation of strategies to manage substantial assets and liabilities associated with more than 75 of Bethlehem Steel’s facilities and properties in Pennsylvania, across the U.S., and internationally. During his career, he has been involved in transactions and financings totaling billions of dollars.

Thomas Mulvihill

P3 Deal Structuring: Balancing Debt & Equity
Tuesday, May 5, 12:55 - 2:00 PM

Managing Director
KeyBanc Capital Markets

Tom Mulvihill is a Managing Director and Group Head of KeyBanc Capital Market’s Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Business.  He brings more than 20 years of U.S. Capital Markets experience from both public and project finance. Tom’s experience includes strategic and financial advisory services, transaction structuring, procurement and execution for clients in the transportation, social infrastructure and utility sectors.

Toby Rittner

Welcome & Overview
Tuesday, May 5, 11:00 - 11:10 AM

President & CEO
Council of Development Finance Agencies

Toby Rittner is the President & CEO of Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading and most knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing hundreds of public, private and non-profit development finance agencies. Mr. Rittner runs the day-to-day operations of the Council including the organization’s various educational, advocacy, research, resources, and networking initiatives. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the CDFA Foundation.

Rittner is one of the most vocal and recognized leaders of the development finance industry nationwide and has advised local, state, and federal leaders, including Presidents Biden and Obama, on economic development finance policy. Through his leadership and guidance, CDFA was successful in preserving private activity bonds and other critical development finance tools during the 2017 tax reform deliberations and has had numerous pieces of legislation introduced in the United States Congress. In 2021, Rittner successfully led a national effort to reauthorize and fund the $10B State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. He has written and crafted dozens of strategic finance plans for development finance agencies and advised communities throughout the world on development finance approaches.

Rittner focuses on sustainable finance with an emphasis on infrastructure, clean energy, food systems, small business, and innovations in the development finance industry to drive sustainable outcomes. He has written extensively about impact ready initiatives that leverage and engage capital in ways that drive local sustainability in business and industry and the environment and economy.

Rittner is a frequent speaker at local, state, and national conferences and events focused on economic development finance. He has been featured in The Bond Buyer, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR and other national media publications concerning the advancement of development finance tools. He is the author of CDFA's highly acclaimed Practitioner's Guide to Economic Development Finance and co-author of CDFA's Unlocking Capital: A Handbook for Becoming a High Performing Development Finance Agency.

Rittner is an adjunct faculty member at The Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University. He is also a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) and has completed the prestigious Oxford University Sustainable Finance Foundation Course.

Mr. Rittner previously served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board and is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Community Fund I. Mr. Rittner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master's of City and Regional Planning degree from The Ohio State University. Mr. Rittner was awarded the Ohio State University College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016.

John Wheatley

Negotiating the Terms & Managing Risk
Tuesday, May 5, 2:00 - 3:10 PM

Partner
Barnes & Thornburg

John C. Wheatley represents public and private entities, and financing parties, on complex transactions and real estate transactions, with a particular emphasis on public-private partnership (P3) infrastructure and other alternative delivery platforms.
John's recent experience includes acting as counsel for public entities on design-build, progressive design-build, CMGC, DBF, and DBFOM alternative delivery infrastructure procurements and contract negotiations (to include transportation, energy, and social infrastructure), as well as representing well-known public entities on post-execution servicing matters.

John’s extensive experience includes the drafting and review of complex procurement, project agreements, and financing documentation, in addition to working with tax-exempt bonds and other innovative financing structures. John also has a robust pro bono practice focused on local economic development and nonprofit corporate management in the District of Columbia.