Kaiser to head Texas university muni capital markets center

Tripp Kaiser, a managing director at Municipal Market Analytics, will become executive director of the Center on Municipal Capital Markets at the University of Texas at Austin's Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs starting in January, the school announced on Monday.

The center was launched last year to focus on the role of capital markets in financing infrastructure, as well as to train future public finance professionals and produce research.

"At UT Austin, Kaiser will focus on growing (the center) into a national hub for data-driven research, education and collaboration across the municipal finance community," a statement from the school said.

As executive director, Kaiser will shape the center's strategic direction, research agenda, external engagement, and workforce development initiatives, as well as serve as a faculty member teaching courses in municipal finance, according to the statement. He will work closely with the center's founder Martin Luby, an associate professor of public affairs at the LBJ School.

"Tripp Kaiser brings deep expertise from nearly 20 years in the municipal finance industry that will directly benefit our students and strengthen the center's ability to form meaningful industry partnerships and conduct research," JR DeShazo, dean of the LBJ School said in the statement. "As governments continue to seek financing for hospitals, affordable housing, schools, roads, utilities and other public infrastructure projects, the need for expertise in the municipal capital markets has never been greater."

At MMA, Kaiser led the firm's strategist and advisor publications and developed MMA's digital media and continuing education platforms, while playing a key role in the firm's long-term growth strategy, according to the statement.