Ramirez & Co., Inc. Expands Nationwide Public Finance Team with New Hires in New York City, Houston and South Florida

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samuel A. Ramirez & Co., Inc. (“Ramirez & Co.”), a leading investment banking, brokerage and advisory firm, is once again deepening its national public finance bench with the addition of three seasoned industry professionals, Cordelia Mendez, Ayanna Louis-Charles and Courtney Okezie.

"The need for excellent quantitative and analytical talent, coupled with strong underwriting, has never been more important for our clients," said Sam Ramirez Sr., Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "Cordelia, Ayanna and Courtney are terrific additions to our team and we look forward to their success at the Firm."

Cordelia Mendez, Vice President, joins the Firm as an underwriter, supporting negotiated municipal bond underwritings nationwide and across the rating spectrum. She was previously a Vice President on the syndicate desk at Morgan Stanley, having also worked in the infrastructure group and investment grade fixed income capital markets. Ms. Mendez received a B.A. in History from Harvard University. She is based in the Firm’s New York City office.

Ayanna Louis-Charles, Senior Vice President, provides quantitative leadership at the Firm for a broad range of municipal issuers. Prior to joining Ramirez, Ms. Louis-Charles was most recently an Executive Director in the Public Finance Group at Morgan Stanley, where she worked with state and local government clients focused on infrastructure -- including airports, utilities, water and sewer agencies -- as well as large state agencies. She was also a member of the public finance groups at PNC Capital Markets, Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. Ms. Louis-Charles received her M.B.A. in Finance, Economics and International Business from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and her B.A. in Economics from Williams College. She is based in South Florida.

Based in Houston, Texas, Courtney Okezie, Vice President, focuses on bond underwriting services for Texas issuers. Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Okezie was an Assistant Vice President at Piper Sandler, where she supported Colorado state and local government issuers. She also held analyst roles at Mesirow Financial and the Harris County Office of Management and Budget. Ms. Okezie has her M.B.A. in Investment Management from the University of Houston Downtown and received her B.B.A. in Finance from Texas State University. She has served on the Mountain Region Board of Women in Public Finance and Texas Women in Public Finance Executive Council.

"We are very excited that Cordelia, Ayanna and Courtney are bringing their underwriting and technical acumen to our robust and growing team, enabling us to provide excellent service across the country," said Ted Sobel, Ramirez’s Head of Public Finance.

About Samuel A. Ramirez & Company, Inc.

Founded in 1971, Ramirez is a nationwide, full-service investment bank, brokerage and advisory firm serving institutional clients and retail investors across six core areas: municipal finance, investment banking, fixed income sales and trading, institutional equities, wealth management and asset management. The Firm is recognized as one of the industry's preeminent and best-capitalized boutique underwriters, having cultivated a banking, underwriting, sales and trading, and strategy team that is unique in its integration. Headquartered in New York City, Ramirez has several regional offices throughout the United States to serve our clients. More information about the Firm and its office locations can be found here: https://www.ramirezco.com.