About
From 1999 to 2020 I was the one buying. Since November 2020 I have been the one selling.
Five public school systems, from New York to Austin, then a bond desk. The career runs along one line: how public money gets budgeted, approved and spent, and who has to be convinced along the way.
Two careers, one subject
Eleven years running Austin ISD's money, and five originating for Siebert Williams Shank.
Inside government, 1999 to 2020
I began in procurement at the New York City Department of Education and moved through budget and resource leadership at DC Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools and Atlanta Public Schools.
Eleven of those years were at Austin ISD as chief financial officer and later Chief of Business and Operations, running a $3 billion budget and capital program with more than 1,600 staff, as reported by The Bond Buyer. In 2017 the district’s voters approved a bond program of roughly $1.05 billion, reported as $1.1 billion, on 72% approval and without raising the tax rate; the Austin American-Statesman called it the largest in Central Texas history. During my tenure Austin ISD held a Moody’s Aaa rating.
I have also been on the other end of that result. In the May 2013 Austin ISD bond election, two of four propositions failed. Both outcomes are part of the record.
On the market side, November 2020 to today
I registered with Siebert Williams Shank & Co. on 13 November 2020, hired to open the firm's Austin office, which did not exist before. I lead it.
The firm is a minority- and women-owned investment bank, named US Diversity and Inclusion House of the Year in International Financing Review's inaugural award in 2021. My work is business development into state and local government: the relationships that get a school district, a city or a county to the table and to a decision.
I changed professions outright, was registered thirteen days after my first exam, and finished all five FINRA examinations between 31 October 2020 and 6 July 2021. My regulatory record carries no disclosures.
Career
Five public school systems from 1999 to 2020, and a bond desk since.
Since 2020
Institution: Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC
Role: Managing Director. Opened the firm's Austin office.
2009 to 2020
Institution: Austin Independent School District
Role: Chief Financial Officer, later Chief of Business & Operations.
2008 to 2009
Institution: Atlanta Public Schools
Role: Deputy Chief Financial Officer.
2007 to 2008
Institution: Fairfax County Public Schools
Role: Budget Director.
2003 to 2007
Institution: District of Columbia Public Schools
Role: Director of Resource Allocation & Management.
1999 to 2003
Institution: New York City Department of Education
Role: Director of Strategic Sourcing.
| Years | Institution | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Since 2020 | Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC | Managing Director. Opened the firm's Austin office. |
| 2009 to 2020 | Austin Independent School District | Chief Financial Officer, later Chief of Business & Operations. |
| 2008 to 2009 | Atlanta Public Schools | Deputy Chief Financial Officer. |
| 2007 to 2008 | Fairfax County Public Schools | Budget Director. |
| 2003 to 2007 | District of Columbia Public Schools | Director of Resource Allocation & Management. |
| 1999 to 2003 | New York City Department of Education | Director of Strategic Sourcing. |
Credentials
Education
- BA, University of Colorado Boulder
- MS Urban Affairs, Robert J. Milano School, The New School
- Certificate in Public Finance, Georgetown University
Examinations
The SIE, then Series 7, 52, 53 and 63, all passed between 31 October 2020 and 6 July 2021. The SIE is a qualifying examination rather than a registration, so those five give four registrations. Registered in Texas. No disclosures on my record.
Published under
My earlier work appears in the press as Nicole Conley Johnson and Nicole Conley-Abram. Both are mine, and the coverage under them is in the press record.
The short version
Five questions people ask before a first meeting.
The facts about my role, my record and my public service, stated plainly enough to check. My honors, board seats, state service and regulatory record are dated and listed on my public record page.
Who is Nicole Conley?
I am Nicole K. Conley, a Managing Director at Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC, a minority- and women-owned investment bank, based in Austin, Texas. I opened the firm's Austin office in November 2020 and I lead it, originating municipal transactions for Texas public issuers. For the twenty-one years before that I worked in public-sector finance, eleven of them as Chief Financial Officer of Austin Independent School District.
What did Nicole Conley do at Austin ISD?
I was Chief Financial Officer of Austin Independent School District from 2009 to 2020, and later Chief of Business and Operations. I oversaw a $3 billion budget and capital program and more than 1,600 staff, at a district of roughly 80,000 students. During my tenure the district held a Moody's Aaa rating, and voters approved a bond program of roughly $1.05 billion in 2017, on 72% approval and without a tax-rate increase.
What is Nicole Conley's FINRA record?
I registered with Siebert Williams Shank & Co. on 13 November 2020, my first securities registration. I hold the FINRA Securities Industry Essentials examination and the Series 52, 53, 63 and 7, passed between 31 October 2020 and 6 July 2021, a span of 248 days. My record carries no disclosures. All of it is on FINRA BrokerCheck under my name.
What boards and public appointments does Nicole Conley hold?
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus appointed me to the Texas Commission on Public School Finance in 2018, and its recommendations led to House Bill 3 and its $11.6 billion school finance package. I serve on the boards of the Municipal Advisory Council of Texas, the Travis Central Appraisal District and LINQ Technologies, and I am Vice Chair of Finance for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. I testified before the Texas House Public Education Committee in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
What other names has Nicole Conley published under?
Nicole Conley Johnson and Nicole Conley-Abram. Most coverage of my Austin ISD years is filed under those two names: of the 119 published items on this site, 57 carry my current name and 62 carry one of the earlier two, so searching Nicole Conley alone turns up a little under half the record. All three are me.
Public money since 1999, and the same question every time: what can this institution afford?
Five public school systems, one state commission, and the Austin office I opened for my firm in November 2020.