Richard W. Meister, CV

 Mr. Meister received his undergraduate degree in Public Policy from Brown University in 1975 and earned an MBA in Finance and Healthcare Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He started his career as a healthcare and higher education banker at Smith Barney and then joined Goldman Sachs’ where he was a member of the healthcare and higher education group.     

In 1986, Rich moved to Dallas, where he managed Goldman’s Southwest public finance business while also serving healthcare and higher education clients nationally. While in Dallas, Rich helped the University of Texas System develop a system-wide approach to debt financing that earned the University triple A ratings and became the model for major universities across the United States.    

Rich moved to San Francisco in 1994 to serve as the regional manager of Goldman’s Western States public finance business. During his time in California, he also served as co-head of the firm’s municipal finance Healthcare and Higher Education business. Rich was Goldman’s lead banker for Orange County, California, helping the county emerge from bankruptcy in 1995. He was named a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in 1996.     

Rich left Goldman in 1999 to serve as Chairman and CEO of eBondTrade, a start-up, online broker-dealer that specialized in the sale of municipal securities. eBondTrade was one of the first U.S. broker-dealers to launch a dedicated online municipal bond business, and the firm was a pioneer in offering new issue municipal securities via an online platform.    

In August 2001, Rich, joined Merrill Lynch’s municipal bond department. Merrill had also been a leader in the electronic sale of municipal securities and presented a unique opportunity to work for a large broker dealer with cutting edge technology. Rich served as a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch with responsibility for its Western States public finance business. In December of 2001, Rich relocated to Merrill Lynch’s offices in Lower Manhattan where he served as a member of the leadership team for its municipal finance business. Since 2004, Merrill Lynch and its successor firm, Bank of America Securities, have been the leading underwriter of municipal securities.    

During his tenure with Merrill Lynch, Rich had responsibility for the firm’s municipal department’s public finance businesses in the Western, Southwest, Midwest and Northeast regions and he also served as the group head of its higher education business and as its lead banker for unemployment compensation financings. Over the course of his career, Rich has served as an investment banker for a wide range of municipal, non-profit, and corporate clients, including major public and private universities, regional and national healthcare systems, and public and private transportation issuers including toll road, airports, and transit systems. He has also served as lead banker for several stadium, windstorm, public utility, and gas pre-pay projects as well as for numerous securitizations, student loan issues and P3 Financings.    

Rich returned to Dallas in 2014 where he served as co-head of Merrill Lynch’s Central States public finance business. After a 42-year career as a public finance investment banker, Rich retired from Bank of America Securities in 2021. In October of 2021, Rich created P3 Municipal Advisors, a municipal advisory business that is licensed and regulated by the SEC and subject to rules established by the MSRB.    

Rich has served on several non-profit boards over the years and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Brown University Sports Foundation. He and his family have also maintained close ties to the FDNY through their efforts in 1999 and thereafter to help establish the Bravest Memorial Scholarship Fund which has awarded over 425 scholarships to the children of New York City’s Firefighters and Fire Officers.    

Rich and his wife, Julie, live in Dallas, Texas and have three adult children and three grandchildren.