The Bond Dealers of America announced today it is naming Susan Collet Senior Vice President for Government Relations, effective July 9th. Ms. Collet joins the Association from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association where she served as Senior Principal for Government Relations.
“We are very pleased to welcome Susan to the BDA,” commented Larry Bowden, Chair of the Association and Executive Vice President of Stephens Inc. “She brings almost two decades of experience to her new position, with particular expertise in municipal finance and tax issues.”
In her previous post at the cooperative association, Ms. Collet was responsible for the development, strategy and execution of electric cooperative tax and finance issues advocated before the House Ways and Means, Senate Finance and Joint Tax Committees, as well as the Treasury Department. She also led the effort to create the Clean Renewable Energy Bond program enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The provision gives electric cooperatives the ability to issue subsidized bonds to finance renewable generation projects.
“Susan has the expertise and the knack for getting things done that will be enormously important to the BDA and our members,” said Mike Nicholas, Chief Executive Officer of the Association. “We expect to face a number of extremely important tax and finance issues in the near future and Susan will play a key role in helping us meet these challenges.”
Before joining the NRECA, Ms. Collet was Senior Government Relations Representative for the American Public Power Association where she was a leader in advancing tax priorities tied to comprehensive energy legislation, including private use tax relief for public power issuers of tax-exempt bonds. She also served as Associate Director, Governmental Affairs for the Van Ness Feldman law firm where she represented public power clients, including the Large Public Power Council. Ms. Collet graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
