KIMBERLY LYONS, BA ’02, MPA ’04 VICE PRESIDENT-SENIOR ANALYST, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE
If you had to condense your job description into an elevator pitch, how would it read? I would pitch my job as someone who provides an objective opinion on the investment viability of a state or local government. The way I explain it to people with absolutely no financial background is that I provide a credit rating to local governments similar to the way you have a personal credit score. What about your job at Moody’s inspires you? I love the issuer outreach aspect of my job. I love talking to different government management teams and understanding how they are envisioning the growth and future prospects of their regions. It’s particularly interesting watching the changing demographic and economic trends of certain regions as a result of the pandemic. Additionally, I love what I represent in this industry. I love when young women reach out to me about opportunities in this industry — as we know finance is traditionally a male dominated world. I hope that young women can see themselves in me, particularly young Black women who are underrepresented across the board. How did Rockefeller prepare you for your career? Anyone who knows me knows this is the first thing I say whenever I’m asked about my experience at Rockefeller — the MPA program fully prepared me for my career. My finance career is not grounded in spreadsheets and modeling. Public finance is the sweet spot between qualitative and quantitative analysis and the fundamental skills taught at Rockefeller have helped me immensely. I still have some of my old textbooks and reference them often. I feel incredibly lucky to have attended Rockefeller College. Was there anyone at Rockefeller who left a lasting impact on you? Public Service Professor David Liebschutz who taught my “Intro to Public Finance” course and Robin Prunty, also a Rockefeller alum who is now the Chief
8
Rockefeller College News Magazine I Fall 2021
Analytical Officer for U.S. Public Finance at Standard & Poors. Professor Liebschutz made me aware of the idea of using our degrees in the private sector and the concept of the municipal bond market as a viable career option. Robin Prunty was a guest speaker in my public finance class, and she took time to speak with me afterwards about my interest in the field, and gave me tangible advice to help me enter the industry. She remains a friend and mentor to this day. These two absolutely changed the trajectory of my career, and I am forever grateful. What are your proudest accomplishments in your career & life? My proudest career moments have actually been tied to Rockefeller: (1) Professor Liebschutz asked me to be a guest speaker at one of his classes (like Robin) and I made the same impact on one of his students who currently has an amazing role at Moody’s. (2) Being named a Rockefeller College Distinguished Young Alum. (3) When I was asked to join the Alumni Advisory Board. My proudest life moment is harder to quantify. I am just extremely lucky to have a loving and supportive family and a group of friends who are also family. When you’re not on the job, where can you be found? Spending quality time with my family and friends or traveling. The pandemic has really shown the importance of living life to the fullest and making the most of the time you have. What’s important for me is surrounding myself with the people I love and making lasting memories. What is one piece of advice you would share with a current Rockefeller student? Don’t box yourself into one career path. Be flexible, teachable, and willing to pivot. The world is changing rapidly and you have to be able to adapt.
