Butler Snow attorneys Tray Hairston and Charity Karanja will be presenting at a series of sessions for a Public Finance Symposium for students, faculty and staff involved with the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) at Spelman College along with Raymond James & Associates. The symposium will feature the following three sessions:
- Session #1 – March 4, 2025 – Overview of Municipal Finance
- Session #2 – March 18, 2025 – Bond Math, Credit Rating Fundamentals & Pricing a Transaction
- Session #3 – April 8, 2025 – Bond Financing Legal Documents
Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, the institution’s name was changed to Spelman College in 1924. Now a global leader in the education of women of African descent, Spelman is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and a proud member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium.
Tray Hairston is a member of the firm’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives & Credit Markets group and concentrates his practice on public finance and economic development. Before joining the firm, he served as Counsel and Economic Development Advisor to Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. He has served as bond counsel for various cities and counties and has worked on transactions totaling more than $2 billion. In addition, he is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council. Prior to his legal career, Hairston was also a member of the Business Development Division at the Mississippi Development Authority, where he provided project management assistance to companies and consultants looking to locate new businesses in Mississippi.
Charity Karanja is a member of Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives & Credit Markets group. She focuses her practice on public finance, economic development incentives, and government relations. She has served in multiple roles for public finance, new markets tax credit, and economic development matters. Karanja also frequently speaks and writes on the subject of public and bond finance education. She was recently named to the 2024 class of the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship, a program dedicated to developing engaged women leaders in the field of development finance, and was featured in a Member Spotlight by the National Association of Bond Lawyers.
