McKinney Named President of National Association of Bond Lawyers

Kathy is the first South Carolinian to serve as President of this 3,000-member professional organization, which advises a $2.7 trillion industry.

NABL was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Chicago with the Governmental Affairs Office in Washington, DC. The organization actively promotes the integrity of the municipal market by promoting the professional development of municipal bond attorneys and providing advice and comment at the Federal, State and local levels with respect to legislation and regulations affecting State and municipal obligations.

Upon accepting the leadership role October 28, McKinney, said, “We have seen unprecedented emergency bailouts and new creative types of bonds included in stimulus packages over the past year. I can safely say that I have not seen a more complex environment in which to practice public finance law. I anticipate this coming year to be a very active one as Congress, the IRS, the SEC, and the major Federal agencies make proposals impacting the municipal bond markets and particularly the financing of infrastructure throughout the United States.

“The coming months will bring great opportunities to communities all across the Nation as the economy recovers and stalled projects restart,” stated McKinney.

Kathy has been very active in NABL, serving in the following leadership positions: President-elect (Sept. 2008-Oct. 2009); member, Board of Directors (2005-2009); Treasurer (2007); member, Executive Committee (2006): Secretary (2006); Chair, NABL Municipal Law Group (2005); Chair, 2004 Bond Attorneys’ Workshop (the profession’s premiere educational forum for bond counsel); and faculty member, NABL Fundamentals of Municipal Bond Law and Steering Committee for the Bond Attorneys’ Workshop (2001-2004).

A shareholder of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, Kathy is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Public Finance and Chambers USA. She is bond counsel for many of South Carolina’s leading hospitals, as well as for numerous colleges and universities, nonprofit healthcare, community groups, museums, and industrial clients. She is a frequent speaker at national, regional and state business, healthcare, educational, economic development, and financial conferences.

Kathy is an integral member of the firm’s Public Finance Practice Group, which was ranked first among bond counsel in South Carolina in four of the last five years, according to The Bond Buyer (February 12, 2009). Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd has been consistently ranked among the largest municipal bond practices in the Southeast, with 15 bond attorneys.

She is Chair of the Furman University board of trustees and serves on the boards of the South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities and the SC Association of Nonprofit Organizations. A member of the Society of International Business Fellows, Kathy also serves on the advisory board of Leadership South Carolina. A past president of the Upcountry History Museum and South Carolina Children’s Theater, she was a founder of the Upstate South Carolina Alliance, a regional economic development entity.

Kathy earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of South Carolina (USC), where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received her undergraduate degree, B.A., summa cum laude, also from USC in 1975. She is admitted to practice in South Carolina and the U.S. District Court of South Carolina.

Anne S. Ellefson, managing director of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, said, “Kathy’s term as NABL President comes at a pivotal time for our country and its economic stability. Our Firm is very proud of Kathy’s accomplishments.”

At the 34th NABL Workshop, the primary focus was the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (AARA), which includes the most significant Federal municipal bond legislation since 1986. NABL keeps the practitioners’ municipal marketplace, the regulators of the SEC and the IRS aware of day-to-day activities, including important announcements from State and local governments.

Kathy succeeds William A. Holby, a partner at King & Spalding LLP, in Atlanta. The new slate of officers includes President-elect, John M. McNally of Hawkins Delafield & Wood, LLP, of Washington, DC; Treasurer, Kristin H. R. Franceschi of DLA Piper, LLP, of Baltimore, MD; and Secretary, Scott R. Lilienthal of Hogan & Hartson, LLP, Washington, DC.