Team

The staff of DTA consist of some of the best and brightest individuals in the public finance industry. We have more than 60 professional employees, a number of whom have been with the firm for over 15 years. We assign a team of qualified specialists to every consulting project, led by talented, energetic senior staff with outstanding professional and academic credentials. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work, and on our commitment to excellence.

Our team is experienced in a wide range of fields including urban economics, land-use planning, law, public administration, real estate development, community redevelopment, civil engineering, investment banking and mortgage finance. All DTA professionals have extensive experience in computer-based analysis and modeling, a key component of our consulting services.

David Taussig

Chairman/Managing Director

Mr. Taussig has over 45 years of experience in the fields of real estate finance and urban economics. His areas of expertise include municipal finance programs for infrastructure and public facilities development, fiscal and economic impact analyses, and land development project feasibility studies. His…

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Kelly Wright

Chief Executive Officer

Ms. Wright has a background in financial analyses and CFD/AD formation and administration. Since joining DTA in 2003, Ms. Wright has been involved in all aspects of the formation and implementation of CFDs and ADs throughout California. Her work has involved…

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Andrea Roess

Managing Director

Ms. Roess has a background in finance and public policy analyses. Since joining DTA in 1992, Ms. Roess has participated in all aspects of the formation and implementation of special finance districts to fund infrastructure and services. She has managed the…

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Kuda Wekwete

Managing Director

Mr. Wekwete has a background in mathematical modeling and statistical analysis. Since joining DTA in 2005, Mr. Wekwete has been involved in all aspects of the formation and implementation of special districts to fund infrastructure and services, as well as the…

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Shayne Morgan

Senior Vice President

Mr. Morgan has a background in finance and investment analysis.  Since joining DTA in 1997, Mr. Morgan has been involved in all aspects of the formation and implementation of special districts to fund infrastructure and services, as well as the sale…

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Will Saba

Senior Vice President

Mr. Saba has a background in finance and accounting, specializing in financial systems. Will has more than 20 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, giving him unparalleled insight into what is needed to complete a project successfully….

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Jerry Wen

Senior Vice President

Mr. Wen has a background in CFD formation and administration. Since joining DTA in 1999, Mr. Wen has been involved in all aspects of CFD formation and implementation, including boundary map preparation, special tax and cash flow analyses, overlapping debt analyses,…

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Nadiya Sze

Controller

Ms. Sze, a CPA, joined the DTA team in 2023.  She previously worked in the lending industry and has experience in public accounting and consulting. Nadiya earned her B.S. in Economics and Math from the United Kingdom and also holds a…

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Denise Pang

Vice President

Ms. Pang has a background in the financial services industry and joined DTA in 2015. She is originally from the Bay Area but relocated to Orange County to attend school. Denise graduated from the University of California, Irvine with dual bachelors’…

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Stephen Runk

Vice President of Engineering Services

Mr. Runk has more than 30 years of experience in the design and construction management of major civil engineering projects, including roadways, bridges, sewer and water improvements, and flood control facilities, as well as grading for public works projects and the…

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Nehal Thumar

Vice President

Mr. Thumar has a background in economics and finance. Since joining DTA in 2000, Mr. Thumar has been involved in all aspects of formation and implementation of numerous Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts located throughout California. Mr. Thumar’s responsibilities related to these…

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Leni Zarate

Vice President

Leni Zarate, a Vice President, has an extensive background in special district formation and administration. She has created, formed, and administered special districts that include Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (“EIFDs”), CFDs, Benefit Assessment/Infrastructure Districts, County/Community Service Areas, LLDs, Mello-Roos Bond Pool…

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Colleen Liao

Senior Business Development Manager

Ms. Liao has over 6 years of experience with technical editing and writing, proofreading, and proposal preparation and joined DTA in 2019. She grew up in the Antelope Valley with her parents, dog, and cats and developed a passion for photography…

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Hector Perez

Senior Manager

Mr. Perez has significant senior management experience in municipal government, health care, resource development, and the private and public sectors. Projects include community development issues such as capital projects, water/wastewater capacity, sports complexes, traffic impacts, and neighborhood expansions. Mr. Perez has…

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Charles Smith

Senior Manager

Mr. Smith is originally from San Diego and has a background in economics and finance. He joined DTA in 2013 and has since assisted in the administration of PACE programs in over 40 counties throughout California. Charles has been responsible for…

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Kyle Walton

Senior Manager, Tax Credit Programs

Mr. Walton has over 10 years of experience in community and economic development finance. He joins DTA after broad experience in founding Classic Lake Consulting and Investments, before which he served as a Vice President within JPMorgan Chase’s Community Development Banking…

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Jian Wu

Senior Manager

Mark Alvarado

Manager

Mr. Alvarado has been with DTA for 3 years, earning him the title of Senior Associate. Originally from Chicago, Mark moved to California to attend Chapman University in the City of Orange and graduated with a degree in Mathematics. With an…

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Diego De Leon

Manager

Mr. De Leon joined DTA in the summer of 2015 after graduating from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Accounting. A California native from the San Jose area, Diego enjoys traveling, trying new…

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Kyle Martinez

Manager

Richard Ruiz

Manager

Mr. Ruiz has a background in econometrics and industrial organization and holds a degree in Economics from California State University, Long Beach with a concentration in Public Finance. Since joining DTA, he has participated in a variety of projects, including fiscal…

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Henry Choi

Senior Associate

Blake Kubly

Senior Associate

A San Clemente native, Mr. Kubly has been with the firm since 2016. He received a B.S. in Business Administration, with an emphasis in finance, from Chapman University in Orange, California. While attending Chapman, he was a member of the men’s…

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Devi Madhavan

Senior Associate

Serge Nasri

Senior Associate

Jonathan Saba

Senior Associate

Andrew Valdez

Senior Associate

Originally from Riverside County, Mr. Valdez joined DTA in 2015 as an Associate for one of the firm’s PACE financing programs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Administrative Studies, with a concentration in Managerial Accounting and Taxation, from the…

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Sharline Kim

Senior Associate III

Darlene Padua

Associate II

Khadija Sherzad

Associate III

Adrian Alvarez

Associate II

Graeme Fraser

Associate II

Mari Montes

Associate II

Courtney Tseng

Associate II

Daniel Avakian

Associate

Spencer Chabot

Associate

Trillion Drummond

Associate

Ella Quintos

Associate

Leo Sonner

Associate

Mickaela Ramos

Proposal Coordinator

Nadia Ghadimy

Research Associate II

Edna Garrett

HR Manager

Ms. Garrett joined the DTA team in 2017, bringing over 20 years of diverse human resources and administrative experience to the team. As an HR and Administrative Professional, Edna has worked with large and small organizations in various stages of their…

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Rissa Hizon

Client Service Manager

Nicole Le

Accountant

Yvette Bustillos

Client Support Representative

Claudia De Dios

Client Services Representative

Christina Seif

Administrative Assistant