Managing Principal

Registered Municipal Advisor (Series 50 & 54)

Susan Goodwin has an extensive background in public finance and real estate economics, having managed the planning and implementation of hundreds of districts and programs that generate funding for public infrastructure and services. She is experienced in the preparation of comprehensive public facilities financing plans, impact fee justification studies, market studies, tax increment projections, and fiscal impact reports for both public and private sector clients. Susan has also worked with numerous public agencies to develop and implement fee credit and reimbursement programs that ensure equity is achieved among landowners within large master-planned communities.

Susan has specialized experience in the preparation of special tax formulas, methods of apportionment, and disclosure documents for Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts (CFD). She has been involved in bond issuances that have funded billions of dollars of public infrastructure. Susan worked directly with Senator Henry Mello to amend language in proposed Mello-Roos clean-up legislation that would have considerably reduced the flexibility provided in the law relative to allocating special taxes among properties in a CFD. She has also contributed input and ideas to several subsequent Mello-Roos clean-up bills.

Susan was actively involved in the formation and administration of several of California’s first Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs, using the Mello-Roos law with charter cities and contractual assessment law with general law cities and counties.  She has also developed complex and creative funding solutions for several of the largest base reuse projects in California.

Susan is a frequent speaker and panelist at Mello-Roos courses and seminars sponsored by the UC Davis and UCLA Extension programs, California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission, League of California Cities, American Planning Association, and Coalition for Adequate School Housing. She has also served as a guest lecturer at UC Berkeley and UC Davis.  Susan has prepared, participated in, and instructed programs about the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act, the financial aspects of planning, options for funding public infrastructure and services, fiscal and economic analysis, and new town development.

Susan has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.