Walter O’Connor, CFA, is a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Municipal Funds team within BlackRock’s Global Fixed Income Group. He is also a member of the Municipal Bond Operating Committee, which oversees all municipal bond portfolio management, research and trading activities. Mr. O’Connor’s service with the firm dates back to 1991, including his years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which merged with BlackRock in 2006. At MLIM, he was a portfolio manager for municipal bond retail mutual funds. Prior to joining MLIM, Mr. O’Connor was with Prudential Securities, where he was involved in trading, underwriting, and arbitrage for municipal securities and financial futures. Mr. O’Connor earned a B.A. degree in finance and philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in 1984.

Kalinoski, director at BlackRock, joined BlackRock following the merger with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers(MLIM) in 2006. Prior to joining MLIM in 1999, he was with Strong Capital Management. Mr. Kalinoski earned a B.S. degree in accounting from Marquette University in 1992. Kalinoski holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Phillip Soccio, CFA, Director and portfolio manager, is a member of the BlackRock's Fixed Income Portfolio Management Group.Prior to assuming his current role in 2007, Mr. Soccio was a member of BlackRock's Cash Management Group, where he was responsible for managing various tax-exempt money market funds. From 1998 to 2000, he was a member of BlackRock's Account Management Group responsible for institutional client service and marketing support. Mr. Soccio began his career at BlackRock in 1998.

Kevin Maloney, CFA, Vice President, is a Portfolio Manager for the Municipal Mutual Fund Desk within BlackRock’s Global Fixed Income Group. Mr. Maloney began his career at BlackRock in 2011 as an Analyst on the Municipal Credit Research Team. He graduated from Drexel University in 2011 with a B.S. in Finance.

Sean Carney, Managing Director and Head of Municipal Strategy and Primary Markets team within BlackRock's Global Fixed Income Group. He is also a member of the firm's Investment Strategy Team, a Seven-member committee led by Peter Hayes and tasked with setting the strategic direction of BlackRock's tax-exempt product suite. Mr. Carney has 16 years' experience in the industry, having joined BlackRock in 2007 as a municipal bond trader on the Private Investor platform and previously working as a municipal bond broker at Chapdelaine & Co. in New York City. In his current role as Head Municipal Strategist, Mr. Carney monitors market developments on a daily basis and offers analysis and interpretation of technical and fundamental developments for BlackRock's broader municipal bond organization. He is a frequent commentator on the market and is a lead author of the firm's monthly municipal market review and outlook. In 2017 Mr. Carney received recognition as the industries top Municipal Strategist by Smith's Research and Grading covering over 80 buy-side and sell-side firms. Mr. Carney holds a bachelor's degree from Moravian College and served six years as an infantryman in the U.S. Army National Guard.