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.

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.