David Dowden is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at MacKay Shields. He joined MacKay Shields in 2009. Before joining the firm he was Chief Investment Officer at Financial Guaranty Insurance Company. David was previously with Alliance Capital Management as a Senior Portfolio Manager and at Merrill Lynch & Co. as a Municipal Strategist. David has an AB from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia University. He has been in the investment management industry since 1989.

Robert joined MacKay Shields in July 2009 when the firm acquired the assets of Mariner Municipal Managers LLC. He was the President and co-founder of Mariner Municipal Managers from 2007 to 2009. He has been a municipal portfolio manager since 1992, with a broad range of trading and portfolio management experience in the municipal markets. Robert was a Managing Director and Co-Head of BlackRock’s Municipal Portfolio Management Group (from 2006 to 2007). Prior to BlackRock’s merger with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, he served as a Senior Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of the Municipal Products Group. He was employed by Merrill Lynch from 1993 to 2006. Robert is a member of the firm’s Senior Leadership Team. He earned his Master’s degree at Rutgers University Business School and an undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Scott is a Senior Managing Director. He is joined MacKay Shields in 2009. Before joining the firm he was Head Trader, Fixed Income, at Financial Guaranty Insurance Company. Scott was previously with Dreyfus Corporation and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers as a Municipal Bond Portfolio Manager/Trader. He has a BSBA from Villanova University. Scott has been in the investment management industry since 1991.

Frances joined MacKay Shields in July 2009 and is currently a Senior Managing Director. Before joining the firm she was Director of Research for Mariner Municipal Managers and was previously at Merrill Lynch. Frances began her municipal analyst career in 1991 at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers where she was a Senior Fund Analyst covering various sectors of the municipal market, becoming a Director in the Municipal Research Group in 1997. Frances earned an MBA in Finance from Boston University and a BS in Economics from the University of Michigan.

John is a trader and Portfolio Manager on the municipal bond team focused on high yield. John joined MacKay Shields in 2016. Before joining the firm he was Vice President Equity Sales at Deutsche Bank and was previously at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. From 1997-2011, he was a senior trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. John has a broad and diverse set of skills in sales, trading, and electronic trading platforms. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Lehigh University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from American University. He has been in the financial services industry since 1997.

Sanjit Gill is a Director and joined MacKay Shields in 2021. Prior to joining, he was a retail high grade and electronic trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Psychology from Baruch College in 2016 and a Master’s in Applied Mathematics from Hunter College in 2021. He is a CFA Charterholder, and has been in the financial services industry since 2016.