Experience
Small, but strategically focused, Sycamore brings depth, expertise and a passion for its clients to each assignment.
Diana Hamilton
President
A leader in public finance in the Midwest, Ms. Hamilton draws from her 25 years’ experience in finance to lead Sycamore Advisors. After receiving her M.B.A. from the Yale University School of Management, Ms. Hamilton began her career by completing the rigorous training program (celebrated in Michael Lewis’ Liar’s Poker) at Salomon Brothers, Inc. She went on to run a Broker/Dealer subsidiary for a Midwestern regional bank, establishing their municipal underwriting practice. From 1997 to 2003, Ms. Hamilton served as the Director of Public Finance for the State of Indiana, overseeing the issuance of more than $1.9 billion in debt financing for major capital projects. Ms. Hamilton also supervised Indiana’s two largest public pension funds, with assets totaling more than $15 billion, shepherding their transition from a 100% fixed income portfolio to a balanced global asset allocation mix. During Ms. Hamilton’s tenure as Director of Public Finance, she guided the State of Indiana through two successive upgrades to its credit ratings, being named for her efforts as a “Sagamore of the Wabash” by Governor Frank O’Bannon, Indiana’s highest award for public service.
Ms. Hamilton is a Life Trustee for the Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy. She was a founding member of the Indiana chapter of Women in Public Finance and also served on the board of the national organization. Governor Daniels appointed her to the Indiana Secondary Market Education Loan board, the entity which manages the state’s student loan portfolio, where she serves as vice-chair and head of the audit committee. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard appointed her to the Metropolitan Development Commission, where she served for 7 years. She holds the Series 50 and Series 54 Municipal Advisor Representative designation from the MSRB.
Email: dhamilton@sycamoreadvisors.com
Phone: 317.631.1900
Peter Orr
Senior Managing Director
Peter Orr brings over 30 years of experience as a muni investment banker at JPMorgan and Bear Stearns, derivatives specialist, municipal finance technologist, quantitative modeling and municipal advisor, having worked on over $45 billion in tax exempt financings. In 2023, he was
municipal advisor for a series of Chicago Sales Tax and G.O. transactions which collectively won the 2023 Deal of the Year award from the Bond Buyer.
Mr. Orr focuses on having the analytical tools so that the issuer can make informed, evidence based decisions and appropriately quantify risk at various junctures in the financing process. Mr. Orr received his Masters of Science and Applied Mathematics from University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Florida. He is a CFA Charter holder as well as holder of both the MSRB Series 50 MA and Series 54 Principal MA licenses.
Email: porr@sycamoreadviors.com
Phone: 212.380.7624
Ching Yin
Senior Vice President
Ms. Yin joined Sycamore in 2024 and has over 25 years of experience in Public Finance with extensive quantitative skills. Ms. Yin has developed computer models for bond structuring, cash flow projections and default tolerance to provide clients with a variety of options related to debt issuance structures and the corresponding effects on long-term capital funding and debt capacity. These models and analysis have been an integral part of rating agency presentations and the policy decision-making process. Ms. Yin’s area of specialty includes SRF pool program, clean energy, and charter schools. For almost a decade, Ms. Yin worked with the New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority, structuring both their EFC bonds and stand-alone issuances. Ms. Yin holds a Bachelor of Economics in Public Finance from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (China) and an MBA in Finance from Baruch College, the City University of New York. Ms. Yin holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) through the CFA Institute. She holds the Series 50 Municipal Advisor Representative designation from the MSRB.
Email: cyin@sycamoreadvisors.com
Phone: (646) 573-6451
Susan Rehfeldt
Analyst and Senior Compliance Assistant
Susan Rehfeldt, Analyst and Senior Compliance Assistant since 2015, has over 25 years of experience working in financial, administrative and junior analyst positions for various financing authorities, including Business Analyst for the Indiana Transportation Finance Authority (now part of the Indiana Finance Authority) and serving in the Treasurer’s Office at the Indianapolis Airport Authority, where she assisted with debt management functions of the Airport as the Airport issued over $900 million in debt over a multiple year period to fund construction of a new terminal and runways. Ms. Rehfeldt compiles/updates the Firm’s debt databases for each client, researches and analyzes data in various U.S. Census Bureau and BLS databases, including economic and demographic data. Ms. Rehfeldt also assists with all SEC and MSRB compliance functions, assuring that the Firm meets regulatory deadlines, and all documents are in order for SEC audits.
Email: srehfeldt@sycamoreadvisors.com
Phone: 317.631.1900