Rob Ketner, Director, Public Finance Banker

Rob Ketner brings nearly 15 years of public finance experience to his work with higher education institutions, helping them fund capital projects, manage their existing debt, and plan for the future. Throughout his career, he has served as a trusted partner to colleges and universities of all sizes, offering clear, practical guidance to leadership teams as they pursue their schools’ strategic goals. His transactional experience includes multi-phase P3 student housing projects, wholesale portfolio restructurings, cost-saving refinancings, and infrastructure borrowings. In addition, he has authored debt capacity and operational assessments and developed long-range financial forecasting models.

Prior to rejoining Baird, Rob spent nearly a decade at First Tryon Advisors, where he most recently served as a Director and co-led the firm’s higher education advisory practice. Earlier in his career, he spent 4 years at Baird serving borrowers across various industry sectors and contributing as a member of the firm’s National Quantitative Resource Group. Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Duke University and a Master of Management Studies degree from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.