Women at Baird Fixed Income Capital Markets: Kelly Mrsic

My work time is pretty balanced between client meetings and executing financings. Our team works with a wide variety of clients, including K–12 public school districts, electric and water utilities, libraries, higher education institutions and local governments. In one day, I can go from talking with a school district of 90,000 students about a $90 million capital financing plan to reviewing a $1 million refinancing for a rural water district serving fewer than 10,000.

Don’t sweat the small stuff! I know it’s so very simple and we hear it all the time, but it cannot be more true. One hundred years from now, no one will know or even think about what you’re stressing over at this very moment.

I’ve found you can be great at anything you put your mind, passion and effort behind – even if you are a woman in a field working mostly with men. If you are passionate about learning how cars work or nuclear science, you can do it. In 2022, in my opinion, there is nothing outside of your reach.

I can honestly say I never sought out to be thought of as “a leader.” My focus has always been getting the work done well and accurately – that has resulted in more responsibilities, leadership roles and promotions than anything else.

My two-year-old daughter, Laney, inspires me every day. Just recently, I was worried about a very important meeting that I’d overly prepared for. The day before the meeting, she climbed up in my lap and out of nowhere looked at me with her big, blue eyes and said, “Mommy, I’m proud of you.” I know she doesn’t fully understand what being proud means, but at the moment that’s all I needed to hear.  She inspires me to be strong, confident, passionate, honest and hard-working. I hope every day I show my daughter she be can anything she puts her heart, soul and passion behind.

You learn more from your failures than your victories. We all like winning or succeeding, but sometimes it takes a loss or failure to grow and develop professionally.