Juliet Kong Stiehl, head of public finance, eastern region for Build America Mutual

This Stories from the Field interview features Juliet Kong Stiehl, who is the head of public finance, eastern region for Build America Mutual, a municipal bond insurance company.

Juliet Kong Stiehl had an early interest in government studies and pursued an undergraduate major at Harvard University. Upon graduation, Stiehl interviewed and was accepted into a rotating analyst position at Financial Security Assurance, a legacy bond insurance company. That program afforded recent graduates the opportunity to work and learn in a variety of sectors and roles within the company. At that point in time, Stiehl wasn’t sure exactly where in finance she wanted to work, so the various rotations offered her insight into possible avenues to pursue. Analyst training programs are offered by many of the largest investment and commercial banks and, in some cases, are considered on par with an MBA in finance—although with the difference that you work in different departments and get paid. As Stiehl moved through the various rotations, she realized that her interest in government finance was a good fit.