Stephanie D. Wagner

Stephanie has extensive experience in complex government transactions, particularly in the infrastructure sector. Stephanie advises on path-breaking road, bridge, airport, parking, mass transit, convention center and social infrastructure concession and public-private partnership transactions, serving in different transactions as either government entity counsel, sponsor's counsel or lenders' counsel.

Stephanie also has broad experience in public finance transactions. She has represented clients in tax-exempt financings as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, issuer's counsel, conduit borrower's counsel and credit enhancer's counsel and has participated in short-term and long-term financings involving educational institutions, 501(c)(3) corporations, multi-family housing, healthcare providers, transportation and professional sports stadiums.

Stephanie also represents clients in various state and local government matters, including in the areas of ethics, public utility tax issues and legislative drafting and statutory interpretation.

Infrastructure Financing

• Represented private placement investors as designated lender's counsel for the winning bidder on a design-build-finance-operate-maintain PPP for the Indianapolis Consolidated Justice Facility, through an availability payment contract.
• Acted as designated lenders' counsel to a shortlisted proposer on the University of California, Merced 2020 project, a first-of-its-kind availability payment PPP project.
• Served as underwriters’ counsel for the issuance of $1.75 billion in surface transportation facility revenue bonds in 2019 as well as for the issuance of $600 million of surface transportation private activity bonds in 2017 for the Brightline/Virgin Trains USA passenger rail project.
• Representing TxDOT on a TIFIA loan for the Midtown Express managed lanes project in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
• Acted as lenders' counsel for a shortlisted proposer on the Pennsylvania Rapid Bridge Replacement design, build, finance and maintain project.
• Represented WVB East End Partners, as the borrower, in the issuance by the Indiana Finance Authority of more than $675 million in transportation private activity bonds to fund the Ohio River Bridges East End Crossing Project (named The Bond Buyer's "2013 Deal of the Year").
• Served as project finance counsel to Grand Parkway Transportation Corporation (GPTC), a public non-profit corporation established by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the purpose of acting on behalf of TxDOT by developing, financing, refinancing, designing, constructing, reconstructing, expanding, operating or maintaining some or all of the Grand Parkway toll project in Houston, which included negotiation and drafting of a "toll equity loan agreement" (TELA) between GPTC and TxDOT to support a portion of the $2.92 billion in toll revenue bonds issued by GPTC in August 2013 to finance the project.
• Represented GPTC in its negotiation and execution of an $850 million TIFIA loan for the Grand Parkway project in 2014 and the negotiation and successful closing of a $605 million TIFIA loan for the Segments H&I expansion of the Grand Parkway project in 2019.
• Acted as designated lenders' counsel for the private activity bond financing by a shortlisted proposer on the Pennsylvania Rapid Bridge Replacement project, a design, build, finance and maintain P3.
• Represented underwriters on the Regional Transportation District of Denver's $397.84 million tax-exempt transportation private activity bonds for the Eagle P3 Project in 2010 (Regional Deal of the Year by The Bond Buyer).

Municipal Finance

• Acted as underwriters' counsel for an IFA bond offering for the benefit of Roosevelt University (Chicago) in 2018.
• Represented not-for-profit borrowers on two tax-exempt direct purchase IFA conduit transactions in 2015.
• Acted as bond counsel for the City Colleges of Chicago bond financing in 2013.
• Advised the State of Illinois, from November 2011 through January 2014, as bond and disclosure counsel, with respect to general obligation bonds and sales tax revenue bonds.
• Acted as underwriters' counsel for an IFA bond offering for the benefit of the University of Chicago in 2012.
• Acted as underwriters' counsel for an IFA bond offering for the benefit of Loyola University Chicago in 2012.
• Acted as bond counsel for various public finance offerings of the Chicago Board of Education.
• Acted as bond counsel for a refinancing by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District in 2012.
• Represented the Indianapolis Local Public Improvement Bond Bank's $159.52 million of PILOT infrastructure project bonds that were part of the sale and transfer of the City's water and sewer systems to non-profit Citizens Energy Group in 2010 (Regional Deal of the Year by The Bond Buyer).
• Represented the Regional Transportation Authority, as issuer's counsel, on a variety of its public finance offerings and related matters.
• Represented the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, as issuer's counsel, on a variety of its public finance offerings and related matters.