Maria Runnels has over 20 years of expertise in accounting, finance, and compliance, assisting the public and private sectors in strategies. Ms. Runnels has served the City of Atlanta Department of Finance since 2005, having progressive roles managing the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Water and Wastewater enterprise debt portfolios, respectively, and currently serves as Investor Relations Manager. As Investor Relations Manager, Ms. Runnels organized the City's investors conferences in 2017 and 2023 and has been instrumental in crafting and implementing the City's continuing disclosure practice and financial compliance measures while managing the Water and Wastewater debt portfolio.

Ms. Runnels holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Accounting from the University of California, Santa Barbara; an MBA in Business Administration, Marketing from Loyola Marymount University; and is a certified public accountant. She has had the honor of serving as a panelist for GFOA's 4th Annual MiniMuni Conference (The Importance of Voluntary Disclosures) and 117th Annual Conference (Disclosure Update) and currently serves as a member of the GFOA Committee on Governmental Debt Management.