Carol Samuels

Carol Samuels is a managing director in public finance at Piper Sandler and has worked with Oregon municipalities for more than 35 years on financings of every type and description, traditional and nontraditional alike. She has emphasized work with school districts, cities, counties and special districts.

Samuels has developed particular expertise in Oregon's pension system, PERS, and is often called upon to provide advice and education on the financial impact of the pension plan. She is active on local commissions and boards and has participated in panels charged with Oregon tax reform and the financing of education. Among such activities, she is a member of the League of Oregon Cities’ Finance and Tax Committee and the Oregon Association of School Business Officials Legislative Committee. She was presented with the Oregon Government Finance Officers Association's President’s Award in 2026, Honorary Life Member Award in 2016 and Outstanding Contribution to Public Finance award in 2002. Samuels is also a member of the Piper Sandler Public Finance Advisory Committee.

During the 1997 Oregon legislative session, Samuels served as the tax and finance lobbyist for the League of Oregon Cities, during which time she represented cities in the drafting of the property tax limitation Measure 50. As such, she has a strong understanding of the Oregon property tax system and other financing options for local governments.

Formerly, Samuels worked in the public finance departments of U.S. Bank in Portland and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in New York. She also worked as a financial analyst for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York and as a lobbyist for the governor of New Jersey in Washington, D.C.

Samuels received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Yale School of Management and a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Tufts University. She holds Series 7, 50 and 52 securities licenses.