Melanie Johnson

Melanie (Lien) Johnson

Managing Director, Housing and Education
Public Finance

Melanie Johnson joined Piper Sandler in 2006 and is a managing director in public finance investment banking. She works with state housing finance agencies, serving as underwriter or financial advisor to several agencies across the nation. Johnson has experience with tax-exempt and taxable single family and multi-family mortgage revenue bond transactions. She oversees all quantitative analysis, including yield calculations, rating agency cash flows, cash flow projections and bond issue structuring.

Johnson also has extensive experience with colleges, universities and private schools, as well as other non-profit and governmental clients. Johnson has assisted clients with publicly offered bond issues, private placements, debt capacity analysis, first-time ratings and strategic planning. Johnson works closely with her clients to guide them through these various processes and provides ongoing support to her clients including rating agency and investor communication.

Johnson is a CFA® charterholder and is a registered securities representative holding FINRA Series 7 and Series 50 licenses. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in finance. Johnson serves as the vice president of chapters for the National Women in Public Finance Board and is a past president of the Minnesota Institute of Public Finance Board. She also serves on the Downtown Community Board for the YMCA of the North as a past board chair and is a member of the Woodbury Racial Equity Steering Committee.