About

Since 2008, our team has advised on over 650 financings totaling over $25 billion for California K-14 districts.  Drawing from our team’s collective 45 years of experience, we understand the need for high-level technical analysis and innovative ideas as well as a strong, independent fiduciary.  We take pride in our tailored financial solutions and prudent approach.

Chet Wang, Managing Director
Phone: (310) 322-4222 ext. 101
Email Me | LinkedIn | Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Chet Wang is a registered municipal advisor with an exclusive focus on California education municipal bonds. He has provided municipal advisory and investment banking services to California school and community college districts since 2005 and has advised on nearly $20 billion in bond financings. Chet takes a quantitative approach to bond financings and specializes in structuring bond programs, analyzing debt capacity, preparing credit profiles, and analyzing market developments.  

Prior to becoming a municipal advisor in 2008, Chet was a member of Piper Jaffray’s California Education Public Finance Group. Serving on the investment banking side has provided Chet with a unique perspective on the bond underwriting process. This knowledge and experience has helped Chet navigate bond pricings and advocate for lower interest rates on behalf of issuers. 

Chet received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He double majored in Business Economics and Communications and minored in Accounting.

Tony Hsieh, Managing Director
Phone: (310) 322-4222 ext. 100
Email Me 
Tony Hsieh has advised California school and community college districts since 2001 and has structured over $12 billion in bond financings. Tony started Keygent’s public finance practice in 2008 when he saw a need for a municipal advisor focused on quantitative analysis. As a former lead investment banker in Piper Jaffray’s California Education Public Finance Group, Tony structured and led the sale of hundreds of bond financings. 

As a municipal advisor, Tony applies his quantitative background to serving California educational entities as their independent fiduciary. Tony has particular expertise in developing general obligation bond programs, generating sensitivity analysis and scenarios, refinancing/restructuring debt, conducting credit analysis, and negotiating interest rate improvements.  

In his 16 years in the municipal bond industry, Tony has helped districts navigate the real estate recession, credit crisis, Federal stimulus programs, and legislation changes. Tony received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Chris Hiatt, Director
Phone: (310) 322-4222 ext. 102
Email Me | LinkedIn
Chris Hiatt has advised California school and community college districts since 2011. She has expertise in planning and advising on general obligation bond programs, certificates of participation, special tax bonds, bond anticipation notes, and tax and revenue anticipation notes. She also has experience structuring financings for school facilities improvement districts, pooled issuers, and joint power authorities. She has advised on nearly $12 billion in financings for California K-14 districts located up and down the State.

Chris’ broad experience across different types of debt for a range of issuers has given her a deep knowledge base for planning bond financings. She is known for working tirelessly to find creative, tailored solutions to complex issues.

Chris is a member of Women in Public Finance (Los Angeles Chapter) and the California Association of School Business Officials, and regularly attends the conferences for the Association of Chief Business Officials and the California School Boards Association. She earned both her Master of Business Administration degree and Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Loyola Marymount University. 

Joy Arai, Chief Compliance Officer
Phone: (310) 322-4222
Email Me | LinkedIn
Joy Arai serves as the Chief Compliance Officer of Keygent. In this role, she is responsible for leading the internal processes for promoting and ensuring Keygent’s compliance with laws, regulations, company policies and contracts. She is also responsible for formulating and implementing Keygent’s policies and procedures, including its code of conduct and making sure they are communicated and trained across the company. Joy is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) with 20 years of combined audit and corporate accounting experience. Her specialties include internal controls (Sarbanes Oxley – section 404), policies and procedures, process improvement and internal/external audit.  

Joy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.