Richard A. Ciccarone
Managing Director and Chief Research Officer

With nearly thirty years of investment industry experience, Mr. Ciccarone is responsible for managing the Company’s investment research resources. In addition, Mr. Ciccarone is a majority owner of Merritt Research Services, LLC, a municipal database research company affiliated with the Company. Previously, Mr. Ciccarone served as Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Fixed Income at Van Kampen Investments Inc., where he was primarily responsible for municipal asset management. Prior to that position, he served at Van Kampen as Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Municipal Investments and Director of Research.

Mr. Ciccarone also served in various capacities at EVEREN Securities Inc. and its predecessor firms as an Executive Vice President and Director of Fixed Income Research. Mr. Ciccarone was also a Vice President and Director of Unit Investment Trust Research for Van Kampen Merritt Inc. Additionally, he was manager of municipal research at Harris Bank (Chicago).

Mr. Ciccarone is a co-founder and past national chairman of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts and has received numerous awards and distinctions as the top buyside research director and top municipal generalist analyst from Smith’s Research & Ratings and The Bond Buyer as well as a first team All American Fixed Income Analyst from Institutional Investor magazine. He earned his B.A. degree at Miami University (Ohio) and his MA degree from The University of Akron.