Seth Metcalf
Seth Metcalf | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Deputy Treasurer of Ohio | |
| In office 2011–2017 | |
| Appointed by | Josh Mandel |
| Governor | John Kasich |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | Ohio State University (BA) Cornell University (JD) |
Seth Metcalf is an American attorney, chief financial officer, insurance executive, and former public official who served as deputy treasurer of Ohio from 2011 to 2017 during the tenure of Treasurer Josh Mandel. He subsequently served as an appointed investment expert and trustee for the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System, one of the largest pension funds in the United States.
Following graduation from Cornell Law School in 2004, Metcalf practiced law in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, corporate restructuring, taxation, bonds, and public finance as an associate at Squire Patton Boggs.
During his tenure at the Ohio Treasury, Metcalf implemented programs focused on reducing financing costs for state and local government, improving savings and investment programs for individuals with disabilities, as well as promoting transparency with a searchable database of government expenditures.
He returned to the private sector in 2017 to become chief financial officer of Bold Penguin, an insurance and financial technology company.
Education and early career
[edit]In 2001, Metcalf graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in political science.[1][2] He subsequently attended Cornell Law School, graduating with a JD in 2004.[3] While a law student, he joined the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, where he was a note editor.[4][5]
Following graduation from law school, Metcalf joined the international law firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey (now Squire Patton Boggs) where he was an associate in the tax and financial practice areas until his selection as deputy treasurer.[1][3]
Government service
[edit]In 2011, Metcalf was appointed by Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel to serve as deputy treasurer and executive counsel. In this role, Metcalf developed and implemented several public finance initiatives. These efforts frequently used technology to improve efficiency and transparency for state financial transactions.[1]
Metcalf oversaw the launch of Ohio’s Market Access Program, which created a marketplace for municipalities to issue bonds, lowering interest expenses for public debt in Ohio. Metcalf was recognized for the program's implementation with an award from The Bond Buyer, a trade newspaper specializing in analysis of the bond industry.[6]
A major initiative during Metcalf's tenure was OhioCheckbook.gov, a government spending transparency platform. Prior to Metcalf and Mandel beginning their terms at the Treasury, the state of Ohio had been ranked near the bottom in financial transparency. They launched Ohio Checkbook in large part to address these issues by creating an improved searchable database to report expenditures across Ohio’s state and local government, allowing citizens to track spending and search entries across multiple categories.[1][7][8][9] This program was credited with raising Ohio’s transparency ranking from 46th to 1st in the United States as assessed by the Public Interest Research Group.[10]
In June 2016, Ohio launched a program called STABLE Accounts, which allowed Ohioans with disabilities to invest without losing eligibility for public benefit programs like Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance. This made Ohio the first state with a program to allow its residents to benefit from tax-advantaged savings pursuant to the ABLE Act.[11]
Retirement system trustee
[edit]After concluding his tenure in the Treasury in 2017, Metcalf was appointed as an investment expert to the board of trustees of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, one of the largest pension systems in the United States.[12] He also served as a trustee for Ohio’s Deferred Compensation Plan, an optional retirement supplement for Ohio public employees.[1]
Private sector
[edit]Since returning to the private sector, Metcalf has served as an executive for companies in the financial sector.
In 2017, Metcalf joined the fintech company Bold Penguin as chief financial officer.[13] The company functions as an insurance portal, creating an online marketplace to streamline commercial property & casualty insurance. In 2021, Bold Penguin was acquired by American Family Insurance for an undisclosed sum.[14]
In 2021, he became the chief operating officer of SoLo Funds, a Los Angeles-based consumer finance marketplace.[15] He had served as an advisor to the company since 2017.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Seth Metcalf". State Financial Officers Foundation. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
- ^ "Seth Metcalf". Justia Lawyers. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ a b "NMTC Monthly Report" (PDF). December 2007. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ "Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy Board Members 2003-2004" (PDF). Cornell University. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ "Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy Board Members 2002-2003" (PDF). Cornell University. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ "DOTY 2014: Small Issuer Deal of the Year Acceptance". Bond Buyer. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Johnson, Alan (December 1, 2014). "Want to know how the state is spending money? You can find it online now". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ "New transparency partnership will help all Ohioans monitor government". The Buckeye Institute. 2016-08-30. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Borchardt, Jackie (2014-12-02). "Online checkbook allows taxpayers to track state spending". Cleveland. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ DeVito, Maria (March 18, 2015). "Ohio ranked No. 1 in nation for transparency in government spending". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Borchardt, Jackie (2016-06-13). "Ohio STABLE investment account program for people with disabilities expands". Cleveland. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ "Board of Trustees". Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ "Bold Penguin Appoints Former State of Ohio Deputy Treasurer as CFO". Marketwired. September 19, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ Williams, Mark (2021-01-14). "American Family Insurance buys Bold Penguin". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
- ^ SoLo Funds. "SoLo Funds appoints COO to continue promoting financial autonomy for all". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2025-05-11.