At Rice Financial, our top priority is seeing our clients succeed. We make this happen by working closely as a team across all levels of the organization, an inter-disciplinary dynamic that allows us to add value in every transaction and achieve the ingenuity that is a trademark of our firm.
3 Columbus Circle
15th Floor
New York, New York 10019
Phone: 212-908-9200
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Don Rice formed Rice Financial Products Company as a derivatives boutique in 1993. Mr. Rice received an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree in engineering with honors from Kettering University and an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Arkansas. In recent years, he served on the Board of Directors for the New York State Thruway Authority, Kettering University, New York City’s Head Start Program and New York City’s United Neighborhood Houses.
General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer
Lisa‐Sheri Torrence serves as internal legal counsel for Rice Financial Products Company as well as Chief Administrative Officer and Head of Information Technology. Before joining the firm in 2010, Ms. Torrence gained a broad range of experience in several business sectors, including positions with Citibank, Chase Bank, Hertz, SFX Entertainment/Clear Channel and EMI Music Group. Ms. Torrence was a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Justice Charles E. Ramos, New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division, and a Legal Fellow of the 15th Congressional District for Congressman Charles B. Rangel, former Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means. Ms. Torrence received her Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University. She is admitted to practice in the State of New York and is a member of the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, New York County Bar Association and Queens County Bar Association. She holds a Series 7 registration from FINRA.
Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Sales and Trading
Tim Barbera has 26 years of municipal bond trading experience, including institutional sales and brokering. In the past 10 years, he has provided underwriting services on more than 1,000 debt financings totaling $220 billion. As Head of Fixed Income Underwriting, Sales and Trading at Rice Financial, Mr. Barbera manages all of Rice Financial’s fixed income sales, trading and underwriting activity and serves as the firm’s senior underwriter. Mr. Barbera received an MBA and a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, where he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Finance. He is pursuing his PhD from Drexel University. He holds Series 7, 52, 53 and 63 FINRA registrations.
Controller/FINOP
Karen Nazzareno has 26 years of experience in financial services, including 10 years in the Controller/FINOP role. At Rice Financial, Ms. Nazzareno’s responsibilities include accounting and financial reporting, audit coordination and fiscal compliance. She also manages payroll at the firm. Ms. Nazzareno joined Rice Financial in 2019. Previous positions included working as a corporate controller, CPA and audit supervisor. Ms. Nazzareno graduated magna cum laude from Dowling College. In addition to her CPA certification, she holds a Series 27 registration (Broker Dealer FINOP) from FINRA.
Shannon Dunn joined Rice Financial in 2007 to direct the firm’s marketing and communications efforts. She devised and implemented a new marketing communications strategy that was integral to the rapid growth of the firm’s municipal bond underwriting practice, introduced a new brand across all departments, and implemented tracking systems to gauge the effectiveness of the firm’s marketing efforts and streamline communications processes. Ms. Dunn later launched the branding and marketing of several new businesses at Rice, including Rice Capital Access Program, LLC, the firm’s HBCU lending practice, and Rice Execution Services, an equity sales and trading service that accommodates both self-directed online firms and customers desiring hands-on execution. Prior to joining Rice, Ms. Dunn was Vice President of Marketing at George K. Baum & Company. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri.
