About Us
Our Leaders
Our leaders have current, relevant experience and the in-depth knowledge to help state and local governments and companies with private activity bonds benefit from timely and accurate advice and calculations.
Dianne Stewart
Dianne is the founding partner of Avant Strategic Partners, L.P. From 1982 through 2002 she worked in the tax department of Arthur Andersen, including 14 years on the management team of Andersen’s San Antonio office, and was one of the founding partners of BondResource Partners, LP from 2002 until early 2009, when she formed Avant with Ballard Spahr. Since 1988, she has served the tax-exempt bond market with arbitrage consulting services responsive to the needs of issuers. She understands the market, the players and the unique tax laws applicable to tax-exempt bonds.
Dianne has more than 30 years experience in taxation, and focuses on strategic issues for our clients. Her experience includes developing tax legislation, IRS ruling requests, managing IRS audits, IRS compliance surveys, IRS refund claims, and training ratings agency analysts and client personnel. She is an active member of the Education Finance Council, where she has been instrumental in commenting on proposed arbitrage regulations and obtaining requested changes.
Dianne is a Certified Public Accountant with a Masters in Accounting from the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Texas Society of CPAs (TSCPA)
Teresa Clune
Teresa has specialized in arbitrage services for over 15 years. She worked for Arthur Andersen from 1992 through 2002, continued her career with BondResource Partners LP through 2008 and currently holds a senior manager position with Avant Strategic Partners, LP. Prior to her career in arbitrage services, Teresa was a bank examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Teresa’s role includes managing a significant, complex client base with the utmost attention to quality and service. She has established long-term relationships with her clients by focusing on value creation and anticipating how regulatory changes might impact her clients’ business.
She also works extensively on designing streamlined processes and enhancing specialized arbitrage software. Teresa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance with minor in Spanish from the University of Kansas. She is a member of the Education Finance Council (EFC).
Matt Duke
Matt, a partner, originally joined Avant’s predecessor firm in 2003 and has extensive experience managing its most complicated arbitrage engagements. Matt leverages his background in process improvement and financial modeling to develop strategies that bring our clients value beyond the compliance function. Matt’s role includes providing first-class client service; planning and daily management of client engagements; and the development and implementation of compliance strategies.
Prior to joining the Firm, Matt worked for two Fortune 500 companies in various financial management roles, and served as Director of Client Service for a global consulting firm specializing in internal control and accounting process improvement services. Matt also honorably served our country as a member of the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite special operations unit.
Matt earned a BBA and MPA (Master of Professional Accounting) from the University of Texas at Austin and is a licensed CPA. He is an Associate Member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) and the National Council of State Housing Authorities (NCSHA).