Our Board of Directors brings strategic oversight and deep expertise to ensure every decision reflects our values and long-term impact

Between 1978 and 1996, Nancy was a successful investment banker specializing in Public Finance, Corporate Finance, and Federal Finance with several major Wall Street firms, including Dillon, Read and Company, Inc. (1978-1982); Shearson Lehman Brothers Inc. (1982-1990); and M. R. Beal and Company. From March of 2005 to January of 2007, she served as the Executive Director of the New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform. On December 31, 2008, Henze retired as the Executive Director of the Municipal Assistance Corporation for the City of New York where, during her 10-year tenure, she was responsible for the oversight and management of more than $2 billion in municipal debt and all financial, legal, and administrative functions of the Corporation.

‍Education

• Master of Business Administration in Finance, New York University Stern School of Business, New York NY
• Bachelor of Arts, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY

Thomas H. Green III was an investment banker for 22 years at Citigroup. Prior to his retirement, Tom served as Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure Finance in Citi’s Public Finance Department.  Tom’s clients included a variety of public and private institutions, ranging from state and local governments and their various project revenue bond issuing authorities to hospital systems, colleges, and universities.  He also has extensive experience in U.S. municipal market asset securitizations. From 1992-1998, Tom served as the First Assistant Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, reporting directly to the Attorney General.  Prior to that government service, he worked as an investment banker at the First Boston Corporation.

Education

• Juris Doctorate, Harvard Law School
• Master of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
• Bachelor of Arts, Harvard College

Professional Accreditation

• Member, Massachusetts Bar

Thomas E. Greene III is nationally recognized in the fields of law, finance and asset protection. He is the founder of Liberty Street Advisory Group and Liberty Street Law. His professional experiences include: Senior Vice President and investment banker at Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs; in-house legal counsel for a national financial services firm; expert testimony before the United States Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee; President’s transition team on capital finance; Chief Executive Officer American Stock Exchange-traded company; Distinguished Practitioner/Lecturer, University of Georgia Terry College; author, A Family Asset Protection Plan and nationally published articles; and asset protection lecturer, National Business Institute.‍

Education

• Juris Doctorate, Emory University Law School, Atlanta GA
• New York University Graduate School of Business, 1972-1974
• Bachelor of Arts, University of Georgia, Athens GA

Professional Accreditations and Affiliations

• Registered Investment Advisor, State of Georgia
• Member, Washington D.C. and Georgia Bar Associations

Samantha Costanzo has 23 years of experience in investment banking, working with state and local governments and higher education institutions to develop creative financing solutions. She’s served as senior manager on over $25 billion of tax-exempt and taxable financings across various sectors. In March 2024, she joined Huntington Capital Markets as Senior Managing Director and Head of Public Finance. In this role, Ms. Costanzo is responsible for developing and executing upon the bank’s growth strategy nationally and providing expertise with large and complex financings. Prior to this, Ms. Costanzo was the Head of the Midwest Region at Citigroup (2014-2024) and Jefferies (2009-2014). She began her career as a public finance analyst at Salomon Smith Barney.

Ms. Costanzo is active in the Chicago community, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Summer Business Institute. She is a fierce advocate for other women in the public finance sector, and is an active member and prior board member of Women in Public Finance. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Huntington Securities, Inc.

Ms. Costanzo graduated cum laude from the University of Florida and holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics.

Dr. Walter Bumphus retired in December 2025 from his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Community Colleges, a position he held for the previous 15 years. He served as distinguished professor in the Community College Leadership Program and as chair of the Department of Educational Administration. Dr. Bumphus held the A. M. Aikin, Jr. Regents Chair in Education Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Bumphus also served as System President of Louisiana Community and Technical College System from 2001-2007, where he was responsible to the Louisiana Community and Technical College System Board of Supervisors for providing leadership and direction for the State's seven community colleges, two technical-community colleges, and the 40 Louisiana Technical College campuses. He also led the development and implementation of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System Leadership Development Institute where more than 150 leaders have undergone training and approximately 50 percent of the participants have been promoted within the system. Dr. Bumphus was selected by the Association of Community College Trustees as the 2005 Marie Y. Martin CEO of the Year. From 1997-2000, Dr. Bumphus served as President of Voyager Expanded Learning, Higher Education Division, which created highly effective K-8 learning programs combining innovative curricula and advanced staff development and assessment to consistently achieve accelerated rates of learning. Voyager provided curricula to more than 1,000 school districts in 45 states. He was elected by community college presidents and chancellors to the American Association of Community Colleges' Board of Directors and was subsequently elected by members of the Board as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges for 1996-1997.

Education

• Ph.D. in Educational Administration, The University of Texas, Austin TX
• Graduate of the Executive Leadership Institute's League for Innovation in the Community College
• Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling; Bachelor of Science, Speech Communications -Murray State University, Murray KY

As Provident's President, CEO, and Vice Chairman of the Board, Mr. Hicks is a member of the executive team that establishes the company’s strategy, culture and fulfillment of its charitable missions.  Mr. Hicks also spearheads Provident’s public-private partnership financings, working with project partners and beneficiaries, financing partners, investors and rating agencies to ensure successful financial execution and an ongoing commitment to our partners for the life of our engagement.  His role includes management of origination, analysis, and execution efforts for transactions and project relationships across a variety of asset classes. Chris works to foster relationships with state and local governments, public and private universities and healthcare systems, as well as development partners, allowing Provident to utilize its proven financing platform to further not only its non-profit missions, but the missions of each of these partners.

Prior to joining Provident, Mr. Hicks spent 18 years in the Public Finance Department of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., departing in 2019as a Director in their Higher Education and Public Private Partnership Groups. During his time at Citi, Mr. Hicks worked with clients on over $25 Billion in financings.

Mr. Hicks holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Wake Forest University.

Outside of Provident, Mr. Hicks is also a member of the Board of Directors for Healing Transitions, a non-profit organization in Raleigh, NC, that provides recovery services and emergency shelter at no cost to homeless, uninsured, and underserved individuals struggling with addiction.

Provident founder, Steve Hicks, serves as the company's Founder and Executive Chairman.  Steve has served an integral role in every project undertaken by Provident since its inception and is largely responsible for building and leading the team of professionals that have made Provident one of the leading nonprofit partners in the industry.  Steve’s vision for Provident included the creation of a true, committed nonprofit partner focused on building communities and making essential projects a reality for our partners. Under his leadership, Provident has successfully financed roughly $9 billion in projects, and currently serves as owner, borrower or concessionaire on over $7.2 billion in projects around the country.

Prior to founding Provident, Steve practiced law for 25 years for several prestigious regional and national firms, specializing in the area of public finance with additional concentration in the area of legislative law. He participated in many public finance issues over his 25-year career in a variety of roles including bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, and counsel to the issuer. During his time practicing law, Mr. Hicks played a significant role in the formation of the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority, one of the nation’s largest issuers of debt securities for a wide range of public projects and served as the principal attorney or supervising partner on approximately$12 billion in project financings for acute care hospitals, nursing facilities, affordable housing, and numerous other essential state and local government projects.  

Mr. Hicks received his Juris Doctorate from the Louisiana State University School of Law, and his Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University.  

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• National Association of Bond Lawyers
• American Health Lawyers Association
• National Association of Proton Therapy
• National Council of Public Private Partnerships
• Fellow, Louisiana State University Academy of Politics

Community Involvement

• Board of Directors, APP Properties, Inc., New Canaan CT, 2012-present
• Board of Directors, O'Brien House, Baton Rouge, LA, 2010
• Board of Directors, American Red Cross – Louisiana Capital Region Chapter, 2000-2006
• Board of Trustees, East Baton Rouge Mortgage Finance Authority, 2005