Voyageur gets new president.

John Taft was named president of Voyageur Asset Management in Minneapolis, the firm's chairman, Michael Dougherty, said last week.

Mr. Taft had been a managing director and head of the public finance department at Piper, Jaffray & Hopwood Inc. in Minneapolis.

"John brings a perfect combination of expertise and experience to Voyageur," Mr. Dougherty said. "He has considerable depth in public finance and investment banking, combined with firsthand knowledge of the fiscal management issues faced by Voyageur's clients in the government and nonprofit areas."

Voyageur is jointly owned by Dougherty Dawkins Inc. and Marquette Fund Advisors, a subsidiary of Marquette Bank Minneapolis N.A.

The firm has more than $1.8 billion under management. Voyageur manages and distributes nine mutual funds, including double tax-free municipal bond funds in Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, and North Dakota. It also manages taxable bond, municipal bond, and equity portfolios.

In addition to his public finance experience, Mr. Taft has worked as a deputy mayor of St. Paul, Minn., and as a reporter for the Sun newspaper, based in Lowell, Mass.

Mr. Taft is succeeded at Piper Jaffray by Frank Fairman, who had been a managing director in the public finance department, according to D.V. Steenson, managing director of the firm's fixed-income department.

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