Mikiyon W. Alexander

Director, Corporate and Government Finance Ratings
Standard & Poor’s
New York City
Age: 30


Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Mikiyon W. Alexander was called “Goody Two-Shoes” by his siblings. “When I saw my siblings get into trouble, I didn’t want to be next,” he explains. At 30, Alexander is the director of corporate and government ratings at Standard & Poor’s, the division that determines the creditworthiness and feasibility of public and private real estate projects. Such projects cannot move forward without his approval. “It’s so easy to say to a client, ‘it just doesn’t work because the numbers don’t work,’ so I try to stick to the methodology,” he says. “I’ve had some difficult conversations in the past two years because of the nature of the market.”

Alexander initially majored in English at Kentucky State University, with plans to become an English teacher. “But English is so subjective that I couldn’t deal with the up-and-down nature of my professors’ feedback, so I changed my major.” Armed with a bachelor’s degree in public administration, he moved to New York and obtained a master’s in urban policy analysis and management at The New School University. In 2005, he joined S&P as an associate in the division he now directs. He credits his achievement to his basic love of teaching. “I manage people well and I train people well because I’m a good teacher.”

He adds, “Finance is something I love to do, but I can’t do it forever. Teaching is something I enjoy, and it’s a good way for me to give back.” It’s no surprise, then, that Alexander mentors youth in various programs he serves as a volunteer, and that he’s establishing a scholarship fund for Kentucky State. “I challenge [those I mentor] that if they do well academically, I will pay for their ACT,” he says, referring to the college entrance exams. “I want to expose minority kids to [educational] opportunities.”

Fun Facts
Favorite singer: Donny Hathaway
Favorite book: “A Long Way Gone” by Ishmael Beah
Favorite charity: UNICEF