Andrew Ach
Partner and Professional

An industry leader in pioneering assessment districts to fund school district facility maintenance throughout California, Mr. Ach has been involved exclusively in school district finance since 1989, managing hundreds of general obligation and lease financings for school districts and possessing extensive experience with school bond ballot measures.

As a financial advisor drawing on service in corporate, nonprofit and public finance arenas, Mr. Ach has successfully brought to market both long-and short-term financings for more than 75 school districts, structuring and selling general obligation bonds, refundings, certificates of participation, assessment bonds, tax and revenue anticipation notes, pooled financings, Marks-Roos and limited obligation bonds. Serving as lead advisor on more than 25 school district transactions during the past five years, he also negotiates mitigation agreements.

Prior to co-founding Northcross, Hill & Ach in 2000, Mr. Ach ran his own financial advisory firm, Andrew Ach & Associates, for several years.

Mr. Ach received his B.S. degree from the University of California , Riverside (1974) and his M.B.A. from the University of California , Los Angeles (1977).

G. Craig Hill
Partner and Professional

With more than 19 years of experience in public finance, Mr. Hill has served as financial advisor to numerous California cities, redevelopment agencies, special districts, and school districts since 1993, managing public financing for major commercial and residential developments as well as public sector projects.

Mr. Hill has extensive experience in tax allocation bonds, utility revenue bonds, general obligation bonds, certificates of participation, tax and revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, and special tax and assessment bonds. He began his public finance career as an analyst for Sacramento Municipal Utility District, where he was involved with the financial analysis and economic feasibility of the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant. He also worked for the State of California, developing tax-exempt financing programs for the State’s facilities. Mr. Hill led the financial services department for Jones Hall, Hill & White, a leading California bond counsel firm in late 1989 through early 1992.

Prior to co-founding Northcross, Hill & Ach in 2000, he co-founded Project Finance Associates.

Mr. Hill received B.S. degrees in Managerial Economics and Agricultural Economics from the University of California at Davis (1988).

Mark Northcross
Partner and Professional

A public finance professional since 1981 and consultant to local government since 1974, Mr. Northcross' practice at NHA focuses primarily on the needs of city governments. This encompasses all forms of debt issuance available to municipalities, ranging from utility revenue, assessment, Mello-Roos and tax allocation bonds to certificates of participation and tax and revenue anticipation notes.

During his 27-year career in public finance, Mr. Northcross has served as the financial advisor on more than 300 bond financings for agencies within California and more than 60 land-secured financings. Over the past 10 years, he has managed over 50 public financings for real estate development. He is a specialist in the negotiation of public/private partnerships between public agencies and land developers. In the past 10 years he has negotiated 14 major public financing/revenue rebate agreements between real estate developers and public agencies. Mr. Northcross served as a consultant to California cities on land planning issues, CEQA and on the economic impact of new development before entering the public finance arena.

Mr. Northcross was a founding partner of Kelling, Northcross & Nobriga before co-founding Project Finance Associates, which in turn merged with Andrew Ach & Associates in 2000 to become Northcross, Hill & Ach.

Mr. Northcross received his B.A. degree in Social Sciences from the University of California at Irvine (1973).

Lisa Liang Siemsen
Partner and Professional

Lisa Liang Siemsen came to Northcross, Hill & Ach early in 2006 with nearly 15 years of public finance experience and broad expertise in complex financial structuring, financial modeling and credit analysis.

Ms. Siemsen works with cities, redevelopment agencies, school district and transit authorities, and has specific transaction experience with revenue bonds, long-term and short-term financings and negotiated and competitive bond sales. Among her accomplishments are creating finance plans for the San Francisco Municipal Railway and the North Bay County Flood Control District; developing a management tool for capital planning for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART); analyzing debt capacity for the San Francisco YMCA; producing a comprehensive capital planning and finance plan for the Allegheny County Port Authority and creating sophisticated debt restructurings for several school districts.

Previously an underwriting officer, investment banker and bond insurance analyst, Ms. Siemsen founded Causeway Financial Consulting in 1997 to provide public financial advisory services to municipal clients.

Ms. Siemsen received a B.A. degree in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley (1989) and a Master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. (1991).

Christine Donohue
Office Manager

Northcross, Hill & Ach’s Office Manager since mid-2001 brings 27 years of experience in office administrative services to the firm. Ms. Donohue provides research services, develops presentations, prepares deal documents, plans and coordinates events, handles marketing and advertising, and maintains the company’s website in addition to providing support and administrative services to the four principal partners.

An entrepreneur in her own right, Ms. Donohue owned and operated her own business in the construction industry for several years. She also has experience as a customer service supervisor, office manager and administrative assistant.

Ms. Donohue earned two A.A. degrees from the College of Marin, one in Liberal Arts and Science and the other in Natural Sciences (2000). She continues to enhance and update her office skills by taking courses in Business Office Technology at Santa Rosa Junior College.