Ciara Crawford
About Ciara Crawford
Ciara Crawford (born 1984) serves as Assistant Secretary of DWS Municipal Income Trust (KTF), a role she has held since 2019, and is a Vice President at DWS as of 2025, reflecting deep fund administration and corporate secretary experience across the DWS fund complex . Fund officers who are employees of DWS or its affiliates receive no direct compensation from the Fund, with compensation determined by DWS; the proxy materials do not disclose individual cash or equity compensation for fund officers, nor TSR/revenue/EBITDA performance linkages attributable to Ms. Crawford . Contextually, the Fund has approved liquidation by November 30, 2026, shaping governance and administrative priorities during her tenure .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| DWS Municipal Income Trust (KTF) | Assistant Secretary | 2019–present | Corporate secretary responsibilities for the closed-end fund |
| DWS (Fund Administration) | Specialist | 2015–present | Fund administration and operational support across DWS funds |
| DWS Service Company | Secretary | 2024–present | Corporate secretarial duties for DWS affiliate |
| DWS Service Company | Assistant Secretary | 2018–2024 | Corporate secretarial support |
| DWS USA Corporation | Secretary | 2024–present | Corporate secretarial duties for DWS USA entity |
| DBX Advisors, LLC | Secretary | 2024–2025 | Corporate secretary for ETF advisor; governance support |
| DBX Advisors, LLC | Assistant Secretary | 2025–present | Ongoing corporate secretary support |
| DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. | Secretary | 2024–2025 | Corporate secretary for U.S. asset management entity |
| DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. | Assistant Secretary | 2025–present | Ongoing corporate secretary support |
| DWS Trust Company | Clerk | 2024–2025 | Corporate clerk duties |
| DWS Trust Company | Assistant Clerk | 2025–present | Ongoing corporate clerk support |
| DWS Distributors, Inc. | Secretary | 2024–2025 | Corporate secretary for distribution entity |
| DWS Distributors, Inc. | Assistant Secretary | 2025–present | Ongoing corporate secretary support |
| Assistant Secretary of U.S. Mutual Funds, DWS | Assistant Secretary | 2019–present | Corporate governance for U.S. mutual funds |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerated Tax Solutions | Legal Assistant | Not disclosed | Prior legal/administrative experience supporting compliance/administration |
Fixed Compensation
- Fund officers who are officers, directors, employees or stockholders of DWS or its affiliates receive no direct compensation from KTF; they are compensated by DWS or its affiliates, and therefore base salary, bonus, and equity award specifics for Ms. Crawford are not disclosed in the Fund’s proxy materials .
Performance Compensation
- The proxy materials do not disclose performance-based compensation metrics (e.g., revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR, ESG goals), targets, payouts, or vesting tied to Ms. Crawford’s compensation as a Fund officer; such arrangements, if any, reside with DWS employer policies and are not reported at the Fund level .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Section 16(a) compliance: The Fund states that, based solely on its review of filed forms and representations, all required beneficial ownership and changes-in-ownership filings were timely for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2024 (and similarly noted for the prior fiscal year), covering officers and Board Members, which would include Ms. Crawford; individual share counts/ownership percentages are not disclosed in the proxy .
- No disclosures of pledged shares, hedging arrangements, or stock ownership guideline requirements for Fund officers appear in the proxy materials; Independent Board Members’ compensation/fees are disclosed separately, but officer ownership/alignment detail is not provided .
Employment Terms
- Role and tenure: Assistant Secretary since 2019; elected annually by the Board across the DWS funds; officers are considered “interested persons” due to positions with DIMA/DWS affiliates .
- Appointment as proxy: Ms. Crawford is named among the appointed proxies to vote shareholder proxies for the 2025 annual meeting (common and preferred share proxy cards), evidencing active administrative and governance responsibilities .
- Contract specifics: The proxy does not disclose employment contracts, severance multiples, change-of-control triggers, accelerated vesting, clawbacks, tax gross-ups, non-compete/non-solicit, garden leave, or post-termination consulting for Fund officers (these would be governed by DWS employer arrangements, not the Fund) .
- Address references: Officer address noted as 875 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022; administrative correspondence for shareholder proposals routed to 100 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110 .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance visibility is limited: Ms. Crawford’s compensation is paid by DWS and not reported at the Fund level, constraining analysis of incentive alignment and levers like RSU/PSU performance conditions or severance/change-of-control economics; monitor DWS employer disclosures for granular comp data if available .
- Insider trading pressure appears low from fund-level disclosures: Section 16 filings were timely, but individual ownership, exercisable options, or pledging detail is not provided; continue to track Form 4 filings for any activity indicative of selling pressure or alignment shifts .
- Administrative influence: Her role as Assistant Secretary and appointed proxy for the 2025 meeting underscores operational control over governance workflows; stability depends on annual officer elections and DWS staffing rather than Fund-level contracts, implying moderate retention risk tied to DWS internal mobility rather than Fund economics .
- Corporate action outlook: The Board-approved liquidation by November 30, 2026 may reduce long-term alignment considerations at the Fund and intensify near-term administrative demands; governance execution and orderly wind-down processes remain the primary value levers for officers in this timeframe .