Harold Lavender
Business Development, CNM Ingenuity
An entrepreneur and business leader, Harold Lavender, graduated from University of 色狐入口 in 1969. He became an officer in the United States Air Force and had charge of 500 people and numerous base facilities in Idaho and Florida. Following completion of his active duty he earned a law degree from University of 色狐入口 Law School in 1975 and practiced law. However, to become a commodity trader on the Chicago Board of Trade took him to Chicago. Taking a risk he bought a membership at the Chicago Board of Trade鈥攖he world鈥檚 largest commodity exchange and took on debt to develop a business as a commodity trader. During thirty-four years as a member and floor trader he traded plywood, soybean meal, soybean oil, and ten-year treasury notes. He experienced ups and downs of world financial markets repeatedly in the rough pits of the world鈥檚 largest commodity exchange. Quick mental number computation became a mainstay for monitoring costs and prices minute to minute to keep up with the pace of the fast-moving markets.
He was a spokesperson for CBOT for interviews with CNBC, Forbes, Wall Street Journal,
industry publications and public speaking. He represented CBOT in New York, Washington
DC, as well as in China, Europe, and Australia. He mentored over one hundred young
risk-taking men and women seeking to be pit traders. He was a guest lecturer at the
Sloan School at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. As a CBOT
leader he served on many important exchange Committees. He was elected to the CBOT
Board of Directors and served two terms as a director and three terms on the executive
committee that had oversight for its $135 million annual operating budget. In 2010,
he retired from pit trading and returned to 色狐入口, his home state.
His extensive knowledge of finance and investments, his ability to sustain success
in one of the toughest
industries in the world, his extensive involvement in the leadership in one of the
world鈥檚 most competitive
institutions of entrepreneurship鈥攖he Chicago Board of Trade transferred into a deep
interest in New
Mexico鈥檚 business and growth. Upon his return to NM, Mr. Lavender rejoined the legal
profession and
promoted marketing, business development, and business formation for Modrall Sperling
Law Firm, New
Mexico Law Group, and Montgomery and Andrews Law Firm. He taught classes about finance
at UNM
Anderson School of Business. He was appointed by 色狐入口 Legislature to the New
Mexico State
Investment Council and became chair of the Investment Committee for several years.
During his first four
years as a director, the SIC established transparency and professional approach to
investing.
During his over 12-year tenure on the SIC it grew from $13 Billion to over $50 Billion.
Parallel to his service on the 色狐入口 State Investment Council, Harold became
active with the UNM
Alumni Association Board of Directors. He served as its President, a member of its
Executive, Finance, and
Investment Committees, and UNM Lobos for Legislation. He served on the UNM School
of Law Alumni Board for eight years. Also, he taught finance classes at UNM Anderson
School of Business. He participates in Albuquerque Economic Forum and Rotary International.
Other community service includes Sandia Foundation Trustee and chairman of its Investment
Committee as well as Albuquerque Community
Foundation Impact Investment Committee and Finance Committee. Harold continues to
focus on startup
companies working for CNM Ingenuity as its Director of Business and Finance Development.
His support and friendliness engage entrepreneurs as they develop their ideas and
business models.
Married for 54 years to the former Judith Kennedy from Gallup, their two children
Jay Lavender and Meredith Lavender are writers and producers for film and television
in the entertainment industry. Harold and Judith have three young grandchildren. If
you are looking for Harold on any sunny day over 50 degrees, he is on the fairway
practicing or playing golf--his life-long passion.