CNM Ingenuity CEO

Compensation
$200,000 to $250,000 annually
Limited Term End Date
6-30-2027

Position Summary
The CEO of CNM Ingenuity is the senior executive of the organization, accountable to the CNM Ingenuity Board of Directors for the strategic direction, operational performance, financial health, and mission integrity of the organization. Working collaboratively with the College President, the CEO ensures that CNM Ingenuity's strategy, pillars of work, and administrative practices align with and further the College's mission and extend a culture of innovation to the benefit of the College, the region, and the state.

This is a leadership role rather than a hands-on role across every function. The CEO leads through a senior team and is expected to build, develop, and hold accountable the functional leadership required across real estate, finance, contracts and managed services, programs, external relations, and operations. The CEO operates with significant executive authority and is expected to bring entrepreneurial energy, industry fluency, and governance experience to the role.

Duties & Responsibilities

THE CNM ENTERPRISE

Formed in 1965, Central New Mexico Community College (the College) is a public college created by statute and governed by an elected Governing Board. It is the largest undergraduate institution in New Mexico. In the most recent federal comparison cited by the College, CNM ranked first nationally for associate degrees and certificates earned by Hispanic learners, first for credentials earned by Native American learners, and second for the total number awarded by a community college.

The College enterprise includes three component organizations, each distinct yet related, and all within the “One CNM” brand:

• CNM Ingenuity, Inc.: a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation formed in 2014 under the New Mexico University Research Park and Economic Development Act (NMSA 1978, Chapter 21, Article 28). The Act provides a framework to create corporations that advance education, science, research, conservation, health care, and economic development.

• The CNM Foundation: a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that receives donations and gifts for the College enterprise, including CNM Ingenuity.

• CNM Holdings, Inc.: a for-profit corporation that holds title to most residential and commercial real estate purchased for the purpose of diversifying enterprise assets, among other things.

Together, these component organizations help the CNM enterprise remain resilient and responsive during a challenging period for higher education. Filings and annual audits are available through the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor.

ABOUT CNM INGENUITY

CNM Ingenuity serves as the College's innovation, economic diversification, and workforce development entity. It works with private and public partners to identify, test, implement, and scale entrepreneurial and statewide economic development opportunities, drawing on organizational and

cultural strengths distinct from those of the College itself. CNM Ingenuity revenues support the College's mission.

The majority of CNM Ingenuity's revenue-generating activity lies outside of programming. CNM Ingenuity manages two significant multi-year State contracts, including a $16.7 million agreement with the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department and a $22.0 million agreement with the New Mexico Public Education Department. It manages the College enterprise's most versatile investment fund, currently more than $20 million. It also manages commercial and residential real estate holdings and substantial short-term and long-term leasing of College properties. These activities are designed primarily to generate alternative revenues in support of the College's mission and to serve economic and community development goals.

CNM Ingenuity also serves as a test bed for responsive programming and for alternative models of delivering education and training, developed quickly and then scaled using the College's resources and systems. Its portfolio is organized around four pillars: real estate; entrepreneurship; managed services for State agencies and others; and workforce and contract training. Programs include accelerated skills training, deep technology workforce development, entrepreneurship support, venture fund management, and space solutions.

CNM Ingenuity's work is shaped by the needs of New Mexico's employers and learners, and those needs evolve. Current efforts support State and regional priorities in the quantum, sustainable energy, aerospace, and national security sectors and their supporting industries. The next CEO should expect these priorities to change over time and will be responsible for positioning CNM Ingenuity to move with them.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a transitional moment for CNM Ingenuity, and the next CEO is being asked to lead through it. The organization has grown from a research park with a handful of programs into a multifaceted innovation enterprise, and its structure now needs to catch up with its scale.

The next CEO will develop CNM Ingenuity's structure, policies, and practices so that the organization can continue to diversify and grow revenues for the College through investments, a growing real estate portfolio, and a range of entrepreneurial efforts. At the same time, the CEO will sustain CNM Ingenuity's role as a place where responsive programming and alternative models of education and training can be tested and then scaled across the enterprise.

The CEO will work with the CNM Ingenuity Board to set strategy, and with the College President and leadership team to align that strategy with the College's mission. CNM Ingenuity is also modernizing its governance, including revisions to its bylaws and to its Memorandum of Agreement with the College, and the next CEO will help carry that work forward.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

The CEO is accountable for results in each area below. In most areas the CEO leads through functional leaders and staff rather than performing the work directly, and is responsible for building the team and structure needed to deliver.

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development

• Develop and execute CNM Ingenuity's strategic vision and multi-year plan in partnership with the CNM Ingenuity Board, identifying and analyzing opportunities as they are presented to CNM Ingenuity and the College.

• Develop the organization's structure, policies, and practices so that CNM Ingenuity can continue to diversify and grow revenues for the College and can support its activities with sound internal controls.

• Sustain CNM Ingenuity's role as a test bed for responsive programming and alternative models of delivering education and training, and scale what works by drawing on the College's resources and systems.

• Anticipate and respond to shifts in industry, State priorities, and workforce demand, repositioning CNM Ingenuity's programs and partnerships as those demands evolve.

• Build a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and high performance across all CNM Ingenuity programs and functions.

• With the College President, maintain a collaborative working relationship among College and CNM Ingenuity leadership, faculty, and staff, advancing shared interests while maximizing CNM Ingenuity's organizational independence and benefit.

Revenue Diversification and Financial Stewardship

• Ensure the financial sustainability and integrity of CNM Ingenuity, including oversight of budget development, financial forecasting, and performance against plan and the College's financial goals, working through CNM Ingenuity's finance leadership.

• Oversee the negotiation, performance, and reporting of major contracts with State agencies and other partners, which represent a significant share of CNM Ingenuity's revenue.

• Oversee management of the College enterprise's investment fund, working with the Board's Finance and Audit Committee and with investment advisors as appropriate.

• Oversee the pursuit, execution, and reporting of federal, State, and non-government grants and contracts, in lead and support roles, consistent with CNM Ingenuity's mission.

• Serve as General Partner or Member for the ABQid Venture Fund and the Ingenuity Venture Fund; oversee the Fund Manager and supporting fund staff; and fulfill investment committee responsibilities, including new investment identification and portfolio oversight.

• Lead the establishment of a second venture fund, targeted at $25 million, working with the fund's advisory board and with counsel on fund formation and structure.

• With counsel, maintain policies and procedures ensuring compliance with federal, State, and local laws governing fund performance and investment activities.

Real Estate and Property Development

• As a member of the CNM Holdings Board of Directors, provide strategic leadership of the enterprise real estate portfolio, evaluating whether to sell, lease, or develop each property based on its characteristics, market conditions, and mission priorities.

• Oversee management of commercial and residential holdings and the short-term and long-term leasing of College properties as a source of alternative revenue.

• Build and oversee the CNM Ingenuity real estate function, including the positions and team structure needed to support development activity at scale. This is expected to be a staffed function led by the CEO, not carried by the CEO alone.

• Lead the CNM Ingenuity Commercial Real Estate Working Group, composed of CNM Ingenuity Board members, College Governing Board members, and organizational leadership, to assess and pursue opportunities aligned with shared goals of economic development, community vibrancy, and revenue generation.

• As the real estate structure develops and matures, lead CNM Ingenuity's real estate development initiatives, at times in coordination with the College's Physical Plant Department to complete complex facilities development.

• Oversee CNM Ingenuity's Space Solutions Department and its asset management programs to maximize College space utilization, support regional and State community efforts, and generate auxiliary revenues.

Industry and External Relations, and Programming

• Advance CNM Ingenuity by recruiting, developing, and maintaining industry relationships consistent with the “One CNM” brand identity, reputation, and relationship strategy.

• Build and sustain relationships with leaders across the technology-driven industries CNM Ingenuity serves, adapting focus as State and regional priorities evolve, to drive programming, partnerships, and economic development outcomes.

• Grow the College's and CNM Ingenuity's relationships with national laboratories, colleges and universities, funders, tenants, and government agencies that support regional programs and endeavors.

• Develop relationships with local, State, and national elected officials and industry leaders to advance CNM Ingenuity's and the College's interests and visibility.

• Represent CNM Ingenuity at local, State, and national levels, serving as the organization's primary external representative.

• Work with area institutions, agencies, and organizations to develop needed programming and services for business support and development at all stages.

• Identify, negotiate, and execute partnership agreements, joint ventures, and collaborative initiatives consistent with CNM Ingenuity's mission and financial interests and supportive of the College's financial and development goals.

• In observance of federal, State, and funder requirements, support the integration of education and learning programming, services, and data across the enterprise, including program and training assessment and reporting.

• Ensure CNM Ingenuity's contract training, workforce training, and skills development programs are industry and employer driven, and maintain quality, relevance, market demand, and financial sustainability.

Governance and Board Relations

• Report to the CNM Ingenuity Board of Directors, through the Board Chair, for performance, direction, and evaluation, and work in close partnership with the Chair.

• Support the CNM Ingenuity Board in setting the organization's strategic vision and multi-year plan consistent with the College's mission.

• Serve as a non-voting Ex-Officio member of the CNM Ingenuity Board of Directors, including participation in Finance and Audit, Nominating, and Executive Committee meetings as appropriate.

• As CNM Ingenuity CEO, serve on affiliated organization boards, on College leadership committees where beneficial, and on regional, State, and national organizations when invited.

• Provide the Board with timely, accurate, and transparent reporting on financial performance, operational outcomes, and strategic progress.

• Ensure CNM Ingenuity's governance practices, policies, procedures, and filings comply with applicable federal, State, and local laws and regulations, and with the organization's bylaws and Memorandum of Agreement with the College.

Organizational Leadership and Operations

• Oversee all CNM Ingenuity functional areas through their respective leaders: finance and operations, human resources, program and product development and delivery, technology services, and property management.

• Build and develop the senior leadership team, and develop a leadership and staffing succession plan consistent with the College's succession planning and staff development framework.

• Lead and motivate CNM Ingenuity staff; set priorities; conduct performance evaluations; ensure staff are trained and comply with policies; maintain a healthy and safe working environment; and make hiring, termination, and disciplinary recommendations.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

The College enterprise seeks a leader whose approach reflects the culture of CNM as much as the technical requirements of the position.

• Solutions oriented: Approaches opportunities and problems with a bias toward workable answers rather than obstacles.

• Enterprising: Brings imagination, initiative, and a willingness to undertake new ventures on behalf of the enterprise.

• Partnership minded: Drives impact through external partnerships and sustains relationships across government, industry, education, and community.

• Adaptable: Anticipates change in industry, funding, and State priorities and repositions the organization accordingly.

• Collaborative: Works effectively across distinct but related organizations and respects the shared identity of the “One CNM” brand.

• Judgment: Forms opinions objectively and refines them as information develops.

• Accountable: Sets clear expectations, measures results, and owns outcomes.

• Committed to learners: Understands and values the community college mission and the learners CNM serves.

Executive Search Partnership CNM Ingenuity has retained LHH Executive Search as its exclusive partner for this search: Executive search, advisory & coaching solutions | LHH

All candidate nominations, referrals, and inquiries regarding this opportunity should be directed to:

Melissa Estevez Executive Search Consultant, LHH Executive Search [email protected] | 617-313-8320

Megan McQuay Partner, Executive Search, LHH Executive Search [email protected] | 505-348-2982

Confidential inquiries are welcomed.

To be considered for this role, please provide your inquiry to LHH no later than October 15, 2026

Minimum Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including at least 5 years at a senior or executive level in a public, private, or nonprofit organization.

• Demonstrated experience leading a complex organization, including responsibility for financial performance and for building and developing senior teams.

• Demonstrated experience working with a governing board, or in nonprofit governance or multi-stakeholder organizations.

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree or equivalent executive experience preferred.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in commercial real estate, property development, or property portfolio management.

• Experience negotiating and managing large public sector contracts.

• Experience in or substantive exposure to technology-driven industries and the partnerships that support them.

• Experience managing or overseeing investment funds or venture funds, including fund formation.

• Experience in workforce development, economic development, or entrepreneurship, particularly in a community college, research park, or public-private context.

• Experience operating within a public institution or component organization structure.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Broad understanding of workforce development, economic development, and entrepreneurship.

• Ability to work and lead collaboratively within an organization and across multiple organizations and partners of differing levels and scale.

• Ability to build credible relationships with industry leaders and to become conversant quickly in the sectors CNM Ingenuity serves.

• Demonstrated adaptability, including the judgment to anticipate shifts in industry, funding, and State priorities and to reposition programs and partnerships accordingly.

• Working knowledge of commercial real estate principles, including lease structures, land use, development feasibility, and asset disposition.

• Strong financial management capabilities, including budget development, financial forecasting, investment oversight, and fiscal accountability in a nonprofit or higher education context.

• Effective relationship-building and negotiation skills across government, industry, academic, and community stakeholders.

• Ability to represent CNM Ingenuity with credibility and authority at local, State, and national levels.

• Strong operational and people leadership skills, and the ability to build and sustain a high-performing organizational culture.

• Ability to work effectively within complex governance structures, regulatory environments, and legal frameworks.

• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizational leadership and program design.

EEO STATEMENT:

As an EEO employer, Central New Mexico Community College will not discriminate in our employment practices based on an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, serious medical condition or status as a protected veteran or spousal affiliation. Central New Mexico Community College hires only U.S. citizens and individuals lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.