CNM Ingenuity CEO

Compensation

• $200,000 to $250,000 annually
• This is a contract position which will be renewed every fiscal year. Limited Term End Date

6-30-2027

Position Summary

Do Not Apply for this position via this site. Please contact our Executive Search Partner, LHH, as stated below:

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

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 le