Giving back to those who give it all

Christopher (Chris) Lay is co-founder and CEO of LEONID. His background includes professional practice in the Healthcare, Financial Services, Technology, and Specialty Finance industries, as well as significant experience operating in Private Equity and Hedge Fund investment environments.

Prior to his work as a financial services professional, Chris accumulated 15 years of experience in neuroscience. His most notable achievements in this realm include therapeutic drug monitoring at The Scripps Research Institute and fundamental research in ischemic stroke at the University of California.

Chris draws inspiration from the Special Operations Association of America’s successful extraction of Afghan Interpreters following the U.S. withdrawal from Kabul.

Chris earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of California, Irvine, and his  MBA from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. He completed his B.S. in Biology at the College of Idaho.

James Parker is co-founder and President of LEONID. He has also served as CEO and CFO in a variety of privately held and publicly traded companies. In addition to his experience as a NASA Flight Controller, James also worked as an engineer and consultant with major Defense and Aerospace companies including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, often in a Top Secret context.

With over 25 years of financial, operational, and engineering expertise, James is well-versed in many industries, including Commercial Services, Healthcare, Aerospace & Defense, Manufacturing, and Technology.

James is inspired by the scholarship support and counseling Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation provides to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.

James earned his MBA (cum laude) from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, and his B.S. in Astrophysics from Rice University.

Ian Holroyd is the Chief Financial Officer of LEONID. Ian has nearly 30 years of accounting, finance, and operations experience and previously worked as an outsourced CFO at a large consulting firm that services all investment manager types, including hedge funds, private equity funds, venture funds, and family offices.

Prior to his work at LEONID, Ian held several senior-level finance positions at IQ-EQ, including senior managing director, CFO Services & Accounting. He has worked as chief accounting officer and executive vice president at WMD Asset Management LLC and as vice president, finance and accounting at Imperial Capital LLC.

He also had lengthy stints as a controller and director at a fund of hedge funds as well as a boutique investment bank and broker/dealer; worked for a finance conglomerate; and launched his career with a Big Four CPA Firm in Los Angeles.

Ian earned his B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting at the California State University, Northridge.

Jefferson Chang is the Vice President of LEONID. Prior to joining LEONID, Jeff sat on the Consumer M&A Desk at Piper Sandler. Jeff holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business and is long crypto.

Jack is a Senior Associate at LEONID. Prior to joining LEONID, Jack served as a Submarine Officer on the USS Alabama. During his naval career, he held multiple strategy and operations roles and was certified as a Naval Nuclear Engineer by the Department of Energy. Jack holds a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics from the United States Naval Academy, where he also was the captain of the Men’s Lacrosse Team.

Dixon is a Senior Associate with LEONID. Prior to LEONID, Dixon worked as a TMT audit associate at EY. Dixon earned a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business.

Caleb is a Senior Associate with LEONID. Prior to LCM, Caleb worked as an Associate in investment banking credit risk at J.P. Morgan, serving as a credit officer, and has had experience covering highly leveraged, non-investment grade corporate clients across TMT, C&R, and HC industries.

Melissa Howell is the Director, Office Operations and Human Resources of LEONID. Melissa brings over years of operational and administrative experience across various industries. Prior to Leonid, she worked in a number of administrative roles, such as Administrative Supervisor, Business Affairs/Contract Management, and Executive Assistant.

Notably, she headed a legal inquiry desk working with various agencies that include, The Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and other International Law enforcement agencies. Melissa graduated from Bristol University with a B.A. in Business administration and management.

Justin Lowe is the Digital Marketing Associate of LEONID. Justin graduated from Cal State Fullerton with his B.A. in communication/advertising and a minor in marketing. He is also a former NCAA Division 1 track athlete. His fastest time in the 400-meter dash as a Division 1 Athlete was 46.79

General Barbero completed three combat tours of duty across 46 months as a General Officer, including as Chief of Operations for all U.S., Coalition, and Iraqi forces during the 2007-2008 “Surge.” He has extensive knowledge of financial operations management within the U.S. Department of Defense. During his service, he managed a $13 Billion Military Sales program. General Barbero also served as Director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, including rapid acquisition authority of approximately $2 Billion annually.

General Spiese was commissioned via the NROTC program after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in May of 1976. His final assignment on active duty was Deputy Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force, and Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Prior to this assignment, he commanded the Marine Corps’ Training and Education Command, and had command of Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twenty-Nine Palms, California. In 2005, he served as the Deputy Director for Strategy, Policy and Assessments at the U.S. European Command.

General Robin Rand’s nearly 40-year Air Force career culminated in assignments as Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command. A 1979 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he was a command pilot with more than 5,100 flying hours, including 480 combat hours. Gen Rand previously served as CEO for the Gary Sinise Foundation.

Daniel Elkins is a current-serving Green Beret, founder of the Special Operations Association of America, and Chief of Staff to the Independence Fund. He serves as a voice for all members of the special operations community. Daniel is an expert on National Security, Foreign Affairs, Government Relations, and Special Operations while maintaining connections with Congress, The White House, DOD, the VA, and the VSO community.

Ken Campell is the founder of multiple venture-backed, high-tech startups with successful exits and over $300M in venture capital raised. As a LEONID advisor, he lends his vast experience with the Board of Directors and Strategic Development roles in both privately held and publicly traded companies. Ken also served as the former CEO of a cutting-edge U.S. Defense contracting firm, where he held Top Secret-level clearance.

During his military career, US Navy Vice Admiral Mat Winter served as the senior executive of the Navy’s Uncrewed Aviation Enterprise, where his novel industry outreach initiatives had profound growth across global commercial and defense enterprises. He also led the Navy’s global Science and Technology Enterprise as its 24th Chief of Naval Research. Winter also served as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program Director, where he led the $1.5 trillion global enterprise and was responsible for modernization, production and global operations of the world’s most advanced 5th generation strike fighter.