CMDT 1000: Introduction to Commodites This course will expose undergraduate students to the business side of commodity markets – energy, minerals and agriculture. Students will learn about potential career options in commodities, such as risk management, supply chain, trading, and investment. They will become acquainted with the Commodities Center computer lab and relevant financial software including Bloomberg, Morningstar, and CQG through live demos. This class will have the opportunity to meet and interact with guest speakers and industry executives in the commodity field.
Prior to being named the Executive Director of the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities at the University of Colorado Denver Business School, Dr. Thomas Brady was the Chief Economist at Newmont Mining Corporation where he was responsible for generating key commodity price, foreign exchange and other financial assumptions used throughout the company. In this role, Dr. Brady also developed methods to effectively quantify and communicate the economic impact of Newmont’s operations to host communities and countries. Prior to this position, Dr. Brady led Newmont’s Strategic Planning function that developed and implemented portfolio modeling analytics. Before Newmont, Dr. Brady was a Senior Manager at Risk Capital Management, a consultancy that advised energy and natural resource companies on financial risk, valuation and commodity hedging. He has also worked with CQG, Inc. where he developed a suite of automated trading systems for commodity futures contracts using the company’s short-term, price and volume charting methods. Dr. Brady is also a member of the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities’ Research Council at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in Mineral Economics with research emphases in commodity markets from the Colorado School of Mines. In addition, Dr. Brady holds a Master’s degree in Mathematics, also from the Colorado School of Mines.
CMDT 4802/6802: Foundations of Commodities This course introduces students to the physical aspects of commodities and connects them to the financial markets in which commodities are traded. Fundamental concepts and terminology necessary for understanding commodity production, transportation, economics, financial analysis and marketing are described, in addition to the production and market structure knowledge needed to be successful professional participants in commodity trading capacities. The course also serves as a foundation for more focused education in the specific commodity sectors, as well as the applied use of marketing and financial trading concepts learned in other courses.
Mr. Lance Titus serves as Managing Director of Business Development, Origination and Structured Transactions at Uniper Global Commodities. He has over twenty years of commodities trading, structuring and risk management experience. Having held senior leadership roles from Wall Street to the energy industry, working for an investment bank, as well as for leading utilities, unregulated entities and merchant energy firms. He has transacted over $15 Billion in deals across the energy and environmental commodity markets with a sector focus in electricity, natural gas, renewables, carbon and emissions. Mr. Titus has been a featured panelist at Bloomberg's "The Future of Energy Summit" in New York, and also serves as an adjunct professor for the course, "Foundations of Commodities" at the University of Colorado Denver. Mr. Titus holds an MBA from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business. and a B.S. degree in Finance and Marketing from Clarion University. He serves on the Advisory Board of cQuant.io, is a member of the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities Advisory Council, serves on its Research Council and is a member of the Global Commodities Applied Research Digest Editorial Advisory Board.
Prior to being named the Executive Director of the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities at the University of Colorado Denver Business School, Dr. Thomas Brady was the Chief Economist at Newmont Mining Corporation where he was responsible for generating key commodity price, foreign exchange and other financial assumptions used throughout the company. In this role, Dr. Brady also developed methods to effectively quantify and communicate the economic impact of Newmont’s operations to host communities and countries. Prior to this position, Dr. Brady led Newmont’s Strategic Planning function that developed and implemented portfolio modeling analytics. Before Newmont, Dr. Brady was a Senior Manager at Risk Capital Management, a consultancy that advised energy and natural resource companies on financial risk, valuation and commodity hedging. He has also worked with CQG, Inc. where he developed a suite of automated trading systems for commodity futures contracts using the company’s short-term, price and volume charting methods. Dr. Brady is also a member of the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities’ Research Council at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in Mineral Economics with research emphases in commodity markets from the Colorado School of Mines. In addition, Dr. Brady holds a Master’s degree in Mathematics, also from the Colorado School of Mines.
Mike Miller is Vice President of Trading and Risk Management at Ardent Mills, the independent joint venture of owners Cargill, Conagra Brands and CHS. In his role, Mike leads Ardent Mills’ price risk management for wheat and millfeed. Additionally, he leads the company’s Customer Risk Management team which helps customers of Ardent Mills manage their flour price risk.With over 25 years of experience, Mike has held various trading and leadership roles with Cargill, Horizon Milling, along with his current role with Ardent Mills. Mike also serves on the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange in which he Chairs the Contract Committee as well as the Cash Committee. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the JP Morgan Center for Commodities, University of Colorado Denver. Mike graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1990 with a degree in Agribusiness. In his spare time, he enjoys the outdoors with his sons.
CMDT 4582/6582: Commodity Supply Chain Management Commodity Supply Chain Management In this class, students will be able to Comprehend the basic terminology, concepts and structure of supply chains. Evaluate supply chain factors in the cost of commodities, investigate strategies & identify/manage common risk factors. Guest speakers will be present to speak to commodity-specific supply chains. Impact on underlying costs and market availability will be explored.
Michael Harper's professional history includes working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where research included nuclear containment at Nevada Test Site, micro-earthquake research, tsunami research, rock mechanics and fragmentation of oil shale, decision modeling, and Bayesian statistics. He was also vice president at Professional Geophysics Incorporated, where consulting included software development and project management. Harper has taught at the University of Denver, Denver Seminary, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Colorado Denver Business School. He holds a traditional approach that includes lectures to present tools, techniques, and strategy along with assignments to develop knowledge and skills. He also utilizes case studies or projects to challenge application in a business environment.