Leiber, Ken

Head shot of suited businessman (Ken Leiber) smiling
Name: 
Leiber, Ken
Title: 
President and CEO of Texas Livestock Marketing
Texas A&M Class: 
1981
Inducted: 
2015

Biography:

Ken Leiber grew up on family dairy and cattle farms in Anderson and Grimes counties. He graduated valedictorian from Anderson-Shiro Consolidated schools in 1977. He attended Texas A&M University where he received his BS in Agricultural Economics in December of 1980 graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Ken had grown up near the Brazos Valley area and was exposed to and familiar with A&M traditions and from an early age had a great respect for them and the history of the university. Ken chose Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M to increase his exposure to, and to better understand, the economics and business side of the agriculture industry. He felt that the Agricultural Economics degree was the perfect opportunity to fully learn all of the different aspects of Agri-Business. When he was not home helping on the family farm, Ken was involved with the AgEco and Saddle and Sirloin Clubs and also a very engaged 12th Man as he attended all sporting events that he could.

Immediately following graduation, Ken went to work as a Credit and Operations Reviewer with the Federal Intermediate Credit Bank of Texas (now known as the Farm Credit Bank of Texas) in Houston. He was in Houston until May 1982, and then was in Austin with the same position until April of 1983. At that time, he became the Vice President of National Finance Credit Corporation of Texas, a livestock financing subsidiary, in Fort Worth where he promoted to his current position of CEO in June of 1996. In 1994, he also became Vice President of the Texas Livestock Marketing Association, a livestock marketing cooperative, in Fort Worth, a position that he held until June of 1996 when he was promoted to President. From June of 1996 to December of 2003, Ken was President of Texas Livestock Commodities Inc. in Fort Worth.

Ken followed the opportunity afforded to him by his Agricultural Economics degree to enter into the agricultural finance industry and then followed his specific interests into the livestock sector. Currently, Ken is President, CEO, and member of the Board of Directors of Texas Livestock Marketing Association and National Finance Credit Corporation of Texas. He has full management responsibilities for all operations and finances of both companies. With his long tenure with the same organizations in various capacities, Ken greatly values the close relationships with members, customers, directors, and lenders that he has established over the decades. He finds most rewarding the opportunity to serve the livestock industry and support individual producers in achieving their goals and success.

Ken has had a distinguished, actively-involved career in agricultural finance and livestock marketing for more than three decades. He is well respected in the Texas cattle industry as a leader and has held state-wide roles as Chairman of the Texas Beef Council, President of the Livestock Marketing Association of Texas, and has served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. On a national level, he has served three terms as Chairman of the Nominating Committee for the Board of Directors of CoBank, ACB and has served on the Board of Directors of the Federation Division of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association. As President and CEO of a livestock finance and marketing cooperative, his career has been all about service to ranchers and the cattle industry. In an industry where “your word is your bond” and a handshake agreement means something, his integrity has earned him much respect.

He has served in many volunteer roles in his church community, as a chairman of the parochial school board, as a long term superintendent in the junior beef heifer show and as a director of the Fort Worth Stock Show, and in various industry and local fund raising events. His best recognition has been achieved through the many strong personal and professional relationships he has developed through decades. There have been numerous leadership and industry service awards, but the respect and recognition of effort, commitment, and integrity from peers and by others in all walks of life is what lasts. He has always been a strong supporter of Texas A&M and is especially proud of its excellence in agriculture. Ken is a long term supporter of the Association of Former Students. Over the years, he has participated in mock interviews for AgEco students and has been a guest lecturer. Through his business relationships, he worked with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to have radio frequency identification (RFID) tags used in the show steer validation program and is an ardent supporter of Quality Counts programs.

Ken and his wife, Susan, currently live in Westworth Village, Texas. Their three daughters, Kristen ’09, Casey ’11, and Darby ’17, are all graduates or current students at Texas A&M.

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