Tara Spalding

About Tara Spalding

I build commercial engines from zero in industries where the gap between technical capability and contracted revenue is widest. Right now, that gap is in critical minerals and advanced energy.I am currently co-founder of the Critical Mineral Resources Network (CMRN), a 501(c)(6) building the sector\'s first non-government effort to geo-map approximately U.S. abandoned mine land sites and connect that inventory to domestic processors and defense-aligned buyers as above-ground critical mineral feedstock.Most recently I served as the commercialization architect at Nusano, closing the company\'s first binding minerals and energy agreements across advanced nuclear and rare earth feedstock programs. That result came from building the entire commercial infrastructure from scratch, spanning agreement architecture, product planning, operational systems, and a full sales playbook across Life Sciences, Minerals, and Energy verticals.Earlier in my career I served as Chief Commercial Officer at Commtrex, where I built the go-to-market foundation for what became North America\'s largest electronic rail freight marketplace, now partnered with all seven Class I Railroads and serving active members.Across 30+ years and industries including software, technology, commodities, logistics and investment platforms, I have facilitated and secured more than $60M in funding and built commercial systems that outlast any single engagement.Fluent across the mine-to-market value chain including exploration data, separation economics, DOE grant strategy, offtake agreement negotiation, and multi-tier commercial deal architecture.Open to CCO, CRO, and VP-level commercial leadership roles in critical minerals, commodities, and advanced energy.

Experience

1. Co-founder, VP Operations

   Critical Mineral Resources Network Cmrn

   Mar 2025 — Present · Salt Lake City, UT, US

   Co-founded an Non-Profit Organization to be the first non-government organized effort to geo-map and normalize assay data from approximately U.S. abandoned mine land sites, quantifying their potential as above-ground critical mineral feedstock for domestic processing and remediation. Built the organization\'s operational foundation, strategic positioning, and revenue model from zero. Current initiatives include- Developing a membership revenue model where landowners and site operators contribute historical assay data as a searchable national AML database- Pursuing state legislative funding for workforce development programs tied to critical mineral site assaying, mapping, remediation, and economic revitalization- Connecting AML waste and tailings inventory directly to processors and domestic buyers, enabling the recycling-first supply chain approach identified as the fastest path to domestic rare earth element production

Education

• University of Colorado Boulder

  BS Business Administration, Marketing

  1991 — 1995

Skills

• Leadership
• Customer Relationship Management (Crm)
• Market Research
• Marketing
• Crm
• Enterprise Software
• Program Management
• Lead Generation
• Product Launch
• Partner Management
• Channel Partners
• Sales
• Development of Strategic Marketing Plans
• Solution Selling
• Business Planning
• Management
• Email Marketing
• Software Industry
• Saas
• Demand Generation
• Sales Operations
• Professional Services
• Salesforce.com
• Sales Enablement
• Team Management
• Competitive Analysis
• Selling
• Start-Ups
• Business Development
• Marketing Automation
• Multi-Channel Marketing
• Analytics
• Channel
• Business Strategy
• Market Planning
• Business Alliances
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Strategic Marketing Consultancy
• Sales Process
• Open Source Software