CLFP Foundation Names Leonard Lane 2024 Cindy Spurdle Award of Excellence Winner and Announces Newest Lifetime Award Members
On October 10, 2024, Certified Lease & Finance Professionals (CLFPs) celebrated CLFP Day with in-person events and a virtual toast, recognizing the achievements of the global CLFP Family. This annual celebration also marks the announcement of the prestigious Cindy Spurdle Award of Excellence, created in 2012 to honor the CLFP who has made significant contributions to the equipment finance industry and best embodies the CLFP ideals.
The CLFP Foundation is proud to announce Leonard Lane, CLFP, as the 2024 Cindy Spurdle Award winner. Lane, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Odessa, reflects on his path toward earning the CLFP designation and the professional growth that followed.
“I’d toyed with pursuing the CLFP designation for several years (I have every edition of the CLFP Handbook from the sixth edition onward!),” Lane shares. “But in 2020, I realized how much value and credibility being a CLFP would add to my role at Odessa.”
“Besides investing 20 years in developing Odessa’s product and platform, I believe my most significant contribution to our industry is through my CLFP volunteer work,” Lane says, citing his role as an instructor for multiple Academies for Lease & Finance Professionals (ALFPs) and involvement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). “Hands down, my favorite part of being involved with the CLFP Foundation is teaching classes. It’s a great opportunity to help candidates prepare for the Exam and introduce our industry to the next generation.”
Lane concludes with a heartfelt expression of gratitude. "I am very honored to receive this award, and I am grateful to Reid, Mel, and the Board of Directors for the many opportunities they’ve opened for me to give back to the industry that’s been so good to me for 32 years now. Thank you!”
The CLFP Foundation is also eager to announce that Nancy Geary, CLFP and Steve Crane, CLFP were honored with Lifetime Member Awards during CLFP Day.
The award was created in 2022 to honor those who contributed significantly to the Foundation and remained involved throughout retirement. In 2023, the award was renamed the Larry LaChance Lifetime Member Award, in honor of late long-time CLFP and Board Member, Larry LaChance. Nominees were submitted by Foundation Board members and then voted on by the entire Board.
The CLFP designation identifies an individual as a knowledgeable professional to employers, clients, customers, and peers in the commercial equipment finance industry. There are nearly 1500 Certified Lease & Finance Professionals and Associates located throughout the United States (including Puerto Rico), Canada, India, Pakistan, Africa, and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.CLFPFoundation.org.