Fred Seamon serves as Executive Director, Agricultural Research and Product Development of CME Group.  He leads the team responsible for conducting research on the structure and performance of agricultural markets, including investigating the feasibility and developing specifications for new futures and options products globally.  Since joining the company in 2001, Seamon has held roles of increasing responsibility and has been heavily involved in the creation of multiple domestic and international agricultural products, including ethanol futures contracts and cleared-only agricultural swap products. Prior to joining CME Group, Seamon was on faculty at the University of Wyoming, where he conducted research in commodity marketing issues.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Ph.D. in applied economics from Clemson University.