Chris Harden is the Founder, President & CEO of Harvest MXD and Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of VLK Harvest, an integrated real estate advisory platform serving public education clients. Through these platforms, Mr. Harden leads investment, development, advisory, and brokerage assignments involving complex mixed-use, land, retail, multifamily, public-sector, and institutional real estate.

Mr. Harden founded Harvest MXD in 2023 after more than 20 years of experience in ground-up development, redevelopment, acquisitions, dispositions, and strategic real estate advisory. Throughout his career, he has been involved in large-scale retail, multifamily, land, and mixed-use projects with a capitalized value in excess of $6.2 billion.

VLK Harvest works with independent school districts on real estate strategy, site acquisition, land disposition, portfolio evaluation, GIS-based analysis, public-private partnerships, and integration with VLK's long-range facility planning. The platform helps public education clients make mission-aligned real estate decisions that support students, taxpayers, and long-term district objectives.

Prior to founding Harvest MXD, Mr. Harden served as an Executive Director within Cushman & Wakefield’s Capital Markets Group, where he established and led the retail, land, and mixed-use investments practice in Texas. During his tenure, his team completed more than $2 billion in real estate transactions for local, national, and international clients.

Before Cushman & Wakefield, Mr. Harden served as Vice President at Trademark Property Company, where he led large-scale mixed-use acquisitions and development initiatives. His broader experience includes the acquisition, repositioning, and development of lifestyle centers, power centers, regional malls, multifamily, land, and mixed-use assets.

Mr. Harden holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Architecture from Texas Tech University. He is a licensed real estate broker in Texas and Colorado, a licensed architect in Texas, and a LEED Accredited Professional. He is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute, where he previously served on the Transit-Oriented Development Local Product Council.

In addition to his professional work, Mr. Harden supports philanthropic and ministry-focused organizations. He previously served as Vice Chairman and Interim Executive Director of Abiding Fathers, a biblical fatherhood ministry that equips men for biblical fatherhood, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Harvest MXD Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry focused on multiplying discipleship in homes, workplaces, and communities.  

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