2025 Fellow Awards

Tim Alch, Executive Director of NY SME and Co-Chair of CTMF 2013-24, is a Professional Associate of RESPEC, as Senior Mining & Energy Strategist, and is Managing Partner of TAA Advisory. His career spans equity, investment and industry analysis, management advisory, and event management in the global minerals, mining and energy sectors. He was a Senior Associate of and a Managing Director of Behre Dolbear; SVP of Anderson & Schwab; Equity Analyst at Paine Webber, Prudential Securities, and Dean Witter Reynolds; and Senior Consultant: Industry Analyst at CRU International (London), World Steel Dynamics (WSD) (New York) and Resource Strategies (RSI) (Philadelphia). He is an Honors Geology graduate and John Mason Clarke Fellow of Amherst College and studied Mineral Economics at Penn State. Tim is a member of SME, AEMA, AME, PDAC and NCUSCR; and SME Finance Strategic Committee Member (2017-20). In 2020, Tim was selected as the recipient of the SME President’s Citation for Local Section Service Award.

While working in the mining industry for over 40 years, Dr. Kathleen (Kathy) Altman has been an active member of SME in many capacities. She chaired the local section in Reno, Nevada and was a member of the Professional Engineers Examination Committee and the Resource and Reserve Committee. Her greatest commitment in SME has been to support activities related to education in the mineral industries, particularly at the university level. She was an ABET Program Evaluator and a member of SME education committees most recently concluding a two-term tenure as Chair of the SME Council of Education (COE). Of note is that Kathy was instrumental in helping to develop and achieve approval for ABET accreditation criteria for Mineral Processing, Extractive Metallurgical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs, which allows accreditation of university programs to teach the specific skills needed to work as process engineers in the mining industry.

Wolfgang Baum has worked 42 years in mining focusing on Process Mineralogy related to Plant Optimization. He was involved early in introducing high pressure grinding rolls into metals mining. His career encompassed assignments with Texasgulf, St.Joe Minerals Corporation, Phelps Dodge & Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold. In addition, he spent several years at HAZEN Research and PMET in metallurgical services. At Phelps Dodge and Freeport-McMoRan, he initiated the large-scale use of lab automation for plant support and the construction of a partially automated 24/7 Central Lab for 6 copper operations. In Peru (Cerro Verde), he led the construction of a modern Mine Site Mineralogy Lab – a first in South American copper mining. At FLSmidth/Utah, his team established one of the leading Mineralogy Lab Centers in North America. He concluded his career providing consulting for automated lab technology and optimized ore characterization.

Dr. Andrea Brickey is a professor of Mining Engineering and Management and the Director of the Office for Professional Education at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Prior to her career in academia, she held multiple roles in the mining industry focused primarily on mine feasibility and design at numerous operations and projects around the world for various commodities. At South Dakota Mines, she conducts research and teaching activities and delivers several mining-specific professional development programs for mineral industry partners. Her favorite activities are those which focus on teaching young people about the challenges and immense rewards of a career in the mining industry. She is the recipient of the Seeley W. Mudd Fellowship, the SME Academic Career Grant, the Tim Shaw Award for Innovations in Teaching and Learning, the Stephen McCann Memorial Award for Excellence in Education, and the SME Mining and Exploration Division Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Corale L. Brierley is a minerals bioleaching consultant. She is internationally recognized from ~30 years as a consultant; ~2 years at Newmont Corporation, 8 years at Advanced Minerals Technology Inc. (a biotechnology company), and 10 years at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT). She is a 50-year member of SME, a member of TMS, and a 25-year elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), where she served 8 years as Vice-President and is currently Senior Advisor to the NAE President. Her awards include NMT’s Distinguished Achievement Award; AIME’s James Douglas Gold Medal; SME’s Wadsworth Award; American Mining Hall of Fame’s Medal of Merit (with James Brierley); NMT’s President’s Medal; and the TMS Distinguished Lecturer Award. Dr. Brierley has a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the UT (Dallas), a M.S. degree in Chemistry and a B.S. degree in Biology, both from NMT.

James A. Brierley received his MS and PhD degrees in microbiology from Montana State University Bozeman where he researched microbial life in Yellowstone National Park thermal springs. Following graduation, he accepted a joint professorship with New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and the New Mexico Bureau of Mines. Here Jim worked with Dr. Roshan Bhappu who introduced him to the mining industry, leading to extensive studies on copper sulfide bioleaching. After Jim left academe to join the industrial sector, he developed and applied microbial processes for metals transformations. At Newmont Corporation he developed a process for microbial pretreatment of refractory sulfidic gold ores, which was applied commercially. His achievements have been recognized by the SME 2000 Milton E. Wadsworth Extractive Metallurgy Award, the 2014 Mining Hall of Fame Meda of Merrit (co-recipient with Corale Brierley) and 2002 induction as a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Dennis has 45 years’ experience in the Industrial Minerals field. His career included exploration for and development of numerous commodities including aggregates, cement raw materials and other industrial minerals. He retired as Senior V.P. of Development from Western Lithium Corporation in 2017.

Dennis has a BS in Geological Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines (1970) and a MS in Geology from the Mackay School of Mines (1972). He is a PE in Nevada and a Registered Geologist in California. He was a member of the Nevada Commission on Mineral Resources, representing the small miner and industrial minerals sector for nearly 20 years. He has been active throughout his career in SME, has served on their BOD and is past President of the SME Foundation. He has also served on the Nevada Mining Association Board of Directors and is on the Executive Advisory Board for the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering.

Thomas W. Camm is a Professor of Mining Engineering at Montana Technological University. He is active in SME, frequently serving as a session chair and presenter at annual meetings. He has been chair of the Coal & Energy Division; and received the M&E Distinguished Service Award and AIME Mineral Economics Award.

Recent scholarship highlights his current academic interests and commitment to providing open-access teaching resources: Simplified cost models for underground mine evaluation: A handbook for quick prefeasibility cost estimates (coauthor Scott Stebbins) and The dark side of servant-leadership, published in The International Journal of Servant-Leadership. Both are available on the Montana Tech Library Digital Commons page.

Dr. Camm earned a B.S. and Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from the University of Idaho, and a Master of Engineering Management degree from Washington State University. He also studied leadership in the Gonzaga University doctoral program. He is a registered professional engineer in Washington.

Red Conger retired in 2024 after 47 years in the Mining industry. He now serves on the Board of Directors for Newmont and serves on the Board of Directors of the copper club.

Career Highlights include: President, COO and Director of Teck Resources Ltd 2020–2023, President and COO – Americas for Freeport-McMoRan 2015-2020.

Mr. Conger began his career at the Kennecott copper mine at Bingham Canyon in Utah in 1977. Throughout his career, Mr. Conger has been recognized for his leadership in safety and is considered a leader in change management and production efficiency. He served as chairman of the National Mining Association 2014-2015, He also served as co-chairman of the initiative Creating Global Prosperity: The Campaign for Mining, launched by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. He has received many industry accolades including: National Academy of Engineering 2019, Ankh Award Winner by the Copper Club 2018, Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal 2017, Daniel C. Jackling Award 2009, Colorado School of Mines Distinguished Achievement Medal.

Paul Conrad is a retired Professor of Mining Engineering from Montana Tech where he taught for 21½ years. He has been active in the Coal & Energy (C&E) Division for the past 25 years, serving on the Executive Committee, chairing technical sessions, and co-authoring and presenting papers in technical sessions.

Paul was an active researcher at Montana Tech and financially supported his graduate students on projects, having them co-author technical papers and present the projects at C&E Division technical sessions. He typically listed the student as the lead author of the paper and always submitted the papers for peer-review and publication.

Paul earned both his BS and MS degrees from Penn State and his PhD from the University of Kentucky. He has over 40 years of engineering work experience including his time at Montana Tech. He is a registered PE in Pennsylvania. Paul retired from Montana Tech in May 2024.

Robert started his career at the Loraine Gold Mine after completing his BSc Metallurgical Engineering degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. Notably, Loraine Gold Mine initiated pyrite flotation in South Africa. The pyrite concentrate was finely ground and followed by a two-stage intensive cyanide leach to recover gold. This experience fostered his lifetime passion for flotation and gold extraction processes. Robert then joined the Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek) where he spent 14 years assisting the mining industry improve and implement new technologies to improve metallurgical performance and generating new revenue streams. Along the way he achieved his Professional Engineering status. Looking for new challenges he left South Africa for Australia where he spent three years at the WA School of Mines (WASM), to head up a research initiative. Following this he spent the new 13years with Newcrest Mining as Group Consulting Metallurgist. Along the journey he was involved with the first commercial SART plant at the Telfer Gold Mine, the metallurgical development of the Cadia Gold-Copper Mine with the installation of the first 40foot SAG mill and novel flotation circuit, follow by the large Telfer expansion project. Robert then spent the last 10 years of his career with Newmont Mining as the Group Executive Metallurgy and Technology in Denver.

Robert has authored and co-authored over 150 papers in journals and conference proceedings. He has contributed to four books on flotation and been the Editor-in-Chief of the recent two volume SME Handbook on Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy. Robert has held the positions of Adjunct Professor at Queensland University (IKMRC) and Curtin University (Gold Technology Centre), and was awarded the prestigious AIME Richards Award in 2017. He has been a member of the SME, SAIMM and AusIMM.

A Professional Mining Engineer, Jami Dwyer has held various roles in research, operations, and engineering. Her contributions to geomechanics, led to appointments on the American Rock Mechanics Association’s Board of Directors, and the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering. Her background leading technical services, operations, and mobile maintenance teams demonstrates a commitment to safety, innovation, operational efficiency, and environmental stewardship. She served as Chair of the Columbia Section for more than a decade and is the Past Chair of the M&E Division. She has also served on program planning, finance, professional engineering, awards, and journal oversight committees and is a current member of the Sustainable Development Committee.

Jami holds B.S. degrees in Mining Engineering and Computer Science from Montana Tech, M.S. degree in Mining Engineering from Missouri S&T, and a professional certificate in Energy Innovation & Emerging Technologies from Stanford University’s Continuing Studies.

Steve has worked in the mining & exploration business for almost 50 years including roles as President of Phelps Dodge Exploration Corp, Senior Vice President Exploration for Newmont, Executive Chairman & COO of EMX Royalty Corp, and co-founder of Cupric Canyon Capital LLC. Most recently he was Department Head for Geology and Geological Engineering and for Mining Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He retired from Mines in Dec 2023 but continues to teach in their Professional Masters in Mineral Exploration program. He is currently the Executive Chairman of Brooks & Nelson LLC - a recruiting company in the mining industry and serves on several other boards. Dr. Enders holds a BSc degree in geological engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Arizona. Steve received the Ben F. Dickerson Award from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration in 2014.

Leigh serves as Strategic Advisor – Mining and Minerals to Stanton Chase, a large international executive recruiting company. Upon graduating from Montana Tech Leigh started his career with Placer-Dome, now part of Barrick Gold. He co-founded Orvana Minerals in the mid-’80s with funding from Rio Tinto for exploration in some thirty frontier countries. With the successful acquisition of Orvana, Leigh assumed responsibility for the North American office of Downing Teal, a large international executive recruiting company. Most recently he served as chairman of Timberline Resources which was acquired by McEwen Mining. Leigh is strongly committed to addressing mining workforce issues. He serves on the SME Education Committee and industry advisory boards for Montana Tech, SDSMT, and the U of A. He has served on workforce committees for the National Research Council and National Science Foundation. Leigh was honored with receipt the Ivan B Rahn Education Award by SME.

Jerry Gauntt is a career mining professional. For most of his career he worked for mining companies including Rio Tinto (Luzenac). ASARCO, Imerys, and Rocky Mountain Energy. He held multiple business development roles for consulting organizations including Marston & Marston, Golder, and Kline Group. He has focused on sales of industrial minerals (talc, calcium carbonate and kaolin) as well as base and precious metals. Mr. Gauntt has extensive experience helping investors with due diligence reviews. He holds a BA in Political Science and a MS in Mineral Economics from Penn State. He originally joined SME in 1978 during graduate school. He has twice served as the Chairman of the Industrial Minerals & Aggregates Division and served as Chairman of the Structure and Governance Committee. Jerry was on the SME Board of Directors from 2021 to 2024. He recently retired after being the Business Development Manager at Brooks & Nelson for four years.

Dean Gehring is a director at Allonnia, a bioengineering company innovating recovery, tailings and environmental solutions for the mining industry. Over his 34-year career, he has held executive roles at leading mining companies, including Chief Technology Officer for Newmont and President and CEO of Rio Tinto Minerals.

Dean holds a B.S. in Mining Engineering from the University of Idaho and an M.S. in Project Management from the University of Aberdeen. He has contributed to university advisory boards and co-chaired the SME Foundation Corporate Giving Committee. He was also honored with SME’s Ben F Dickerson Award in recognition of professionalism and contributions to the mining industry.

Based in Parker, Colorado, Dean, and his wife, Maria, have enjoyed the opportunity a mining life provides and have lived in the US, Canada, Indonesia and Peru. They have two sons age 26 and 30. Dean enjoys golf, woodworking, fly fishing and ice hockey.

Gary J. Goldberg serves on the Boards of Directors for BHP, where he is Lead Independent Director, and for Imperial Oil, where he chairs the Executive Resources Committee and holds additional committee roles. He also sits on the Board of Project C.U.R.E., a global non-profit that supplies medical resources to underserved areas.

Previously, Goldberg was CEO of Newmont Mining Corporation, guiding its historic acquisition that made it the world’s leading gold company. Under his leadership, Newmont achieved top marks in sustainability and workplace safety, earning recognition in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. With over 40 years in mining, including executive roles at Rio Tinto and US Borax, he has been honored by the National Mining Hall of Fame and the American Mining Hall of Fame. Goldberg holds a BS in Mining Engineering and a Master of Business Administration degrees and resides in Colorado with his wife Beth.

Shaun Graber is a Senior Project Manager for Stantec with the mining team in Chandler, Arizona. He engages in all aspects of mining projects and provides support and project management for engineering, procurement, and studies. He is currently involved with the management of national and international underground projects, ensuring timeliness and quality performance for Stantec’s clients. He graduated with a B.S. degree in mining engineering from the University of Arizona and has worked in operations, mine construction, and consulting. Graber joined SME as a student and has been continually active in SME national with the M&E Division and local sections for 28 years. He received the M&E Outstanding Young Professional Award and the M&E Division Distinguished Service Award. He has been a session chair, author, program area manager, program manager, and served on the M&E Division Executive Committee. On behalf of the division, he has been a member or officer on the Outreach Strategic Committee, Student Members Affairs Committee, Council of Education & Accreditation, Young Leaders Committee, and multiple Award and Scholarship Committees. He recently completed positions on the SME Foundation Board of Trustees and co-chair of the SME Foundation Corporate Giving Committee. He continues to support the M&E Division, Foundation, Mentor Program, and local SME sections throughout his career.

David Hammond has had a long career in the natural resources industries as geologist, engineer and mineral economist. He has held staff and management positions with Shell Oil, Anaconda Minerals, ARCO Coal, Ladd Petroleum, PwC, and International Royalty Corporation. He has also provided consulting, advisory, and expert witness services to a wide range of clients, as well as being extensively involved with university education, particularly mineral valuation and commodity market analysis. David has taught at the University of Denver, University of Colorado, SD Mines, and the University of Arizona. He also has over 20 years’ volunteer service to ABET, as Program Evaluator, Commissioner on both the EAC and ANSAC, and currently is SME representative to the ABET Board as an ANSAC Area Delegate. He holds degrees from SD Mines, University of Utah, and University of Denver, with his doctorate earned at Colorado School of Mines.

Fred G. Heivilin, University of Wisconsin, BS, 1963. Southern Illinois, Masters, 1966. CPG 2650, and SME RM 1393770. Achieved Toastmasters DTM rank, twice. Began with A. P. Green Refractories, 8 years Geologist & 5 years Plant Manager. Then with IMC Foundry Products Division. Then Oil-Dri; managed 7 plants in 4 states, Plant Manager 3 years, 25 years VP of Raw Material Development, and 12 years a consultant post-retirement. He was the Industrial Mineral Chair twice, an AIME Hal Williams Hardinge and Industrial Minerals Division Distinguished Service Awards winner, SME/AIME/World Engineering Association Delegate to UN 2012 RIO+20 meeting, on original RM review committee, & Chaired SME International Symposium on Respirable Dusts and Crystalline Silica in the late 1980’s, on Reserve Committee 1996-2013. Industrial Mineral Division representative to committee nominating reconfigured SME Board, and formation of Governmental and Health, AND Safety Committees. Fred remains a vital voice and authority in these areas.

Richard currently is Consulting on a large Greenfield Copper/Moly Project. He has more than 45 years of experience working in both operations and project development in Base Metals and Gold projects located in nine different countries. During this period, Richard has worked for Magma Copper, Newmont Mining, Freeport-McMoRan, BHP-Billiton, and Kvaerner Engineering. Re-engineering core processes and adapting to innovative technologies have resulted in multi-million-dollar savings to these operations.

Richard has served on SME’s board of the Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division (MPD). He received the Millman Award in 2016 and has authored numerous technical papers and co-chaired several panels sessions. He is a graduate of Missouri School of Science and Technology with a degree in Chemistry. The implementation of innovative technology and developing people through mentoring has been his greatest accomplishments.

Ronel Kappes is Director, Processing with Newmont’s Processing and Metallurgy Technical Services team located in Englewood, Colorado, USA. She has extensive flotation development experience in a variety of commodities, including copper, gold, platinum-group metals, molybdenum, lead and zinc. In her current role, Kappes supports Newmont’s global flotation portfolio (including R&D activities) and provides metallurgical support for due diligence efforts and evaluations and several Mega Copper/Au projects.

Ronel is presently the executive editor for the SME journal, Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration and was recently awarded the inaugural Cindy Moore Courageous Impact Award by SME. She earned a baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering from Potchefstroom University, South Africa and a Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering from the University of Utah. She is a qualified professional member of MMSA (Mining and Metallurgical Society of America) and is a member of the Board of Directors of AMIRA and the International Mineral Processing Council.

Jess Kindler is a member of BrandSafway’s Senior Leadership team, and serves as President and Chief Growth Officer based in Atlanta, GA. Jess is responsible Product Management, Mergers and Acquisition, Business Development, Market modeling, Pricing, and several of the business lines. Previously Jess was a member of Epiroc´s Group Management team and served as President of Parts Services and Supply Chain in Sweden for 7 winters.

Jess graduated in 1998 from the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in mining engineering, and in 2012 from the Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania) with a MBA. He received the Outstanding Mining Engineer Graduate Award and the Colorado Engineering Council’s Silver Medal from Colorado School of Mines, and the Dean Patrick Harker Leadership award from the Wharton School.

Upon graduation from Mines, Kindler served as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School and the U.S. Army Ranger School. He received both the Army Achievement medal and Army Commendation medal during his service. He left the army as a captain in 2002 and joined Ingersoll-Rand Drilling Solutions in Garland, Texas.

He has held various engineering, management, and executive positions with Ingersoll-Rand, Vulcan Materials, Unocal-Molycorp (now Chevron Mining), Epiroc (Formerly Atlas Copco). Kindler and his family (6 children) have lived and worked in New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, and internationally in Jakarta, Indonesia and Stockholm, Sweden.

David R. Klug is the President of David R. Klug and Associates, Inc. and Klug Construction Systems, LLC based in Wheeling, WV. The companies provide international and national manufacturer representative and product distribution services to the underground heavy civil and mine construction industries. Mr. Klug has over 47 years of industry involvement in many of the major tunnel programs constructed in the United States and Canada.

Mr. Klug is a graduate of West Liberty State College with a B.S. degree. He is Past Chairman of the UCA of SME Underground Construction Association (2009-2011), a member of the UCA Fox Conference Committee and a member of the Moles. Mr. Klug was an editor and chapter author for the UCA of SME "The History of Tunneling in the United States" book. He and three other tunnel industry experts developed and published the "The Handbook of Precast Segmental Tunnel Linings".

A chemical engineering graduate of Michigan Technological University, Mary Korpi began working for Newmont Mining Corporation’s Magma Copper Company in 1976 where she held various metallurgical services positions. She transferred to Newmont’s Nevada operations in 1987 and served in a variety of capacities, including Director of Metallurgical Services, Leach and Mill Superintendent, and Director of External Relations and Communications.

Since retiring after four decades in the mining industry, Korpi has continued her involvement and support of the industry through volunteer boards and commissions. She served as the SME Foundation 2019-2021 President and was elected as AIME Honorary Member in 2022. Korpi serves as Vice Chairperson of Nevada’s Commission on Mineral Resources and was elected to the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum’s Board of Governors in 2021.

Korpi was recognized in 2016 as a Distinguished Nevadan for her profound and lasting impact on the lives of all Nevadans. She has been inducted into Michigan Technological University’s Presidential Council of Alumnae and the Nevada Women’s Fund Women of Achievement.

Bill Langer is a consulting geologist and principal of Bill Langer Research Geologist LLC. He was a research geologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from 1971 until his retirement in 2011. He is a past Chairman of the Industrial Minerals Division of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME); a recipient of the American Institute of Mining Engineers Hal Williams Hardinge Award for Outstanding contributions to the industrial mineral industry; and a recipient of the SME IM&AD A. Frank Alsobrook Distinguished Service Award.

Jennifer B. Leinart is a licensed professional geologist based in Spokane, Washington, USA. She holds a BS, Geology degree from Colorado State University. She has worked for over 45 years in the mining industry at all levels from exploration to mine operation.

Jennifer began specializing in resource estimating and economic analysis during the exploration and development of the Red Dog zinc-lead mine in Alaska. In 1987, she joined Western Mine Engineering as a Cost Analyst where she was responsible for property evaluation, consulting, cost estimating and the publication of cost estimating manuals. In 2006, InfoMine acquired Western Mine Engineering. Jennifer was appointed President of InfoMine USA, Inc. and managed the CostMine division until 2023.

Jennifer currently serves as Director, Cost Estimating. She has been a SME supporter and member since 1977 and loves working with the Student Design contests.

Bowen Li is a Research Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute of Materials Processing at Michigan Technological University, and the President of QTEK LLC, USA. His research interests spanned mineral exploration and processing, metal extraction, materials analysis, mineral applications in ceramics, construction, environmental remediation, antimicrobial additives, and mining solid waste reuses. He has published more than 160 technical papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, authored 3 books, editor/co-edited 19 books, and hold 16 patents. Bowen Li received a PhD degree in Mineralogy and Petrology from China University of Geosciences Beijing in 1998, and a PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 2008. He has been an active member in the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration since 2009 and served as a chair and member in several SME committees. He is a recipient of AIME Hal W. Hardinge Award (2022).

Robert McIvor has devoted his career to the design and optimization of grinding circuits. He holds engineering degrees from the University of Saskatchewan (B.Eng.) and McGill University (M.Eng. and Ph.D.). He received the A.R. MacPherson Award from the Canadian Mineral Processors for contributions to comminution science, and the CEEC medal for writing. He was an understudy to pumping and milling specialists (including Fred C. Bond) at Allis-Chalmers, and cyclone specialists at Linatex companies. As a result of these experiences, he discovered the Functional Performance Equation. Expanding on this, he developed a comprehensive training program to measure and increase the efficiency of plant grinding operations. He founded Metcom Technologies, Inc., to consult, to conduct testing, and to deliver training to metallurgists world-wide, now approaching a thousand in number. He adopted the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as home, a storied center for mining of all types of metalliferous ores since the 1800’s.

Virginia “Ginger” McLemore is the Principal Senior Economic Geologist at New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, division of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech). She was hired in 1980. She holds B.S. degrees in Geology and Geophysics (1977), M.S. degree in Geology (1980) from New Mexico Tech and Ph.D. in Geoscience from University of Texas at El Paso (1993). Ginger has studied New Mexico’s mineral resources including how these minerals form. She has explored for new resources, provides input on how to mine these resources and how to reclaim sites after mining. McLemore has written over 400 publications and serves on SME committees. She is an adjunct professor at New Mexico Tech and is she is the faculty advisor for the Women in Mining student chapter. Ginger was inducted into the New Mexico Mining Hall of Fame (2023) in recognition of working with the mining industry.

Terence P. (“Terry”) McNulty earned a BS in chemical engineering from Stanford, an MS in mineral processing from Montana Tech, and a Doctorate in extractive metallurgy from Colorado School of Mines. He is a Registered PE. He worked for The Anaconda Co. in jobs ranging from research engineer to mill superintendent to Manager of Corporate R&D and Technical Services. He served Kerr McGee as VP-Technical Operations and was President of Hazen Research before he and his wife, Carol, formed T. P. McNulty and Associates, Inc., a global consulting firm, in 1988. He and a group of Associates still provide consulting services to the minerals industry. He has been a member of AIME/SME/TMS since 1960 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2005. He has published or presented 59 papers and professional handbook chapters on various aspects of mineral processing, technology development, and project management.

James has over 44 years of experience in the mineral processing industry and has served in various capacities from Metallurgist, Application Engineer, Product Manager to Director of Sales.

James has worked for Weir Minerals for 36 years and has extensive knowledge in slurry handling equipment ranging from centrifugal and piston diaphragm pumps, hydro cyclones, and wear materials.

James is an active member of the industry and has served on the following committees such as the Colorado MPD subsection of SME where he chaired the committee from 2003-2005. James also is an active member of the Mining & Metallurgical Society of America, (MMSA), in which he served as President of the Society from 2009 – 2011. He has been an active member of SME participating in the Mineral Processing Division since 2012 and chaired in 2020.

Dr. Michael S. Moats, a professor of metallurgical engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Missouri-Rolla. His career is dedicated to advancing hydrometallurgical processing of non-ferrous metals, with a particular focus on electrowinning and electrorefining. In recognition of his contributions to electrometallurgy, he received the AIME James Douglas Gold Medal in 2018. Dr. Moats works toward the robust supply of critical materials as the Area Lead of Enhancing and Diversifying Supply within the Critical Materials Innovation Hub. He was also the founding director of the Thomas J. O’Keefe Institute at Missouri S&T. Dr. Moats is an active SME member and has served on numerous committees, including the MPD executive committee and as co-chair of Extraction 2018.

Michael T. Myers has been a member of SME for more than 40 years and spent time in various local SME section leadership roles as well as on SME Strategic Committees and on the Board of Directors. He has also served on the Coal and Energy Executive Committee and as Chair of the Bulk Materials Handling Committee. He is currently an SME Foundation Trustee and is on the SME Foundation Executive Committee and is Chair of the SME Foundation IFC Committee. Myers has almost 50 years of experience in the mining industry. The past 24 years he has held various positions with Dodge Industrial Inc with a focus on the mining and aggregate industries, currently with business development. Prior to that he held several engineering and operations positions with The Drummond Company including Project Manager responsible for opening a greenfield coal mine and port in Colombia, SA. Myers holds a B.S. in Mining Engineering from The University of Alabama and an MBA from The University of Alabama. He is a registered Professional Engineer.

Thomas Newman, RM-SME, is a skilled geologist with 44 years of experience in industrial minerals geology. A 30-year member of the SME Industrial Minerals Division. He excels in exploration to mining geology. His work in due diligence, permitting, and work in mineral resources and reserves contributed to his employer's success. With a proven track record across North America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and China, Tom effectively drives projects from greenfield exploration to permitting both open-pit and underground operations. He attributes much of his success to his SME membership.

Joshua F. “Josh” Olmsted is President and Chief Operating Officer, Freeport-McMoRan Americas. He has responsibility for driving critical operational, technological, and transformational initiatives in the company’s Americas organization.

Josh is responsible for the company’s North and South America copper mining operations and Climax Molybdenum Co. The nine mining operations in North America, two in South America and associated downstream processing facilities employ more than 18,000 people with annual production of 2.6 billion pounds of copper and 77 million pounds of molybdenum from mines operated by Freeport-McMoRan.

Mr. Olmsted has over 30 years of experience with Freeport-McMoRan that have included senior leadership roles at operating sites in the U.S. and South America. He has a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Michael “Mike” Rispin, a proud American and Canadian, is a graduate Mining Engineer from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a professional engineer and VP – Tunneling for Strata Worldwide. He has over 42 years’ experience in the underground industry, both tunneling and mining. His areas of experience include the excavation cycle, drilling and blasting, ground support, UG heavy equipment and mechanical excavation. He has vigorously supported the SME for over 21 years at the Executive Committee level, most notably as Chair of the Underground Construction Association (UCA). He is a member of several other industry associations, including The Moles and The Beavers, and is a repeat guest lecturer at Purdue University. He has authored or co-authored over 30 published technical papers, presentations and articles.

Within the Underground Construction Association (UCA of SME), Mike has served on the Editorial Advisory Committee for Tunneling & Underground Construction (T&UC) magazine, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, and Chair of the UCA Executive Committee.

An active member of the industry, Mike has authored and edited several publications for the benefit and development of the U.S. underground construction community, including the “The History of Tunneling in the United States”, and “Geotechnical Baseline Reports Suggested Guidelines”. He has served the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference, North American Tunneling Conference, and the Cutting Edge Conference, in positions ranging from Session Chair to Editor/Program Chair.

Mike has over 45 years of experience in the tunnel construction business, serving in various capacities from miner to Project Manager throughout the successful procurement and construction of over twenty projects. A 38-year veteran with Traylor Bros., Inc., he has extensive experience with projects ranging from water, wastewater, mass transit and railway tunnels throughout North America. Mike currently serves as the Chief Engineer & Estimator for the company’s Underground Division.

Dave Rogstad has 45 years of heavy civil and underground experience. He is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he earned his B.S. in Building Construction, in 1979, and M.B.A., in 2001. Rogstad began his career with Genstar Construction in 1979 where he got his first taste of the underground business at Genstar’s Gable Mountain Nuclear Waste Storage Test Tunnels Project. In 1981 he joined S. J. Groves & Sons Company and worked as an engineer on lock & dam and bridge projects on the Mississippi and Saginaw Rivers. He worked in Alaska from 1985 through 1991 first as Project Engineer for Christenson, Raber Kief & Associates, Inc. of Seattle, Washington, and later as Project Engineer and Project Manager for Enserch Constructors, Inc. on the Bradley Lake Hydro project. Dave was Project Manager for S. A. Healy Co. on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s NC-1B project, which involved 35,000 LF of rail tunnel and related structures. He joined FKCI in late 1995 as an Estimator in the headquarters office. In 1997 he was promoted to Regional Manager of FKCI’s Northwest Division Office. In October 2004 Dave was elected Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer. Effective July 4, 2008, Dave became President & Chief Executive Officer. In his 29 years with Frontier Kemper he has been involved with more than 125 mine development projects consisting of shafts, declines, and underground bunkers as well as over 75 civil tunneling projects in North America.

Dave served on the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference Executive committee from 2001 through 2011. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Underground Construction Association of SME from 2011 through 2014. He served as a Director of SME from 2018 to 2021.

He is also a President of the Association of Bituminous Contractors, and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Coal Contractors Insurance Ltd. Organization.

Mark joined the Bureau of Mines Health and Safety Division in 1971. He participated in mine rescue at the Sunshine Mine and Scotia Mine disasters and developed and managed the agency’s special investigation division. He attended Georgetown University Law School at night, graduating in 1976. He specialized in representing mine operators in safety and health matters. He founded Predictive Compliance, a company providing MSHA compliance management solutions using predictive analytics. He has also released MSHAWise, an AI driven comprehensive MSHA knowledge solution. Mark retired from law practice in May, 2020.

He was a founding member of the Executive Committee of the SME Health and Safety Division. He is the recipient of the Daniel Jackling Award and a President’s Citation from SME and. He has been married to his wife, Kim, for over 45 years and has three children, Josh, Darcy and Zach and 4 grandchildren.

Eric Shereda is the Manager of Technology and Innovation at CONSOL Energy Inc. where he has worked for over 30 years. In his current role, Eric leads the company’s continuous improvement and digital transformation efforts leveraging data and analytics to create actionable information. He also participates on several projects and initiatives focused on the development of sustainable carbon products and materials.

A licensed PE in four states, Eric holds a B.S. in Mining and Minerals Engineering from Virginia Tech, with a minor in Geology. He is also a graduate of CONSOL’s Leadership Education and Development Program. Actively engaged in professional mining organizations, Eric currently serves as Treasurer of the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America. He is the Past Chair of the Pittsburgh Section of SME, a member of the SME Industry Workforce Strategic Committee, a Trustee of the SME Foundation, and Vice Chair of the SMEF Individual Fundraising Committee.

Mr. Simmons began his career as a mill metallurgist working for The New Jersey Zinc Company in Gilman, Colorado in 1973 and moved to Tennessee to help design, build and operate a zinc concentrator until 1978. From 1978 until 1990 he worked for several operating companies in capacities including Chief Metallurgist, Mill Superintendent, Director of Metallurgy and VP Operations for Noranda Mining, Inc. Mine and Mill Engineering, Vanderbilt Gold Corporation and Meridian Minerals Company. In 1990 he joined Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation in Albuquerque, New Mexico as Corporate Director of Metallurgy. With Santa Fe Mr. Simmon led the process development and engineering works for both the Lone Tree and Twin Creeks pressure oxidation facilities in Nevada. Santa Fe was acquired by Newmont Mining Corp in 1997 He worked for Newmont out of their Plato Malozemoff Technical Facility in Englewood, CO. where he managed Newmont Metallurgical Services (R&D and metallurgy lab) and several Senior Process Managers responsible for process flow sheet development on new projects, major expansions at existing process operations and global operations/technical support around the globe, until retiring in 2008 as Director Metallurgy & Technology. In 2008 he set up his own consulting business – GL Simmons Consulting, LLC. Mr. Simmons is still currently consulting for several global clients managing process testing and flowsheet development/design activities.

Mr. Simmons has a B.S. Degree in Extractive Metallurgy from the Colorado School of Mines, graduating in 1972. He has been as member of SME 1979, and other societies including CIM and MMSA.

Gary is listed as the inventor or co-inventor on eight (8) patents in the areas of: 1. Pressure oxidation of Au, Ag and Base metal ores and concentrates and 2. inert gas flotation of refractory gold bearing sulfide minerals and platinum group metals (PGM’s). Gary has published over 20 technical papers and articles in technical forums, journals and magazines.

Debra Struhsacker is a hardrock mining policy expert specializing in the environmental and public land laws and regulations governing mineral exploration and mine development.

She has helped many mineral exploration and mining clients secure project permits and successfully represented industry interests in state and federal legislative and administrative issues, including testifying before Congress.

In 1993, she and two other female geologists founded the Women’s Mining Coalition, which is recognized as one of the mining industry’s most effective advocacy groups. She has received numerous awards including being one of 15 women featured in the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum’s exhibit entitled “Pioneering the Field: Women in Mining.”

A Colorado native, Ms. Struhsacker is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley College where she majored in geology and French, and has a Master of Science degree in geology from the University of Montana.

Philip (“Phil”) Thompson was born in Northern England in 1950. He immigrated to the United States in his early teens and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in metallurgical engineering in 1972.

His early work experience included Cleveland Cliffs Iron Ore Company, Cortez Gold Mines, Galigher Company flotation division, and the US Bureau of Mines. Phil joined Dawson Metallurgical Laboratories (DML) in 1981 as a consulting metallurgist and became president in 1991. During his 30 years with DML the company worked on over 4000 projects, providing extensive minerals processing testing and consulting services to over 100 mining companies worldwide.

Phil is a member of SME, MMSA, and CIM. He received the Gaudin award in 2012 and the Aplan award in 2023.

Heather Trexler, PG, has over 20 years of professional experience in the coal mining, natural gas and environmental industries. Mrs. Trexler is the Environmental Program Director with CESO in their Dayton, Ohio office. She has successfully led numerous projects requiring a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, geologists, and scientists. Mrs. Trexler specializes in evaluations of current and potential mine pools, reviewing current and potential impacts to water resources and abandoned mine land reclamation designs.

Heather received her B.S. in Geology from University of Cincinnati in 2001 and M.S. in Geology from West Virginia University in 2003. She is a licensed Professional Geologist in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Heather has served as President of the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America (PCMIA), Chairperson for the Pittsburgh Section of SME and Chair of the Coal and Energy Division for SME.

Dr. Srinivas Veeramasuneni has always been captivated by the power of innovation. His educational journey culminated in a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering, after which he embarked on a career of championing technological advancement.

Since joining USG in 1998, Srinivas has led with a collaborative spirit, overseeing teams responsible for shaping USG’s technology vision, strategy, and investment. His leadership spans innovation, engineering, supply chain, operational excellence, business incubation, and commercialization functions, helping USG remain at the forefront of the building materials industry.

Srinivas’s impressive portfolio includes 16 U.S. patents, all related to building materials, as well as nearly 25 papers published in surface science-related journals. He has received numerous awards, including the AIME Rossiter W. Raymond Memorial Award, technology awards from USG Corporation and the SME Industrial Minerals Division Young Scientist Award. He was also recognized as a 2017 Chicago Business Leader of Color by Chicago United.

Beyond USG, Srinivas actively contributes to the broader scientific community and has lent his expertise while holding executive positions in ASTM committees, the Industrial Minerals division of SME and Innovation Research Interchange (IRI). He is currently a Board Member of IRI and Indo American Community Services.

Pam Wilkinson is a industrial minerals geologist and educator who has a passion for sharing the mining industry with the public. This led her to become involved with SME. She was on the ad hoc committee that created Minerals Education Coalition (MEC) by joining GEM and Mii and served on and chaired this group. She received a President’s Citation for her efforts on this. Through MEC she attended four National BSA Jamborees with SME staff promoting and teaching the MIS merit badge. In partnership with FMI she also organized and led merit badge workshops that facilitated scouts earning the badge. Awards she has received for her work in mining education are: the Ivan B. Rahn award, the MEC Leadership award and the Prazen Living Legend award. She has served SME on the Products and Services Strategic Committee, the Nominating Strategic Committee, the Miners Give Back Committee and the Scouting subcommittee.

Bill Zisch has more than 40 years’ experience in the mining industry. He spent most of his career in the gold industry with international assignments in Peru, Ghana and Mexico along with several assignments in the western US. For the last 18 years he has been in executive roles with a world leading gold company (Newmont), a royalty company (Royal Gold) and two junior gold producers (Midway Gold, Argonaut Gold) holding the positions of VP of Operations and Planning, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer. He is currently the Department Head of Mining Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

Bill holds a BS in Mining Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Past Chairman of the Colorado Mining Association and has been a member of SME for more than 45 years.