Phil Baker
President and CEO, Hecla Mining Company
Hecla Mining Company, established 133 years ago, is the largest producer of silver in the United States, accounting for over 40% of the nation’s silver output. Phil Baker has led Hecla as CEO for more than 20 years, beginning his tenure when silver prices were at their lowest since 1993. Under his leadership, Hecla has addressed significant legacy environmental liabilities, proactively investing hundreds of millions of dollars in environmental efforts long before the widespread focus on ESG principles.
In 2008, Phil orchestrated the sale of Hecla’s Venezuelan operations, where the company was the largest gold producer, and used the proceeds to acquire full ownership of Greens Creek, one of the world’s top silver mines. His dedication to innovation prompted the development of the patented Underhand Closed Bench mining method at the Lucky Friday mine, significantly enhancing safety and productivity for the future. In 2022, Hecla expanded its portfolio by acquiring the Keno Hill mining district, which is expected to contribute to nearly 40% of Canada’s silver production starting in 2026.
Phil is a prominent advocate for the critical role of silver in the energy transition, especially in photovoltaics. He has served as a past Chairman of the United States National Mining Association and is the current Chairman of the Silver Institute. His extensive experience has given him insight into the highs and lows of the mining industry.
Dr. Grant S. Bromhal
Senior Science Advisor, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Dr. Grant S. Bromhal is the Senior Science Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Resource Sustainability. He is also the Acting Director of the Mineral Sustainability Division in DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, where he leads a team to facilitate an environmentally, economically, and geopolitically sustainable supply chain of critical minerals, particularly coming from unconventional and secondary sources. He recently joined DOE HQ after over 20 years at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), where he was the Senior Fellow focusing on Geological and Environmental Sciences, and the Technical Director of the Science-informed Machine Learning for Accelerating Real-Time Decisions in Subsurface Applications (SMART) Initiative. He has led research teams that perform R&D in carbon storage, environmental impacts of oil and gas recovery, geothermal energy, and related topics.
Dr. Bromhal earned his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Math from West Virginia University. He is the recipient of an R&D100 Award for Innovation, a U.S. Department of Energy Secretary’s Achievement Honor Award, and a U.S. Geological Survey Director’s Award for Exemplary Service to the Nation.
Judy Brown
Head of External Affairs, South32 Limited
Judy Brown has oversight of external affairs for South32’s assets across the Americas, including and particularly the Hermosa project. She is an established and highly sought-after strategic government and community affairs expert, accomplished in managing complex international, national, and local issues of policy and reputation. Prior to joining South32, she served in multiple chief external affairs roles for Rio Tinto, most recently as Chief Adviser, External Affairs, in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region.
John Cash
Chairmen of the Board & CEO, Ur-Energy Inc.
Mr. Cash was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Ur-Energy Inc. in 2022. Mr. Cash joined Ur-Energy in 2007 and was appointed as Vice President Regulatory Affairs in 2011. He led the permitting and licensure of both the Lost Creek and Shirley Basin uranium mines, while managing the environmental, health and safety and geology departments and contributing to the development and growth of the Company. During his tenure with Ur-Energy, Mr. Cash gained a well-deserved reputation for developing impactful solutions for industry related to water management, EPA aquifer exemptions, technical design, and environmental matters. Mr. Cash has nearly 30 years of diverse experience in the uranium industry, from which he has acquired broad-reaching expertise in exploration, radiation safety, regulatory and legislative affairs, and uranium recovery operations, as well as extensive management experience. He is a respected industry leader and has served as a past president of the Uranium Producers of America.
Mr. Cash is a Fellow of the inaugural World Nuclear Summer Institute and received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Jocelyn Douheret
Director, Mining Policies, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests
Jocelyn Douhéret joined the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests as Director of Mining Policies Office in February 2023. Previously, he worked more than 6 years as Director of the Marketing Office at Société du Plan Nord. Mr Douhéret also held different positions during 10 years in the mining sector as General Manager of an environmental services company, then as Director and Vice President of Business Development for a company offering services and equipment.
From 1998 to 2006, he worked for Québec companies on industrial development projects in Eastern Europe, Latin America as well as in Canada, particularly in the fields of natural resources, energy, and environment. Mr. Douhéret began his career in 1996 as a scientific attaché at the French Embassy in Slovakia. He is a graduate of ENESAD (Dijon, France, 1994) and holds a master’s degree in science from Université Laval (Québec, Canada,1996).
Daniel Enderton
Chief Strategy Officer, KoBold Metals
Daniel previously served as Chief Operation Officer for the SolarStone Development, a U.S.-based utility-scale and community solar project developer. His primary responsibilities included project origination, interconnection, engineering, portfolio management, and project finance. Daniel managed over 60 community solar projects across 4 jurisdictions and over 1, 000 MW of utility-solar projects in the Upper Midwest and Mid-Continent regions. Daniel previously served as Vice President of Business Development at C12 Energy, and also founded and ran a software company focused on asset management for community solar projects.
Daniel has a Ph.D. in climate physics and chemistry from MIT, where he worked as Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy Revolution Program
Tim Gitzel
President & CEO, Cameco Corporation
Tim Gitzel was appointed chief executive officer of Cameco on July 1, 2011.
Tim joined Cameco in January 2007 as senior vice-president and chief operating officer. He was subsequently appointed president on May 14, 2010.
Tim has extensive experience in Canadian and international uranium mining activities through more than 25 years of senior management and legal experience. Prior to joining Cameco, he was executive vice-president, mining business unit for AREVA based in Paris, France with responsibility for global uranium, gold, exploration and decommissioning operations in 11 countries. He also served as president and chief executive officer for AREVA’s Canadian subsidiary.
Tim was born and raised in Saskatchewan, graduated from the College of Arts & Science and the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan in 1990. He served as a lawyer with the firm MacPherson, Leslie and Tyerman in Saskatoon.
Tim currently serves on the boards of the World Nuclear Association, Washington-based Nuclear Energy Institute, the Business Council of Canada and The Mosaic Company. He is a member of the Edwards School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and the University of Saskatchewan College of Law Dean’s Advisory Council. He is past chair of the World Nuclear Association, past president of the Saskatchewan Mining Association, and has served on the boards of Mining Association of Canada, the Canadian Nuclear Association, Sask Energy and the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. Tim was co-chair of the Royal Care campaign raising funds for the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon and served as vice-president, communications for the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships.
As well, Tim serves as Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan to Saskatchewan and is Co-Chair of the Kazakhstan Canada Business Council.
He was named one of the 100 Alumni of Influence from the University of Saskatchewan in 2007, is a recipient of the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal and of both the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals.
John Feneck
CEO, Feneck Consulting, LLC
John began his career in 1992 as an equity analyst on the Merrill Lynch global allocation fund (MALOX). From 1993-2019, John was a senior executive for Mutual Fund and ETF providers, spending most of his career at Merrill Lynch Funds (now Blackrock) and JP Morgan Chase Funds. He was ranked #1 in the US in both gross and net sales once at Merrill Lynch and three times at JP Morgan Chase. John has conducted over 250 seminars and has been a speaker at 8 global events. He has also been a contributor to Kitco since 2017.
He was a member of the precious metals PM team at Sprott in 2017 and has developed his own compelling track record in mining equities since 1/1/16. John uses a proprietary methodology, which combines technical analysis with public information gathered from direct interaction with senior management of commodities companies. He believes that building a diversified portfolio of 25 to 50 resource stocks is critical to success. John’s “go anywhere” approach allows him greater flexibility than the average PM, who is many times constrained by prospectus language such as holding 5% or less in any one stock, focusing on tax-efficiency at the potential expense of total return, being 80% invested at all times, etc.
In September 2019, John started Feneck Consulting, LLC, based on demand from commodity companies, especially those in the metals and mining sector. He enjoys working with commodities investors, and started the Feneck Commodities Report newsletter in 2021. For more information, please visit http://www.feneckconsulting.com
Brent Gilchrist
President, JDS Resources Inc., JDS Group of Companies
Brent is an accomplished finance executive with extensive experience in the investment and banking sectors. He is the President of JDS Resources Inc., the JDS Group of Companies’ venture capital and private equity arm responsible for investment management, acquisitions and project financing for JDS opportunities.
Brent was the President and Co-founder of JDS Silver Inc. (along with Jeff Stibbard, CEO), the owner, developer and operator of the Silvertip Mine located in Northern British Columbia. Brent and Jeff sold JDS Silver to Coeur Mining in November 2017.
Prior to joining the JDS Group of Companies in 2012, Brent led the management of individual portfolios at RBC Dominion Securities, the investment branch of the Royal Bank of Canada, for seven years.
Prior to RBC, Brent played for 15 years in the National Hockey League with five teams, drafted by the Montreal Canadiens and debuting with the club in 1988. Brent was a member of the 1998 Stanley Cup champion, Detroit Red Wings. He retired from the NHL in 2003.
David earned designations as a Canadian Fellow of the Chartered Public Accountants and a Certified Director of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Vice Chair) and Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. He and his wife Christie live in Vancouver and have eight children.
Abigail Hunter
Director, Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE)
Abigail Hunter leads the SAFE’s Ambassador Alfred Hoffman Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy (Minerals Center). Previously, Abigail served as Director of International Affairs and Partnerships within the Minerals Center. In this role, she nurtured existing and new SAFE partnerships to advance sustainable and ethical supply chains amongst allies and like-minded countries for the future minerals-based global economy.
Before joining SAFE full time, Hunter headed federal government affairs for Quebec for nearly three years as the senior attachée in Washington, D.C. Her mandate focused on the energy, environment, and trade relationship between the province and United States. Hunter started her career at the National Governors Association, where she led the association’s international work.
Hunter completed her Masters in Sustainable Energy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Her four-part capstone on aluminum’s clean energy paradox was published by the SAFE Center for Strategic Industrial Metals. She received her Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University with a double major in International Management and Managing for Sustainability.
Born in Toronto and growing up in New Jersey, Hunter is a proud dual citizen and conflicted hockey fan.
Alex Jacquez
Special assistant to the President, Economic Development & Strategy, Economic Council | White House
Alex Jacquez serves as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Development and Industrial Strategy for the White House National Economic Council. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, he served as Senior Policy Advisor for labor and economic policy on the Senate Budget Committee under Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT). He has previously served in various policy and engagement roles for Senate Democratic leadership, the Obama-Biden White House, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and federal and state campaigns. He graduated from Lehigh University.
Tina Jeffress
Group Manager, Panasonic
Tina Jeffress is Group Manager for Energy and Sustainability with Panasonic North America’s Corporate and Government Affairs team where she leads energy and sustainability policy, supporting the rapid expansion of Panasonic’s EV battery business. She also supports Panasonic Energy on sustainability priorities, including supply chain mapping and transparency, decarbonization, and human rights. Prior to joining Panasonic, Tina worked for ScottMadden Consulting where she specialized in electric utilities and ESG issues, supporting clients on grid modernization, renewables, and sustainability strategy. Previously, she was associate director for the Project on U.S. Leadership in Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), leading key energy sector partnerships and research on the role of business and corporate philanthropy in international development. She began her career working with non-profit organizations in Los Angeles, Washington, and the Dominican Republic. She holds a BA in International Development Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Kendra Johnston
Managing Director, PearTree Securities Inc.
Kendra Johnston is Managing Director of PearTree Securities Inc. and the Past President and CEO of AME. Kendra is a Professional Geologist and senior mining executive with nearly 20 years of experience working with and for the advancement of junior exploration companies. Having spent most of her career working in BC and Yukon, she is a passionate industry advocate for mineral exploration and development and brings extensive, knowledge and experience in public geoscience, financial and capital markets, Indigenous engagement, as well as the social and regulatory landscapes that impact mineral exploration. Kendra has been instrumental in promoting Canada as the top global jurisdiction for responsible and inclusive mineral exploration and development and as a major international hub for industry expertise.
Kendra, graduated from the University of Victoria with BSc in Earth Sciences and Geography and the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University with an MBA. She also holds a Certificate in Responsible Leadership from Queen’s University and a Certificate in Mining Law from York University. Her roles prior to PearTree include President & CEO of AME and President & Director of Independence Gold Corp. Kendra is also an active industry volunteer, sitting on the Board of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit at UBC and Britannia Mine Museum among various other volunteer committees that span the industry’s philanthropic initiatives.
Andy Leyland
Managing Director, Supply Chain Insights
Andrew advises leading OEMs and Oil & Gas companies on how to react to the rapid growth in Li-ion battery deployment, both in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. This includes advice on contract structures, commercial terms and direct investment into the sector.
He has over 20 years of experience in the metals, mining and chemicals industry as an analyst and consultant and has held roles as Head of Forecasts & Consulting at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Director at Wood Mackenzie, and Associate Director and Senior Commodities Analyst at VTB Capital.
Supply Chain Insights maintains industry-wide models and forecasts, providing both data and advisory solutions to those involved in and looking to invest in the battery sector. This includes input to Lenders Market Reports, Due Diligence Projects, and Feasibility Studies.
He holds a MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Ian M. London
Executive Director, Canadian Critical Minerals & Materials Alliance (C2M2A)
Over the past fifteen years, Ian has been actively engaged in the emerging advanced materials sector. Currently in semi-retirement, he serves as Executive Director of C2M2A, an industry-led multi-stakeholder network that seeks and provides collaborative solutions to advance Canada’s significant potential in the global critical material supply market. He also chaired Canada’s seat on the International Standards Organization’s Rare Earth Technical Committee, serves as a committee member of ISO/TC 333 – Lithium, co-chaired Canada’s Rare Earth R&D Initiative (2015 – 2021) and serves on the Advisory Board of the Rare Earth Industry Association. In 2012, Ian launched the now-biennial Critical Material Symposium series under the aegis of the Metallurgical Society of Canada. He has appeared before Canada’s Natural Resource and Finance Parliamentary Committees on several occasions.
Over his career in corporate & project management, supply chain development and international marketing. Ian served as President and CEO of Ontario Hydro International (consulting & technical services, established Hydro One Telecom, mergers & acquisitions), CEO of Process Products Limited (engineered fasteners & components and JIT supply chain services) and on the Boards of several clean technology companies.
Ian holds a BEng (Metallurgy) from McGill and an MBA – Schulich School of Business.
Rob McEwen
Chairman & Chief Owner, McEwen Mining Inc.
Rob McEwen: Chairman, Chief Owner of McEwen Mining, which has four mines located in USA, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. Associated with the gold industry all his career, first 18 years in the investment industry and since 1990 as CEO of several gold mining companies.
Founder of Goldcorp Inc., where he grew its market capitalization from $50 million to over $8 billion. At McEwen Mining (MUX) he owns 17% of the company, takes a salary of $1/ year and the cost of his investment in MUX and McEwen Copper exceeds US$220 million.
He and his wife have donated over $60 million to encourage excellence and innovation in healthcare and education.
Awards: Order of Canada, Canadian Mining Hall of Fame member, Honorary Doctorate of Law Degrees from York University and Western University.
Angelina Mehta
General Manager, Rio Tinto Aluminum
Scott Melbye
President & CEO, Uranium Royalty Corp.
Mr. Melbye has been a director of Uranium Royalty since April of 2017 and has been the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company since October 2019. He has over 39 years of experience in the nuclear energy industry and has held leadership positions in various uranium mining companies and industry organizations. Mr. Melbye has served as an Executive Vice President of Uranium Energy Corp. since September of 2014, where he is responsible for uranium marketing and sales and strategic growth objectives. Previously, Mr. Melbye was the Vice President of Commercial at Uranium Participation Corporation (now Sprott Physical Uranium Trust) from 2014 to 2018, and concurrently served as an advisor to the Chairman of Kazatomprom, the national uranium company of Kazakhstan, until March of 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Melbye held the position of Executive Vice President of Marketing at Uranium One Inc. from 2011 to 2014, and, from 1989 to 2010, held various positions at Cameco Corporation, including President of their global marketing subsidiary, Cameco, Inc. Mr. Melbye is currently the President of the Uranium Producers of America and is a past Chair of the Board of Governors of the World Nuclear Fuel Market. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University.
Dr. Othon Monteiro
Technology to Market Advisor, U.S. Department of Energy
Dr. Othon Monteiro is a Technology to Market Advisor to ARPA-E, the US Department of Energy, where he leads the agency’s efforts for commercialization of technologies in the areas of Critical Minerals, Geothermal and Geological Hydrogen. He has recently joined ARPA-E, where he brings experience as entrepreneur as well as in academic and industrial R&D. He was a Fellow and a Staff Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for over 12 years where his work focuses on advanced materials development. He was also a Senior Scientist at Baker Hughes Oil Services Co. for almost a decade, where his work comprised bringing advanced technologies to geothermal and Oil&Gas exploration and production. Throughout his career, Dr. Monteiro formed and led a few startups in the materials and energy space.
Dr. Monteiro earned his PhD in Materials Sciences and Mineral Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, M.S. from New Mexico Tech and bachelor’s degree from the Military Institute of Engineering. He also holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He is the recipient of an R&D 100 Award for Innovation, a US Senate Appreciation Award and the Outstanding Achievement award from the Commonwealth of Virginia for technology transfer.
Ernie Ortiz
President and CEO, Lithium Royalty Corp
George Pirie
Minister of Mines, Ontario Ministry of Mines
Minister George Pirie was appointed as Minister of Mines by Premier Ford in June 2022. George’s family roots began in the Porcupine over 100 years ago. He is a graduate of Laurentian University and is happily married with two children and three grandchildren. Prior to entering politics, George was a senior mining executive with over thirty-five years of experience in the industry both domestically and internationally. He has held senior positions in the industry for over seventeen years and also has a long history of involvement in the local community. As Mayor of Timmins, George oversaw the largest mining boom in fifty years. He has served on the Mining Association of Canada, the Ontario Mining Association and was also the co-chairman of the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Initiative.
Locally, in Timmins, he has made a positive impact in his community by serving on the Porcupine Health Unit and as Chairman of the Timmins Police Service. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors with Northern College, co-chaired local United Way campaigns, and served on local hospital boards as well as community associations.
Robert A. Quartermain
Chairman & Founder, Mining Industry Executive
Robert A. Quartermain has extensive global experience in geology, exploration and development. Over his 40-year career in the resource industry, he has established a solid track record in building shareholder value in the field of precious metals exploration and development. Dr. Quartermain was the president of Silver Standard Resource Inc. from 1985 to 2010, over which time the company grew from a small exploration company with a market capitalization of over $2 million, to a company with a producing mine, five advanced development properties, a pipeline of early stage exploration properties and a market capitalization of over $2 billion. Dr. Quartermain is currently the Chairman and CEO of Pretium Resources, which he incorporated in 2010 and is advancing construction of the low-cost, high-grade Brucejack property in northern BC. Dr. Quartermain has a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of New Brunswick, a Master of Science degree in mineral exploration from Queen’s University and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of New Brunswick in May 2009. Dr. Quartermain has recently been awarded the 2016 A.O. Dufresne Exploration Achievement Award for his exceptional achievement and distinguished contribution to mining exploration in Canada. He is also a recipient of the 2010 CIM Vale Inco Medal Award, in recognition for his leadership in the mining industry, and the 2008 AME BC Murray Pezim Award for his achievements in financing mineral exploration. Under Dr. Quartermain’s leadership, Pretium Resources received the PDAC 2013 Bill Dennis Award for a Canadian mineral discovery and prospecting success.
Joe Sopcisak
Technical Integration Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Joseph “Joe” Sopcisak currently serves as the Technical Integration Officer for Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (OASD) for Industrial Base Policy (IBP) where he serves as a senior advisor, materials science subject matter expert, technical liaison and research analyst on Industrial Base sectors, supply chains, and key supplier matters. MCEIP prioritizes and invests in industrial development and production critical for protecting national security and is comprised of the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title I, DPA Title III, and IBAS (ICAM) portfolios.
Prior to his role with OSD, Joe was a staff research scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory where he served as a materials engineering expert and project manager for the advancement of novel materials and processes to address our nation’s most critical defense, security, space, and science challenges. He has a broad background in materials research and manufacturing including materials characterization, physical metallurgy, additive manufacturing, alloy design, mining, and materials for extreme environments such as hypersonics. He is experienced in ceramics, metals, composites, refractories, bulk metallic glasses, laser-metal interactions, corrosion, and phase transformations. Joe holds a B.S. in materials science from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.S. in materials science from the University of Virginia.
David A. Talbot
Managing Director, Head of Research , Red Cloud Securities
David graduated as a geologist from the University of Western Ontario and worked almost ten years in the gold exploration industry with Placer Dome, Franco Nevada, and Newmont Capital. He transitioned over to capital markets in 2003, joining Dundee Capital Markets research department and for the next 18 years covered uranium, precious metals, and battery metals companies at Dundee and Eight Capital. He joined Red Cloud Securities in January 2021 to head up its research department and once again focus on uranium stocks. He has been to 75 countries and over 110 uranium projects worldwide. He is a member of the PDAC, is on the PDAC selection committee, and has been Chair of the uranium session for the last decade. David has shared his knowledge and field experience in print and on screen with such media outlets as The Financial Post, Globe and Mail, Street Events, BNN, CNBC, and The Economist.
Zack Valdez
Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Prior to joining the Manufacturing Energy Supply Chain Office, Zack Valdez developed workforce and innovation strategy with the Office of Advanced Manufacturing at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology. Dr. Valdez has extensive experience with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math outreach and engagement with national non-profits. He is also an alumni of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology Policy Fellowship, where he served on the Energy and National Resources Committee of the U.S. Senate. Zack received his academic degrees in his native state of Texas with a Ph.D. from Baylor University in Geoscience and Engineering and Physics B.S. degrees from St. Mary’s University.
Abby Wulf
Executive Chair, Department of Energy
