Mining & Exploration Division Awards

Ben F. Dickerson III Award to Robert W. Schafer Robert W. Schafer The Ben F. Dickerson III Award is presented to Robert W. Schafer “for his many contributions to the society and mining industry as well as his availability and responsiveness to the SME membership.”Schafer is founder and chief executive of Eagle Resources Management LLC, a minerals industry advisory and operating entity focused on mineral exploration, mine development, mineral economics, geology, business development and executive advisory. Previously, Schafer spent more than10 years with Hunter Dickinson Inc. as executive vice president, based in Vancouver, Canada, where he was responsible for identifying, evaluating and structuring transactions for mineral deposits globally. Schafer has had the good fortune to work with several great geologic teams, leading to a record of discovery, several of which have become significant operating mines. In addition, Schafer has taken national leadership roles in the mining industries of both the United States and Canada. As an executive and manager and field geologist, Schafer led teams to the discovery of mines in the western United States, Canada and Russia with Billiton Metals, Addwest Gold and Kinross Gold.Mining & Exploration Division Distinguished Service Award to Greg Sutton Greg Sutton The Mining & Exploration (M&E) Division Distinguished Service Award is presented to Greg Sutton with the citation: “To recognize Greg for his many years of service to the M&E Division including technical contributions and leadership.” Sutton is the general manager – mining operations for US Strategic Metals in Fredericktown, MO. He oversees surface mining operations at the Madison Mine Site and is planning and building the new underground cobalt/nickel/copper mine there as well. Sutton has a B.S. in mining engineering from the University of Missouri – Rolla, now Missouri University of Science and Technology and also completed his MBA degree from there in 2018. After his early career in gold mining, he has spent many years in mine operations and development for various projects in the base metals and industrial minerals sectors of the mining business. He started his current role with US Strategic Metals in 2021. Sutton currently resides with his wife Genevieve near Bunker, MO. Harry M. Parker Excellence Award to Jacqui Coombes Jacqui Coombes The Harry M. Parker Excellence Award is presented to Jacqui Coombes “for inspired leadership and exceptional contributions to the understanding of competency as applied to mineral resource estimation and to furthering the practical understanding of geostatistics in estimation processes.” Coombes is a distinguished polymath with extensive expertise in mineral resource estimation, geostatistics and competency development. With more than three decades of leadership in the mining industry, Coombes’ contributions have significantly advanced the understanding of mineral resource estimation, particularly in bridging the gap between technical precision and practical application. Her work has set new benchmarks in competency frameworks for resource geologists, ensuring alignment with global reporting codes and ethical standards. Coombes has trained more than 2,000 resource geologists worldwide and has authored two influential books, The Art and Science of Resource Estimation and I’d Like to be OK with MIK, UC?, with her latest work Cracking the Competency Code published in 2025. She has been instrumental in initiatives such as the Future Batteries Industry Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), Amira Global and Mining3, driving innovation across the sector. Her leadership extends beyond resource estimation into governance, innovation and global minerals industry transformation. Outstanding Young Professional Award to Mackenzie Sorenson Mackenzie Sorenson The Outstanding Young Professional Award is presented to Mackenzie Sorenson “in recognition of her professional contributions and for being an inspiring champion for Inclusion and Diversity in the mining industry.” Sorenson is the principal advisor of strategy and performance for Kennecott. She joined Rio Tinto in 2015 as a contractor working with the geologic mapping and modeling group, and has held positions at the concentrator, labs and mine. Most recently she was the senior mineralogist for Kennecott, where she was able to dive deeper into the metals end of the business. She has a passion for looking at the full value stream and problem solving through curiosity and research. Sorenson holds B.S. degrees from the University of Georgia, a M.S. and is currently pursuing an M.E. from the University of Arizona focusing on mineral processing. Miner of the Year Award to Megan Tibbals Megan Tibbals The Miner of the Year Award is presented to Megan Tibbals “for her tireless efforts to put rock in the box, mentor and lead, and giving back to the industry.” Tibbals has spent her career driving positive change in the mining industry. She was raised in a mining family in Nevada and was drawn to the mining industry by hearing the stories of the family generations that came before her. With a B.S. in chemical engineering degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, her experience spans environmental, project manager, processing and operational leadership. Through her career she has held various roles and has had the privilege of working with a diverse group of people from Nevada Gold Mines and Newmont in Nevada to Barrick’s Pueblo Viejo operation in the Dominican Republic. Tibbals has been passionate through her career on developing and mentoring the next generation of mining talent. She is also a member of the Mackay Executive Advisory Borad promoting strong mining education and has been an active member of WIM Nevada chapter, promoting diversity in the mining industry. She is proud to have taken part in a gender diversity program that has been able to increase the female representation in the Pueblo Viejo Mine to 25 percent, in all roles throughout the operation. Robert M. Peele Memorial Award to Kyle Stafford Kyle Stafford The Robert M. Peele Memorial Award is presented to Kyle Stafford for the paper, “Geochronology and Critical Mineral Potential of Selected Laramide Porphyry and Related Deposits in Southwest New Mexico.”Stafford is a geologist working in environmental consulting for the mining industry. He attended New Mexico Tech from 2017 to 2024, earning both a bachelor’s in Earth science and a master’s in mineral engineering with a specialization in mineral exploration. Stafford began working for the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources in 2021, working under Virginia McLemore’s Economic Geology Group. During his time there, he used GIS to prepare a mineral-resource potential assessment of BLM parcels in Southwest New Mexico, and worked on various USGS Earth MRI projects to investigate critical minerals. His thesis, on the geochronology of Laramide and mid-Tertiary mineral deposits in New Mexico known to host critical minerals, was published in 2024. He is currently employed at Telesto Solutions Inc., an environmental consulting company, out of its Silver City, NM office.

Mining & Exploration Division Awards

Authored by: Staff

To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

From sessions to strategy: Revealing long-term and emerging innovation trends in data analytics, intelligent systems and automation

Mining education gets federal boost as industry faces workforce crunch

Critical minerals management on the federal seabed

From sessions to strategy: Revealing long-term and emerging innovation trends in data analytics, intelligent systems and automation

Mining education gets federal boost as industry faces workforce crunch

Critical minerals management on the federal seabed

To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division Awards

WAAIME Founders Award to Zenovia Kunasz

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