URANIUM ENERGY - Key Persons
Amir Adnani - CEO, Founder, President
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Director
- Founder
- President
- Founder and Co - Chairman of GoldMining Inc
Amir Adnani is the President, Chief Executive Officer, a director and a founder of Uranium Energy Corp (UEC: NYSE American). Under his leadership, the company has become the fastest growing uranium company listed on the NYSE American with the largest resource base of fully permitted ISR projects of any U.S. based producer.
Mr. Adnani is the founder and Co-Chairman of GoldMining Inc. (GOLD: TSX; GLDG: NYSE American), a gold-resources acquisition and development company that has grown to control a sizeable portfolio of gold projects across the Americas and is the Chairman of Uranium Royalty Corp. (UROY: Nasdaq; URC: TSX) a uranium royalty company. By background, he is an entrepreneur, and earlier started and expanded two private companies.
Mr. Adnani is frequently invited to speak at prominent industry gatherings, including the Milken Institute Global Conference, the International Economic Forum of the Americas, the World Nuclear Fuel Market and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He is often interviewed by major business media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNBC and Fox Business News.
Mr. Adnani was selected as one of "Mining's Future Leaders" by Mining Journal, a UK-based global industry publication. Fortune magazine distinguished him on their 40 Under 40, ‘Ones to Watch' list of North American executives. He was earlier a finalist for Ernst & Young's ‘Entrepreneur of the Year' distinction. Mr. Adnani holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia and was a director of the university's Alumni Association from 2015 to 2021.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Technical Team
- Vice President of Resource Development
Mr. Kurrus is a professional geologist specializing in the exploration and production of economic uranium deposits in South Texas. Mr. Kurrus has an impressive 36-year career in South Texas beginning with Intercontinental Energy Corp in 1978, followed by other notable uranium mining companies: Pioneer Nuclear, Tenneco, Malapai, Total, and Cogema.
While at Total (now Areva), and most recently at Mesteña Uranium LLC (owner of the Alta Mesa ISR uranium mine), he discovered previously unknown ore deposits and orebody extensions at existing ISR operations that contributed significantly to the economics of those projects. Mr. Kurrus is registered as a Professional Geologist; he received his BSc and MSc in Geology from the University of Arkansas.
Job Titles:
- Vice - President of Corporate Development
- VP of Corporate Development
Mr. Nicholson has spent 16 years as an industry specialist in the basic materials and metals and mining industries serving major U.S. and European banks, broker dealers, and investment funds. He has worked as a securities analyst for Bank of New York, BNP Paribas, and Citigroup. He also worked for four years in the investment field for DWS Investments, Deutsche Bank's asset management company, and an international resources-focused hedge fund. Mr. Nicholson was Chairman of the New York Section of the Society for Mining Exploration (SME) in 2007-08. With SME, he organized the annual NY nuclear renaissance meeting on uranium and nuclear issues with global experts from Cameco, Exelon, TradeTech and other industry-leading firms. At BNP Paribas, he advised the bank's New York commodity group on matters pertaining to the uranium sector and interfaced with a global team of in-house geologists and commodity traders. Mr. Nicholson is a member of the Minerals Economics and Management Society (MEMS), Minerals Industry Analyst Group (MRAG), and New York Society of Securities Analysts (NYSSA). He graduated with an MBA degree in Finance from Rutgers University in 1995 and is a CFA charterholder.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Member of the Paraguay Advisory Board
Carlos Figueredo has over 25 years of experience in mineral and oil exploration in Paraguay. In the early 1980's Carlos worked for Anschutz Corporation during their initial uranium exploration activities in Paraguay. He developed his career at various companies, conducting mineral exploration programs and as a consultant on hydrocarbon exploration projects. In 2007 Carlos was Chief Geologist and Assistant Exploration Manager, playing a pivotal role in the uranium exploration programs at both the Yuty and Coronel Oviedo projects, in addition to other mineral exploration projects in Eastern Paraguay.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Exploration, Canada
Christopher "Chris" Hamel joined UEC in August 2022 and serves as VP Exploration, Canada. Mr. Hamel has been exploring for uranium in the Athabasca since 2004. Prior to joining UEC he was most recently the VP Exploration for UEX Corporation where he was the technical lead for the company's exploration team. Prior to his 6 years with UEX Corporation, Mr. Hamel worked for Cameco Corporation for 12 years, ultimately serving there as District Geologist, Saskatchewan. Mr. Hamel has worked in Exploration since he graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2001 with a B.Sc. in Geology and has been involved with a number of Uranium, Cobalt & Nickel, and diamond discoveries over the course of his career.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Member of the Technical Team
Mr. Bordovsky gained his B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2004 and became a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the State of Texas in 2009. He joined UEC in 2008 as Engineering Manager and oversees all engineering aspects of the Company's exploration operations, permitting activities, construction projects, production operations, and restoration activities. Mr. Bordovsky is responsible for the preparation of design packages for satellite plants, for permitting and construction purposes, including the Palangana Mine. He also develops various financial models to help theoretically estimate a mine's life from conception to reclamation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Technical Team
- Chairman of the Texas Mining
- Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety
Mr. Wall received his BSc from Sam Houston State in 1999. Previously he served as a Safety Specialist at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, Safety Coordinator for the City of Corpus Christi and later served as Environmental Health and Safety Supervisor for Mestena Uranium, L.L.C. between 2006-2010 where he managed the company's environmental, health and safety programs. He has successfully permitted four exploration projects, four Production Area Authorizations, many mine area permit and RML license amendments and played an instrumental role in releasing a former uranium project to unrestricted use. He offers a diverse knowledge of environmental, health and safety regulations along with permit development, revision and renewal experience pertaining to uranium in-situ recovery.
Mr. Wall is also the current chairman of the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association's (TMRA) Uranium Sub-committee, a member of TMRA's Executive Committee and an active member in the Society of Mining Engineers South Texas chapter.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Board Committees
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
- Chairman of the Sustainability Committee
- Lead Independent Director
- Member of the Compensation Committee
- Chairman of Sustainability Committee
- Chartered Professional Accountant
- Member / Sustainability Committee
Mr. Kong is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA). He most recently served as a partner of EY (formerly Ernst & Young LLP) from 2005 to 2010. He earlier served as a partner of Ellis Foster, Chartered Professional Accountants of Vancouver, British Columbia from 1981 to 2004. He is a certified director (ICD.D) of the Institute of Corporate Directors. He is a director of several mining companies.
Job Titles:
- Geo Manager of Resource Development, Wyoming
Mr. Lewis is a professional geologist with over 30 years of extensive experience in the evaluation, exploration, development, and production of In-Situ Recovery (ISR) amenable uranium resources throughout the western U.S. He has been involved with the development and production of several successful ISR uranium mines in Texas and Wyoming. He has held senior management positions with Uranium One, Power Resources (Cameco), Rio Algom Mining, and Everest Minerals. Mr. Lewis is a Registered Professional Geologist in Wyoming, a Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), and holds a B.Sc. degree in Geologic Sciences from Texas A&M University - Kingsville in Kingsville, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Wyoming Operations
Ms. Wichers has served as our Vice President of Wyoming Operations since May 1, 2022. From 2007 to 2021, Ms. Wichers held various senior positions with Uranium One Inc., where she was responsible for exploration, licensing, development and operations for all of Uranium One Inc.'s ISR properties in the U.S. Ms. Wichers continues to serve as the Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and a director of Uranium One Americas, Inc. (now named UEC Wyoming Corp.), which was acquired by our Company on December 17, 2021. Ms. Wichers has over 40 years of experience in senior roles with ISR and conventional uranium mines in the U.S., including past positions with U.S. mining subsidiaries of Orano, Rio Algom, Arizona Public Service and Westinghouse and enCore Energy. She also has been employed by the International Atomic Energy Commission for annual consultancies over the past five years. Ms. Wichers holds a M.S. degree in Water Resources and a B.S. (Honors) degree in Microbiology, both from the University of Wyoming. Ms. Wichers is a past member of the Boards of Directors of the National Mining Association, the Wyoming Mining Association and the Uranium Producers of America, and is a past Chairman of the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME, Wyoming Mining and Metals Section.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Member of the Paraguay Advisory Board
- Professional Geophysicist
Dr. Bernie Schmeling is a professional geophysicist and a registered EurGeol, recognized as a Qualified Person in accordance with NI 43-101 standards. He has more than 35 years of experience in worldwide exploration programs and mining projects for uranium and other commodities. Previously, he was a member of the original Uranerz group of companies as a senior and chief geophysicist. In 1975, he was closely involved with the discovery and development of the major uranium deposit at Key Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada. Since 2006, Dr. Schmeling has been continuously involved in mineral exploration and development activities in Paraguay and other South American countries. Dr. Schmeling is recognized internationally as an expert in uranium exploration and has extensive experience in the applicability of ISR techniques and their feasibility evaluation.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Board
Spencer Abraham served as the 10th U.S. secretary of energy from 2001 to 2005. Under his leadership the department made major advances in the development of new energy technologies, successfully implemented a variety of nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear security programs after the September 11 attacks, and launched initiatives to improve the nation's energy security. He also had responsibility for U.S. national labs and energy research activities.
An honors graduate of Michigan State University and Harvard Law School, Mr. Abraham was the co-founder of The Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and the Federalist Society. He was a law professor at the Thomas M. Cooley School of law before being elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party in 1983. He later served as deputy chief of staff in the office of the vice president and as co-chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
In 1994, Mr. Abraham was elected to the United States Senate from Michigan. While in the Senate, he authored 22 pieces of legislation that were enacted into law and served on the Senate Judiciary, Commerce and Budget committees. He chaired the Senate subcommittees on Immigration and Manufacturing and Competitiveness. Much of his legislative focus was on advancing the emerging information technology/e-commerce revolution, including the now ubiquitous use of electronic signatures in commercial activities.
Mr. Abraham serves as the chairman of Uranium Energy Corp. He was previously a director of Occidental Petroleum and the non-executive chairman of AREVA's U.S. board.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chief Executive Officer of Content Mode SAS
Ms. Ballesta is the Chief Executive Officer of Content Mode SAS, based in Bogota, Colombia, since January 2016, and serves as a director of GoldMining Inc., a public company listed on the TSX and the NYSE American since August 2010. Ms. Ballesta has experience working in North American, European and Latin American business environments and has direct experience working with Canadian listed public companies holding interests in Latin America. Ms. Ballesta has experience managing administrative and compliance procedures for spin-offs, take-overs and financings of various public companies. Ms. Ballesta holds an LLB (Hons.) from the CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Spain and a Master's degree in Marketing and Business Management from ESIC School of Business in Spain.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Technical Team
- Superintendent
Mr. Kroll has 25 years experience in wellfield operations and uranium processing in the U.S.
He began his career in uranium in 1979 while attending high school. After graduation he was employed full time in a maintenance position and worked his way to his current position. He has been employed by Everest Minerals Corp., Rio Algom Mining Corp., Energy Metals Corp., Uranium One and Uranium Energy. He has been in charge of maintenance, construction and operations crews along the way. Mr. Kroll was placed in charge at Hobson to oversee the cleanup and reconstruction of the Everest Minerals processing facility into a state of the art processing plant. He has held several licenses and certificates and currently holds a Journeyman Lineman's License.
Job Titles:
- Professional Engineer
- Vice President Production, Canada
James Hatley has 25-years of mining experience including uranium and base metals mine development, construction, and operations. Most recently he led the construction of three mines at one of Canada's largest mining projects, the Voisey's Bay Mine Expansion.
Prior to Vale, Mr. Hatley was the senior VP of project development at NexGen Energy and consulted overseas for Saudi Aramco.
He spent over 13 years with Cameco Corporation, including key leadership roles as project director and superintendent for the McArthur River Expansion, Millennium Project, chief mine engineer McArthur River, technical, and project management for the Cigar Lake Project. The development of McArthur River and Cigar Lake produced the world's top two highest grade, highest producing, and lowest quartile cost uranium assets; however, required specialized knowledge and technical approaches.
Mr. Hatley is a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.), Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University. James was a board member of the Saskatchewan Mining Association for three terms and in 2017 received a Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Fellowship for "over 20 Years of Technical Leadership".
Job Titles:
- Drilling Supervisor
- Geologist and Drilling Supervisor
Jose Luis Paredes-Rolón currently serves as Geologist and Drilling Supervisor for the company's wholly-owned subsidiary in Paraguay. He has been involved in the drilling and exploration at the Coronel Oviedo and Yuty projects since 2007.
Mr. Paredes-Rolon graduated as a Geologist in 1989 and later obtained his Masters in Hydrogeology, both from the National University of Asuncion, Paraguay. He also obtained his Masters in Environmental Geology from the UFPr in Brazil.
He has over 23 years of experience in hydrogeology in Paraguay. From 2001 to 2003 he was the Director of Hydric Resources in the Department of Boquerón, Paraguay.
Job Titles:
- Company Geologist and Fieldwork Coordinator
- Geologist and Fieldwork Coordinator
Juan Luis Rios-Otero currently serves as company Geologist and Fieldwork Coordinator at the Yuty and Coronel Oviedo projects for the company's wholly owned subsidiary in Paraguay.
In 1986 Mr. Rios-Otero graduated as a Geologist from the National University of Asuncion, Paraguay and also obtained his specialization in Hydrology from the University Complutense of Madrid, Spain. He has more than 23 years of experience as a hydrologist in the public and private sectors. From 2005 to 2007 Mr. Rios-Otero served as the Chief of Mineral Resources Department for the Paraguayan Subsecretary of Mines and Energy (Ministry of Public Works and Communications).
Job Titles:
- Manager of Operations, Wyoming
Leland has a career spanning more than 30 years in the uranium mining industry with expertise in wellfield design, development, construction and operations with emphasis on post mining groundwater restoration. He worked at the Crow Butte Uranium Project as a wellfield design geologist and in operations as the wellfield engineer. He also worked as restoration superintendent at the Smith Ranch-Highland Uranium Project operated by Cameco Corporation. His most recent experience working for AUC LLC was integral to the successful permitting of the Reno Creek ISR Project. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Geophysics from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Job Titles:
- Land Manager
- Member of the Technical Team
Mr. Garcia is a professional landman with over thirty years of experience in mineral title research, lease negotiations and acquisitions, farm-out contracts and exploration and production. Mr. Garcia has worked under contract for Sun Oil Company, Oryx Energy, Texaco, Monsanto Exploration and Production Company, Harkins & Company, Trans Texas Energy and Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corp. He is a Registered Professional Landman and a member of the American Association of Professional Landmen and the Austin Professional Landmen's Association.
Job Titles:
- Geologist and Fieldwork Coordinator
Mr. Dominguez-Paiva graduated as a Geologist in 2003 and later obtained his Masters in Hydrogeology from the National University of Asuncion.
He has over 20 years of experience in components and drinking water systems, as well as hydrogeology in Paraguay, and participated in the design and drilling of the water wells of several regions in Paraguay.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Secretary
- Treasurer
Mr. Obara served as the Chief Financial Officer of UEC from August 2006 to January 2011 and as the Vice President Administration of UEC from January 2011 to October 2015. Previously, Mr. Obara worked as a consultant to several private companies in the areas of corporate management, finance and administration. Mr. Obara currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of a public company listed on the TSX and the NYSE American. Mr. Obara holds a degree in Building Technology, Land and Construction Economics from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Technical Team
- Vice President of Production & Operations
Mr. Underdown has been instrumental in bringing the Hobson processing facility and Palangana project through to production.
Mr. Underdown has held senior operational positions at ISR uranium mines in Texas since 1978, and he has extensive experience designing, managing and reclaiming ISR uranium mines. Throughout his career, Mr. Underdown has worked with the regulatory agencies in Texas specifically pertaining to ISR uranium production, and this includes the responsibilities of managing hundreds of mine personnel and looking after their safety and that of the environment.
Mr. Melbye is a 40-year veteran of the nuclear energy industry having held leadership positions in major uranium mining companies and various industry organizations. He also currently serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Uranium Royalty Corp., and as Advisor to the Nuclear Engineering Program at the Colorado School of Mines. He recently served as Vice President Commercial for Uranium Participation Corporation (now Sprott Physical Uranium Trust), and Advisor to the CEO of Kazatomprom, the world's largest uranium producer in Kazakhstan. Through to June 2014, Mr. Melbye was Executive Vice President, Marketing for Uranium One, responsible for global uranium sales activities. Prior to this, he spent 22 years with the Cameco Group of companies, both in the Saskatoon head office and with their U.S. subsidiaries. He most recently served as President of Cameco Inc., the subsidiary responsible for global marketing and trading activities achieving annual sales exceeding 30 million pounds U3O8. Mr. Melbye is President of the Uranium Producers of America and a past Chair of the Board of Governors of the World Nuclear Fuel Market. Mr. Melbye received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with specialization in International Business from Arizona State University in 1984.
Ms. Canty has over 25 years of experience in finance, strategic transactions, corporate governance, compliance, enterprise risk and ESG and has extensive energy industry experience, including exploration and production, public utilities, pipelines and related businesses in the United States and Canada. Ms. Canty is presently the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and a member of the Executive Committee of PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE: PBF), a Fortune 200 company that is one of the largest independent petroleum refiners and suppliers of unbranded transportation fuels, heating oil, petrochemical feedstocks, lubricants and other petroleum products in the United States. Ms. Canty has been recognized by a number of professional distinctions including recognition in the Lawyers of Color Power List in 2020, inclusion in the Women Inc. 100 Top Corporate Counsel list in 2019 and recognition by Black Enterprise Magazine in its Most Powerful Women in Business in 2019.
Job Titles:
- Chief Geologist
- Country Manager
Job Titles:
- Chief Geologist
- Country Manager
Job Titles:
- Crosa Country Manager and Chief Geologist
Mr. Fernandez-Crosa graduated in 1987 as a Geologist from the National University of Asuncion and completed his formal training at the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Mineral Resources in Hannover, Germany. He has over 25 years of experience as field geologist in Paraguay and as a consultant for private and public sector companies as well as NGO's.
From 2008 to 2012 Mr. Fernandez-Crosa was Director of Mineral Resources of the Paraguayan Subsecretary of Mines and Energy (Ministry of Public Works and Communications).
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Compensation Committee
- Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
- Director
Mr. Della Volpe has a long and distinguished career. He has served as a professional money manager for over 35 years including senior portfolio manager of pension funds for Honeywell Corporation and senior vice president of the YMCA Retirement Fund in New York with responsibilities for several billion dollars in assets. In his experience, Mr. Della Volpe has particularly focused on the management of energy and utility equities portfolios. His expertise includes management of significant venture capital investments. Mr. Della Volpe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and an MBA in Finance, both from Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ.