Stephen Alfers
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Alfers served as the President and Chief of U.S. Operations of Franco-Nevada Corporation from 2010 to 2011 and its Vice President (Legal) from 2007 to 2009. Mr. Alfers served as President of Franco-Nevada US Corporation, the wholly owned subsidiary of Franco-Nevada Corporation, from 2010 to 2011. Mr. Alfers served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of NewWest Gold Corporation, a publicly-traded Canadian corporation listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, from 2006 to 2007. Mr. Alfers also served on the Board of Directors of NewWest Gold Corporation from 2005 to 2007. Mr. Alfers served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the NewWest Resources Group from 2001 to 2005 and President and Chief Executive Officer of NewWest Gold Corporation, a privately-held Delaware Corporation, from 2005 to 2006. Mr. Alfers was the founder and managing partner of Alfers & Carver LLC from 1995 to 2001, a boutique natural resources law firm. Mr. Alfers received a J.D. from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in Monetary Policy and Public Finance from the University of Denver and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Denver. Mr. Alfers was chosen to be a director of the Company based on his extensive mining resource and business experience. Mr. Alfers has also been the President of Alfers Mining Consulting since 2007.
David Rector
President and Director
Mr. Rector was the Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of Nevada Gold Holdings, Inc. from November 5, 2009 to May 2, 2011. Mr. Rector had previously served as Nevada Gold Holdings, Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director from April 19, 2004 through December 31, 2008. He has served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director of Standard Drilling, Inc. since November 2007 and served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director of Universal Gold Mining Corp. from September 30, 2008, until November 2010. Mr. Rector previously served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Nanoscience Technologies, Inc. from June 2004 to December 2006, when he resigned as an officer and director of Nanoscience. Mr. Rector also served as President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of California Gold Corp. (f/k/a US Uranium, Inc.) from June 15, 2007 to July 11, 2007 and again from August 8, 2007 to November 12, 2007. From 2007 through 2009 Mr. Rector served on the Board of Directors of Rx Elite, Inc. Since June 1985, Mr. Rector has been the principal of the David Stephen Group, which provides enterprise consulting services to emerging and developing companies in a variety of industries.
Adam Wasserman
Chief Financial Officer
Adam Wasserman was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer on November 11, 2010. He has been an integral member of executive management responsible for financial and accounting. He has a strong background in financial reporting, budgeting and planning, mergers and acquisitions, auditing, accounting, automated systems, banking relations and internal controls. Mr. Wasserman has substantial experience with SEC filings such as initial public offerings, 10-Ks and 10-Qs. From 1986 to 1991, he was employed by Deloitte & Touche, LLP. During his employment, his significant assignments included audits of public (SEC reporting) and private companies, tax preparation and planning, management consulting, systems design, staff instruction, and recruiting.
Mr. Wasserman holds a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is a CPA (New York) and a member of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, is a director, treasurer and an executive board member of Gold Coast Venture Capital Association and is a director and audit committee member of China Direct Industries, Inc., a NASDAQ listed company, since January 2010 and Bohai Pharmaceuticals Group, Inc, since July 12, 2010.
Steven Tibbals
Plant Engineer
After receiving an AS Degree in Electronics at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California, Mr. Tibbals transferred to the Mackey School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno. He received his BS degree in Mining Engineering from Mackey in 1976. Mr. Tibbals has worked in all phases of the mining industry from corporate offices to remote mine sites. He has held a variety of Jobs from Junior Engineer to COO of a Junior Mining Company. After spending his early mining career working underground in the silver mines in Northern Idaho at the Bunker Hill Mine and the Lucky Friday Mine, Mr. Tibbals went on to work in the uranium industry. Mr. Tibbals worked for Kerr McGee Nuclear, Pennsylvania Power and Light and Western Nuclear before transitioning into the gold industry. Mr. Tibbals has worked at a variety of gold mines in Nevada working in ore reserve estimation, mine design and planning, mineral economics, property acquisition, permitting and mine management. While in Nevada, Mr. Tibbals worked for several companies including Western State Minerals at the Northumberland Mine before taking a position as General Manager of the Relief Canyon Mine in Pershing County, Nevada.
Debra Struhsacker
Environmental Consultant
With over 25 years of experience working on mineral development and environmental issues, Ms. Debra Struhsacker provides mining industry clients with customized, executive-level advice on environmental permitting strategies, government relations, and stakeholder involvement issues. Ms. Struhsacker started out her career as a geologist specializing in geothermal resource development and precious metals exploration. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley College where she majored in both geology and French. She also has a Master of Science degree in geology from the University of Montana. Examples of recent mining and environmental public policy topics include testimony before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on historical abandoned mines and the state and federal environmental regulatory framework applicable to modern mines (March 2008] and the evolution of federal and Nevada State reclamation bonding requirements for hard rock mineral exploration and mining projects.
Arthur Leger
Director of Exploration and Field Operations
Arthur Leger has spent over 35 years in the mining industry as a senior level exploration geologist and manager, primarily dedicating his career to gold exploration and mining in Nevada. Mr. Leger has worked in senior exploration and management positions with Cameco Gold Corporation, Cyprus Metals Exploration and Gold Fields Mining Corporation and Hecla Mining during the past 20-year period. He has explored for and/or mined copper, molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, gold and silver in 15 states, Mexico and two Canadian provinces in addition to spending five years in state government as a staff engineer in the Ground Water Protection Branch with the Bureau of Water Pollution Control in Nevada.
