Board of Directors & Officers

• President

  Denise Dragoo

  Ms. Dragoo is an equity partner in Snell & Wilmer’s Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Group. Prior to joining Snell & Wilmer, she was in private practice and served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Natural Resources, advising the Utah Board and Division of Oil, Gas & Mining and the Utah Energy Office. As Special Assistant Utah Attorney General, she was responsible for drafting the Utah Coal Mining & Reclamation Act. In 1985, she was named the Natural Resource Lawyer of the Year by the Utah State Bar. In 1996, she received the Utah State Bar’s Distinguished Service Award/Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law Section. She was the recipient of the 1997 Woman Lawyer of the Year award and the 2003 Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award (advancement of women in the legal profession). Her practice focuses on coal law, environmental law, water law, mineral title and public land matters. Ms. Dragoo practices before the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, the Utah Board of Oil, Gas & Mining, the United States Department of the Interior Board of Land Appeals and other state and federal administrative agencies.

  Ms. Dragoo is a trustee and former member of the Executive Committee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Chair of the Public Lands Committee, Past Vice-Chair of the Mining Committee, American Bar Association, Section on Environment, Energy and Resources and was recently appointed to the Board of Directors, Utah Mining Association. Ms. Dragoo is a Fellow of the America Bar Foundation and recently completed her fourth term on the Board of Bar Commissioners, Utah State Bar Association. Ms. Dragoo is listed in THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA (Natural Resources Law). Member of Salt Lake County, Utah State Bar and American Bar Associations.

• President-Elect

  Brad Lewis

  Brad is currently the Director of Marketing and Sales for ADDCAR Systems and blends his prior experiences in engineering, manufacturing, mining operations and consulting. His career progression from union laborer to board member is highlighted with opening markets (12 countries), launching new products (up to a $7,500,000 price tag) and closing profitable deals ($300 million acquisition).

  Previous employers include: CONSOL Energy (summer employment during college); National Mines Corporation & Eastern Associated Coal (3 years)-underground mine foreman); John T. Boyd Company (14 years)-Consulting engineer and then head of sales and marketing; Joy Mining Machinery (4 years)-Product/business development and acquisitions; Hilti (2 years)-Product development and launch; and ICG ADDCAR Systems (since 2005)-Director of Marketing and Sales.

  Academic credentials include MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a Mining Engineering Degree from West Virginia University. Certifications include registered professional mining engineer and a certified mine foreman in West Virginia and Colorado.

  Also serves as a Board Member for the National Mining Association’s Manufacturers and Services Division and Holy Family Learning Institute.

• Immediate Past President

  Dave Smaldone

  Dave Smaldone is the Manager of Technical Services at Westmoreland Kemmerer, Inc., in Kemmerer, Wyoming.  Mr. Smaldone recently retired from Bridger Coal Company before joining Westmoreland.  Dave has 37 years experience in coal mining and utility fuel delivery and consumption in five of the Rocky Mountain states included in the RMCMI locale. 

  He is married to Sonia, and he has six children and four grandchildren.

  He has been active in the Institute for the last 10 years, although his attendance to conventions dates back to the early 1980s.

  Mr. Smaldone is a 1974 graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering.  In 2003, Dave received his Master of Business Administration from Utah State University.  He is a Professional Engineer in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

• Administrative Liaison Officer

  Bob Bartosh

  Bob is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Dakota Coal Company and is responsible for the environmental, fiscal and operational matters of Dakota Coal Company and Wyoming Lime Producers. Mr. Bartosh is a registered professional engineer and has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University. He also completed graduate work at Southern Illinois University towards a mining engineering degree.

  Mr. Bartosh was appointed to his present position in 1998 and has 26 years experience in the mining industry. Since joining Basin Electric in 1988 he has held positions that included the responsibilities of fuel supply, real estate, contract administration and lime operations. He also serves on the boards of directors of the National Lime Association and the Greening Earth Society.

  Mr. Bartosh is married and is the father of three children and grandfather of two. He coached both soccer and hockey when his children were in school. He is also an avid golfer and bowler.

• Director

  Thomas G. Durham P.E.

  Tom is Vice President of Planning & Engineering of Westmoreland Coal Company where he has been employed for seven years. Tom has over 37 years of experience in engineering and operations management in coal mining. Tom has been a member of RMCMI since 1996. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from University of Missouri at Rolla School of Mines and Metallurgy. He is a registered professional engineer in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. In addition to RMCMI, Tom is a member of SME, ASCE and NSPE.

  He has worked for production and consulting companies in all major coal regions in the United States. His operations and engineering experience has been focused mainly on large highly productive surface mine applications. His consulting experience includes international work in Colombia, Mexico and Indonesia. Tom and his wife Pam have three grown children and reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

• Director

  Bruce Lindsay

  Bruce Lindsay is the Manager of Human Resources for Arch Western Bituminous Group, LLC (AWBG), a wholly owned subsidiary of Arch Coal Inc. based in Grand Junction, Colorado. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Utah State University and has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry having held managerial positions in health and safety, coal handling and human resources.

  He has served on the board of the Tri County Health Foundation in central Utah for several years and has served as the RMCMI Golf Committee Chair on several occasions. Married to Dee, an elementary school teacher, they have two grown children, Krysta and Kyle. They enjoy sports, outdoor activities and traveling with family and friends.

• Director

  Joseph E. Micheletti

  Joe Micheletti is currently Senior Vice President of Coal Operations for Westmoreland Coal Company. Mr. Micheletti is responsible for all five of Westmoreland’s mining projects, overseeing the safe, cost effective, and environmentally responsible operation of the company’s mining activities. He joined Westmoreland in August 1998 and has held several key management positions at several Westmoreland mining projects, prior to his promotion to Senior Vice President of Coal Operation in June 2011. Westmoreland’s first and foremost dedication to Safe Production and Westmoreland’s commitment to delivering premium value to its customers, are the attributes of Westmoreland Coal Company in which Joe is most proud to be a part of.

  A mineral processing engineer by education, Joe graduated with honors from Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology in 1987. Joe started his mining career with Pegasus Gold Corporation working at the Montana Tunnels and Beal Mountain mines, but has now spent most of his career with Westmoreland in the coal/lignite mining industry. Joe has worked in the production, maintenance, processing, and engineering disciplines of the mining industry for 24-years, and has held positions including Metallurgist, Operations Foreman, Process Superintendent, Facilities Engineer, Production Manager, Operations Manager, Mine Manager, and President and General Manager.

  Joe and his beautiful wife Jenni are blessed with three children, Joey, Alyssa and Nico. The Micheletti family resides in Bryan, Texas, with all three children attending public schools and participating in various academic and athletic programs.

• Regional Director

  Summer Belden

  Summer earned her MBA in International Business from the University of Denver in 2005 after earning a B.S.B.A. in International Business from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2003.  During her studies, she worked as a summer intern for the IT Department of Powder River Coal Company, a Peabody subsidiary, in and around Gillette, Wyoming.  After graduate school, Summer was a Banking Officer for FirstBank of Colorado before joining the Sales & Marketing team of Westmoreland Coal Company in Colorado Springs as Manager, Contracts & Business Analysis.  Recently, she joined Peabody COALTRADE, LLC as Manger, Structure Transactions & Trade.  Summer has been an active member of RMCMI since 2007, but she has been involved with the Institute for most of her life; attending the annual conventions with her family as a child, working for the Institute during graduate school and now being actively involved as a member.  She is currently the Chairperson for the Public Relations & Marketing Committee of RMCMI.  She also participates in many other industry groups including the American Coal Council (ACC), the Colorado Mining Association (CMA), the Montana Coal Council (MCC), the National Coal Transportation Association (NCTA) as well as being a Task Force member of the Partners for Affordable Energy (PAE), the marketing arm of the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council (LEC).

  Her personal interests include traveling, which has brought her to such places as England, India, France, Germany, Mexico and Spain as well as most parts of the United States.

• Regional Director

  Ronald E. Destefano 

  Mr. Destefano is currently a Vice-President for CDG Engineers and has been employed with the firm for the past 8 years. CDG is a multi-discipline architectural/ engineering firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Ron manages CDG’s branch office in Sheridan, Wyoming which specializes in mine engineering services. Prior to joining CDG, Mr. Destefano was Manager of Project Engineering for Kennecott Energy Company (now Cloud Peak Energy) at their corporate office in Gillette, Wyoming focused on acquisitions and productivity improvement. Prior to assuming that position, Ron was Technical Manager at Spring Creek Coal Company in Decker, Montana and was originally hired as an entry-level engineer at the Spring Creek Mine by Dave Smaldone in 1980 when the mine was still under construction. 

  Mr. Destefano is a graduate of the University of Wyoming’s civil engineering program and is a registered professional engineer in Wyoming and Montana.

• Regional Director

  Wendy S. Hutchinson, P.E. 

  Wendy Hutchinson is the Regulatory Affairs Manager for Thunder Basin Coal Company, owned by Arch Coal Inc. She has been working in the coal mining industry in the Powder River Basin for 22 years. The majority of that time has been spent overseeing the environmental department, but she has also worked in the production, mine planning and business units. In addition, she served 10 years as a governor’s appointee to the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council. Wendy was recently featured in a TV commercial promoting coal, sponsored by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (see www.americaspower.org). Her Masters and Bachelors degrees are in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University. She and her husband raise buffalo on their ranch in northeastern Wyoming.

• Regional Director

  Rebecca (Becki) Parker 

  Becki currently works for BHP Billiton in Farmington, New Mexico as the Specialist, Organizational Change Management. She has over 25 years of coal mining experience in a variety of roles to include; Safety, Training, Production, Supply, Accounts Payable and has split her time between surface and underground operations throughout the Rocky Mtn. Region. In 2005 Becki was confirmed as the State Mine Inspector for New Mexico and served for two years in this position. During that appointment she worked as a collaborative partner with not only the coal mines in New Mexico but also with the metal/non-metal mines and Sand and Gravel operations. Becki has served as the Co-Chair for the Patrons committee with the RMCMI for the last 2 years and previously served as a Chair for Mine Rescue Committee in the late 1990’s.

• Executive Director

  Judy Colgan

  Judy Colgan has been involved in the mining industry for the past 10 years.  She was previously the Marketing Director for the Colorado Mining Association.  Judy was the principal architect of CMA’s public outreach and education program, which included various events throughout Colorado and an ad campaign with the Colorado Rockies.  Prior to CMA, she worked with Queenstake Resources, Ltd.  She has been a member of RMCMI since 2007, and has worked with many of the members on several projects.

  Judy is an avid sports fan, and enjoys cooking and traveling.

• Treasurer

  Tarra Nuss

  Tarra graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from University of Nebraska and a Master’s in Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from Regis University. She has worked with Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute since 2004.

  Tarra works with Krause PC, CPA's & Business Advisors.

  Tarra is originally from Nebraska, moved to Colorado in 2000 and currently resides in Castle Rock.