Pat Risner is an industry expert in complex mine project planning and development and is president of South32’s Hermosa project in southern Arizona, currently the only advanced U.S. mining project that could produce two federally designated critical minerals—manganese and zinc—and the only advanced project in the United States that has a viable pathway to produce battery-grade manganese for the domestic market from locally sourced ore. He is the former Group Health Safety Environmental Officer for BHP (formerly BHP Billiton), where he had direct accountability to the company’s sustainability committee and board of directors. Mr. Risner is also former Asset President of New Mexico Coal, which he led through two divestment processes, including the sale of the Navajo Mine to the Navajo Nation.