Management & Board

Management & Board

Management

Randall W. Atkins - Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer

Randall Atkins is a founder of the Company and has served as the Chairman of our board of directors since August 2015, and as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2021. He been involved in energy-related investment and financing activity for over 35 years, and has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ramaco Coal, LLC from 2011 to present. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Mining Association and serves as Chairman of the National Coal Council. He holds a B.A. degree from Duke University and a J.D. degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law.

Christopher L. Blanchard - EVP & Chief Operating Officer

Chris Blanchard has provided mining oversight, management and planning services to the Company since 2013, first as a consultant, and then formally as an officer in 2018. He has managed significant mining operations for a range of major public and private companies, including in Central Appalachia. Mr. Blanchard received his Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Charleston and also holds a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Jeremy R. Sussman - Chief Financial Officer

Jeremy Sussman is the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, beginning his role in May 2019. He has an extensive knowledge of the coal industry through his work over many years as one of the leading mining industry analysts on Wall Street. Most recently, Mr. Sussman served as Managing Director – Mining and Metals at Clarksons Platou Securities (“Clarksons”). Mr. Sussman had worked at Clarksons since April 2013.  Prior to that Mr. Sussman had worked as a research analyst focusing on the coal space in a variety of other sell-side and buy-side firms. Mr. Sussman graduated from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business in 2005.

 

Jason T. Fannin - EVP & Chief Commercial Officer

Jason Fannin has extensive sales, marketing, and logistics experience in the coal industry through his work over the past 24 years at various public and private coal companies. Prior to joining Ramaco in April 2020 as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Fannin held a variety of sales and marketing positions with Contura Energy, Alpha Natural Resources, and AMCI Resources. Mr. Fannin holds bachelor of science degrees in both chemical engineering and chemistry from the West Virginia Institute of Technology and earned his law degree, summa cum laude, from the Appalachian School of Law.

John C. Marcum - Chief Accounting Officer

John Marcum has extensive accounting experience in the coal industry through his work over the past 25 years at various publicly traded coal companies. Prior to joining Ramaco in 2018 as Controller, Mr. Marcum served as Vice President of Accounting for Alpha Natural Resources. Mr. Marcum previously held a variety of accounting and finance management positions with Massey Energy, Magnum Coal, and Arcelor Mittal Princeton Mining. Mr. Marcum holds a BBA in Accountancy from Marshall University and an MBA from Morehead State University.

Paul Horn - SVP & Chief Mine Development Officer

Paul Horn is Senior Vice President and Chief Mining Development Officer, beginning this role in September 2022. He brings to Ramaco almost 30 years of experience as one of the most senior mining executives in the Central Appalachian region. Prior to joining Ramaco, he served for over 20 years for the privately held Booth Energy Group, including 10 of those as the President and Chief Operating Officer. In those roles he oversaw numerous large-scale underground and surface mining complexes in both Kentucky and West Virginia. He began his career in operations at Alliance Coal and has also served as the past Chairman of the Kentucky Coal Association. Mr. Horn holds a B.S. in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Scott Kreutzer - Chief Administrative Officer

Scott Kreutzer is Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, beginning this role in September 2022.  He comes to Ramaco with over 25 years of experience in operational, strategic, legal and land administration matters. Prior to joining Ramaco, he had served as an Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer at Contura Energy. He also previously served as Senior Vice President for Land Administration at both Contura and Alpha Natural Resources, and worked at Eagle Specialty Materials as General Counsel and TECO Coal as Head of Business Development. Mr. Kreutzer holds a bachelor of arts degree from Transylvania University and a juris doctor from Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University.

Scott Spears - SVP Finance

Scott Spears has been with the Company since 2020 and has previously served in various executive roles in the coal industry including as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer over his 30-year career. He has served as the Vice President – Finance since July 2021 and continues to oversee SEC compliance and general financial statement preparation.

Toby Edwards - SVP Mine Operations

Toby Edwards is Ramaco’s Senior Vice President – Mine Operations. He joined Ramaco in 2017 as Vice President – Surface Mining, and over his 24-year career in the coal industry he has served in various operations roles for Massey, Alpha, and other Central Appalachian coal companies, including production, planning and development of surface mining operations as well as the oversight of underground operations, preparation plants and river barge loading facilities. He graduated from West Virginia University in 1993 with Bachelor of Science in the Engineering of Mines.

B.J. Sturgill - General Counsel and Secretary

Barkley J. Sturgill Jr. is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, beginning this role in August 2020.  He brings to Ramaco over three decades of legal experience, almost exclusively focused on matters related to natural resources and coal. Prior to joining Ramaco, he had spent the past fourteen years at Arch Resources as its Assistant General Counsel.  Prior to Arch, Mr. Sturgill served as Chief Legal Counsel for the coal operations of The Brink’s Company, and Senior Corporate Counsel for Massey Energy Company. He spent his early career in private practice, including as a charter shareholder for Kentucky firm of Fitzpatrick, Osborne & Sturgill, PSC where he focused primarily on mineral and coal-related matters.  Mr. Sturgill holds a bachelor of arts degree from Washington & Lee University and a juris doctor from Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University. 

Board of Directors

C. Lynch Christian, III

C. Lynch Christian, III has been involved in coal mining and coal land leasing and management since 1980 as an officer and director of Imperial Colliery Company and Milburn Colliery Company. Among other energy related businesses, Mr. Christian has experience as an officer and director of companies providing mining and hydraulic equipment, material crushing and handling equipment, conveyor design and installation and crane and rigging services. Prior to commencing work in the coal industry, Mr. Christian practiced energy law with the firm of Jackson & Kelly in Charleston, West Virginia. Mr. Christian is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and the Washington & Lee University School of Law.

David E. K. Frischkorn, Jr.

Mr. Frischkorn is an investment advisor with more than 40 years of energy industry experience. Previously, Mr. Frischkorn was Managing Director, Corporate Finance at Seaport Global Holdings LLC investment bank from November 2011 to December 2017. Mr. Frischkorn also served as Vice Chairman-Corporate Finance of Dahlman Rose & Company LLC, a New York-based investment bank, from September 2004 to September 2011, and as Managing Director of the Energy Group of Jefferies & Co., an investment bank, from August 1996 to February 2003. Mr. Frischkorn holds an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from Columbia Business School and an M.A. in Economics and German from Tufts University.

Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto

Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto comes to Ramaco with a wide background as a government administrator at the federal level, an attorney, a scientist, and a businesswoman. She served as the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service until recently, and also recently served as the General Counsel of AVC Global, an international logistics company she co-founded in 2016. Ms. Giacometto began her career at Monsanto as a researcher and study director, and served in both legal and research positions at the United States Department of Agriculture, and as an intellectual property consultant to the United States Agency for International Development. Ms. Giacometto received her Bachelor of Science in biology from Howard University, a Masters in Science in molecular genetics from Purdue University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Patrick C. Graney, III
Patrick C. Graney has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2016, and is currently a private investor. Previously, Mr. Graney founded and served as Chairman of the One Stop Convenience Store Chain, and was the President, CEO, and director of Petroleum Products, Inc., a motor fuel and lubricant distribution company. He also serves on the boards of BB&T Corporation, a public bank, the West Virginia Coal Association and several privately held companies in which he is an investor with operations in the West Virginia area. He was formerly on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank -Richmond branch. Mr. Graney received a B.A. degree from The University of Virginia, and an M.B.A. from the Colgate Darden School at The University of Virginia.
E. Forrest Jones, Jr.

Mr. Jones is the owner and manager of Jones & Associates, a law firm in Charleston, West Virginia, which focuses upon all areas of corporate and business practice and specializes in the corporate and regulatory matters relating to the coal industry. Prior to starting Jones & Associates, he was a Partner with Hall, Albertson and Jones, Attorneys at Law, from 1977 to 1998. Over the course of his career, Mr. Jones has served as General Field Counsel for Pickands Mather & Company, W-P Coal Company, Agipcoal USA, Inc. (formerly Enoxy Coal, Inc.), Agipcoal America Inc. and Costain Coal Inc. Mr. Jones received a B.A. in American History from University of Virginia, a B.S. in Business Administration from West Virginia University and a J.D. from West Virginia University. He is admitted to practice in the Circuit Courts and The Supreme Court of Appeals for the State of West Virginia, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Bryan H. Lawrence
Bryan H. Lawrence has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2016. He is a founder and senior manager of Yorktown Partners LLC, the manager of the Yorktown group of investment partnerships, which make investments in companies engaged in the energy industry. Mr. Lawrence also serves as a director of the publicly traded companies Carbon Natural Gas Company, Hallador Energy Company and Star Gas, L.P., as well as certain non-public companies in the energy industry in which Yorktown partnerships hold equity interests. Mr. Lawrence is a graduate of Hamilton College and also has an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
Peter Leidel

Peter Leidel has served as a member of our Board of Directors since November 2019. He is a founder and partner of Yorktown Partners LLC, which manages private equity partnerships with $5.0 billion of capital under management that invest in the energy industry. Mr. Leidel is a director of University of Wisconsin Foundation, Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc., Carbon Energy Corporation, Mid-Con Energy Partners LP and the American Spectator Foundation, as well as several private energy companies. He served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Business, where he taught financial and managerial accounting. Mr. Leidel became a Certified Public Accountant in 1979, and received his B.B.A. with Honors from the University of Wisconsin and M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Richard M. Whiting
Richard M. Whiting has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2016. Mr. Whiting previously served as President of Kinder Morgan Resources LLC, a natural resources leasing company, and has also served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Patriot Coal Corporation, and Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for Peabody Energy Corporation. Mr. Whiting has also served as a Director of the National Mining Association, Chairman of COALPAC, and a Director of the National Coal Council. Mr. Whiting holds a B.S. degree in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University.