Our People

Jeffrey Kukura

President

Jeffrey is a Mining Engineer by trade with 35 years in the industry.  Jeffrey started his career with Cannelton Industries, a collection of room and pillar underground operations in West Virginia, after receiving a BS Engineering of Mines at West Virginia University.  

Since those first days in Central Appalachian, Jeffrey has held numerous senior leadership roles in a broad range of operational, engineering and management positions with a diverse portfolio of underground, room and pillar and longwall, and surface operations, including coal processing.

Working in the four major coal basins, Central Appalachian, Northern Appalachian, Mid-west and west and recently after joining Westmoreland Mining, Canada.  Serving in several Senior Management and Executive roles providing oversite and strategic planning and development of  WestMET over the past 18 months – taking it from concept to a commercially viable business with a focus on agricultural and environmental products and services.

Throughout his career, Jeffrey continues to advance his development, obtaining all State and Federal regulator and compliance certifications as well as attending the Darden School of Business Executive Readiness Program and recently completing the Wharton Advanced Management Program from the Wharton School of Business.

Kyle Hobbs

Director of Operations, Canada

Kyle is a qualified Mining Engineer with 12 years’ experience in the industry. Kyle started his career with Prairie Mines & Royalty LTD at the HighvaleMine in Alberta, Canada, after completing his degree in Mining Engineering at the University of Alberta.

Starting in the coal industry, Kyle gained experience through several engineering roles which progressed to different Operational Leadership positions working at several Alberta coal mines.

Following a short sojourn for work experience in Australia, Kyle decided to continue his career in Canada. Prior to Westmoreland acquiring Sherritt’s Canadian mines, Kyle worked in several key roles in both Engineering and Operations Departments as Mine Superintendent, Engineering Manager and Mine Manager at the Highvale, Coal Valley, and Genesee Mines. Kyle then accepted a senior role with Westmoreland as General Manager for both the Paintearth and Sheerness Mines.

Kyle is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists in Alberta (APEGA) and holds a Permit to Practice as a Professional Engineer. Kyle also currently Chairs the Workforce Adjustment Committee relating to coal workers affected by government actions in Alberta.

David Wittekind

Director of Business Development

David has a wealth of Product Development experience and process improvement experience. David spent nearly seven years at Garlock Sealing Technologies a division of EnPro Industries. While at Garlock, David served as the Director of Customer Driven Innovation and managed the new product development portfolio for the business. He also served as a Senior Research Engineer where he visited universities across the country to stay abreast of the latest developments in material science. 

David leads WestMET’s research initiatives  in the agriculture and renewable energy sectors and develops relationships with industry stakeholders building market insights and joint venture opportunities. David also supports WestMET’s energy transition strategy to leverage Westmoreland Mining’s vast land resources, mining expertise, workforce, and mineral permits. 

Clay Williams

Agriproducts Manager

Clay has a wealth of experience in both the mining, energy and agricultural industries. Clay started his career in the oil and gas industry as a drilling engineer in Alberta after completing his Petroleum Engineering degree at the University of Calgary.

After starting his professional career in the oil and gas industry as a drilling engineer, Clay returned to his agricultural roots by operating an Ag services business specializing in water well development. After the development and sale of his startup, he joined the Sheerness mine as a mine engineering. As Clay also owns and operates a family ranch a short distance from the Sheerness mine, he quickly saw the agronomic value in the rich humalite deposit at the mine. Clay accepted a role as the Agriproducts Manager developing humalite into various agricultural products.

Clay is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists in Alberta (APEGA) and holds a Permit to Practice as a Professional Engineer.

Randy Spence

Reclamation Engineering Manager

Randy is a qualified Mining Engineer with 15 years’ experience in mining and reclamation. After completing his degree in Geological Engineering at Montana Tech, Randy started his career with BHP Billiton at the Ekati Diamond Mine where he held various open pit and underground positions. Randy later joined Prairie Mines & Royalty LTD (PMRU) at the Genesee Mine in Alberta, Canada.

During his tenure at Genesee Mine, Randy completed a Master of Business Administration specializing in Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment at the University of Alberta. Randy quickly applied his new skills accepting progressing roles with PMRU in Finance, Continuous Improvement, and Business Development prior to taking on his current role with WestMET ERS as Manager of Engineering, Environmental and Regulatory Affairs.

Randy is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists in Alberta (APEGA) and holds a Permit to Practice as a Professional Engineer.

Cora Skelding

HR Manager

Cora embarked on her professional journey with Prairie Mines & Royalty LTD at Sheerness Mine in 2015. During her 8-year tenure, Cora has honed her professional skills across various functions including payroll, accounts payable, maintenance, safety, and human resources. Her hard work and dedication led to her current role as Human Resources Manager, providing human resources leadership for the WestMET group of companies.

Presently, Cora is enhancing her expertise by pursuing a Certificate in Human Resource Management. Cora is also a founding member of the Workforce Adjustment Committee, providing support and assistance to employees impacted by changes in the industry.

Al Tank

Board Member

Al Tank is an active entrepreneur, investor and strategic advisor with a primary focus on the agriculture, food and energy sectors.

Most recently, Tank founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Revolution Energy Solutions LLC (RES). The company develops, owns and operates renewable energy projects, on agricultural platforms. RES focuses on waste-to-energy projects, utilizing livestock manure and other organic materials as the primary feedstocks to produce electricity, renewable energy certificates (RECs) and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction offsets.

Prior to RES, Mr. Tank founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of AgCert International plc. AgCert became one of the world leaders in the production and sale of agriculturally-derived greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction offsets in developing countries, including Brazil, Mexico and SE Asia, which are utilized to satisfy the requirements established by the Kyoto Protocol and the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS).

Prior to his work with RES and AgCert, Tank was the CEO of the National Pork Producers Council, one of the nation’s largest agricultural commodity organizations. The NPPC is recognized by its innovative marketing campaign “Pork, The Other White Meat”. Under his leadership, the widely proclaimed National Environmental Dialogue on Pork Production was initiated and completed which established a new standard of environmental performance for the U.S. pork industry. Also during Tank’s tenure, the U.S. transformed itself from the second largest importer of pork to becoming the world’s largest exporter of pork and pork products. Upon his departure from NPPC, Tank was described by Feedstuffs magazine as “one of agriculture’s most visible provocateurs of change”.

Tank is a 20-year member of the Harvard Kennedy School Private and Public, Scientific, Academic and Consumer (PAPSAC) Food Policy Committee. In addition, Mr. Tank has Board and advisory roles for a range of food, agriculture, private equity and technology companies. Tank also has extensive experience in public policy, international trade, sustainable development and commodity trading. He served as the agricultural policy advisor on the staff of Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA) and as a lobbyist and global trade negotiator for the U.S. corn industry. Tank is a frequent speaker and presenter on issues, policies and politics relating to food, energy and water. Mr. Tank is a graduate of Iowa State University. He was raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm in Iowa that he manages and operates with his brothers.

Gil Nathan

Board Member

Gil Nathan is currently the managing member and a director of Jackson Square Advisors LLC, a financial advisory and services firm. From 2002 to 2012 he was a principal with Restoration Capital Management and between July 2013 and August 2015, Mr. Nathan was employed as a senior analyst with Candlewood Investment Group. From November 2015 to July 2017, he served as a director of Emergent Capital, Inc. (NYSE: EMG) and from August 2018, up until completion of the sale of the Company to Ready Capital, Mr. Nathan worked as a director of Owens Realty Mortgage, Inc., a middle market commercial real estate lender. More recently, Mr. Nathan has worked on capital and debt restructuring, raising capital, and administrator arrangements at a board level for both Mission Coal, and Cloud Peak Energy and he remains on the Board of Ready Capital Corporation. In addition, Mr. Nathan serves as the CEO of Keycon Power Holdings which holds a minority ownership interest in two coal fired power plants. Mr. Nathan earned his Bachelor of Science in Management degree with a Major in Finance, from Tulane University in 2001.

Leon G. Jackson III (“Trey”)

Board Member

Trey has over 20 years of experience in the metals & mining and energy sectors as a private equity investor and executive in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. His experience includes the diamond, oil & gas, coal, midstream, power generation, terminals, renewables, and trading companies within the mining and energy sectors and has served on the boards of private and public companies.

Trey joined The Cline Group in 2011 as an executive on the team which built Foresight Energy from a greenfield development into a public company and developed the Coalspur and Donkin mines in Canada. In addition, Trey led the acquisition, expansion, and divestment of Cline subsidiary Convent Marine Terminals as well serving as President.

In 2019, Trey co-founded PBE Mining, a technology and contract mining company with global patents and operations in Australia.

Trey’s current Board roles are Tacora Resources, Burgundy Diamond Mines Limited (ASX: BDM), Foresight Energy Resources LLC, WestMet Ag, and PBE Technologies Pty Ltd. Former Board roles include Natural Resource Partners LP (NYSE: NRP), Artic Canadian Diamond Corporation, and Material Sciences Corporation.