Management

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Executive Management

Management team with strong background in financial and technical management with combined several decades of experience and successful track record of founding and growing companies.

CEO & Director

Darren Collins

With 15+ years of corporate and board experience spanning various industries, including mining and technology.
His expertise covers areas such as mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, go-public transactions, commercial partnerships, accounting, and corporate governance. Darren has led and supported fundraising efforts that have raised over $250 million in equity capital and previously worked with Quest Capital. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in finance from Dalhousie University.

VP Exploration & Director

Marco Montecinos

With 35+ years of experience in exploration and business development for both public and private companies. He has led exploration strategies and project development for numerous projects throughout the Americas. His previous experience includes working with Placer Dome, Billiton, Alta Gold, Francisco Gold, among other companies. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Physics with a Geology Emphasis from Western State College, Colorado, and is a member of the Geologic Society of Nevada.

CFO

Keith Li

With 10+ years of experience in corporate accounting and audit, he has
held senior positions with various public companies, including mining issuers. His expertise lies in providing management advisory services, accounting, and regulatory compliance. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University.

Independent Directors &Technical Advisor

Directors with strong backgrounds in public markets, public company oversight, and investor representation. Technical advisor with significant US critical metals experience.

Director

Peter Simeon

With 20+ years of experience in corporate law, he specializes in securities, M&A, and corporate governance. A partner at Gowling WLG since 2015, he was previously at Willdeboer Dellelce LLP and Osler, Haskin & Harcourt LLP. He serves as a director for public and private companies. He holds a BA from Queen’s University and a law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University.

Director

Scott Benson

With 15+ years of experience in founding, financing, and developing resource and technology companies, he has a background in investments, investor relations, business development, and management. He is currently the Managing Director of Recharge Capital Corp., a firm focused on battery and EV materials investments. He holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Victoria.

Technical Advisor

Jody Dahrouge

With 25+ years of international exploration expertise in green energy metals such as lithium, cobalt, REE’s, and PGE’s. He is President of Dahrouge Geological Consulting, with extensive experience as an officer and director, and is a professional geologist with Bachelor of Science degrees in geology and computing science from the University of Alberta.

Sheep Creek Rare Earth Project: Technical Partners

Technical team for the Sheep Creek Rare Earth Project includes highly experienced professionals with a deep background in rare earth elements. USCM is partnered with US Critical Materials Corp.

President

James Hedrick

With 32+ years of experience and is considered an expert in rare earth elements. He worked at the US Geological Survey as a rare earth commodity specialist and has experience with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Bureau of Mines. He has published over 300 articles and papers on mineral commodities and has a Bachelor of Science from James Madison University and did graduate study at North Carolina State University.

Lead Geologist

Peter Mejstrick

With 35+ years of experience in mineral exploration and is a resident of Montana. He previously worked at major US mining companies, focusing on property evaluation, acquisition, and exploration in the western US. He has strong field and project management skills and a technical background. He holds a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of British Columbia, a Master of Science from the University of Montana, and a Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College.

Academic Advisor

Christopher H. Gammons

With 20+ years of classroom experience and almost 40 years of field experience. He is a professor in the Department of Geological Engineering at Montana Tech and a Professional Geologist in the State of Wyoming. He has over 80 publications outlining research conducted on a spectrum of geological specializations, including rare earth elements. He holds a Ph.D. in Geochemistry and Mineralogy from Penn State University and a Bachelor of Science from Bates College.