BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIRMAN

David Schilberg

Executive Vice President
Prime Materials Recovery, Inc.

David graduated from Northeastern University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.  He moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to work for Ingersoll-Rand in their after-market Finance Department.  In 2006, David realized that the metal recycling industry was where he was meant to be, and he moved back to Connecticut to work for Prime Materials Recovery with his Father and Uncle.  Currently he is at PMR serving as Executive Vice President.   
 

PRESIDENT

Keith Gwozdz

Vice President - Metals 
Marex Capital Markets, Inc.

Keith received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mineral Economics from Penn State University and an MBA in Finance from Pace University.  He has over 30 years of experience in risk management having worked for a major copper producer, a consumer, and a number of LME brokerage firms.  Keith is currently Vice President of Metals at Marex Capital Markets, Inc. based in New York.

 

VICE PRESIDENT

Jeff Turner

Vice President - OEM Rod Sales 
Southwire

Jeff has been in the non-ferrous metals industry for nearly 30 years.  He has worked for Southwire 24 of those years.  He also worked at the Coca-Cola Company and Norsk-Hydro.  Jeff has a broad spectrum of experience that includes Sales, Purchasing, and Trading.  He's the proud father of four children, Sara Ellen, Andrew, Sam and Lily.  

 

TREASURER

Joann Arena

Director, Research & Product Development
CME Group

Joann began her career at COMEX in 1977 after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the College of Staten Island.  In her forty plus career at the Exchange, she has held several positions in the Marketing, Market Data and Research departments.  She is currently the Head of Metals Research and Product Development at CME Group and is responsible for the rule, regulations, and infrastructure of physically delivered and financially settled precious and industrial metals products.  In her role, she has the opportunity to work directly with a wide variety of members of the metals industry and has found this to be one of the most rewarding aspects of her role at the Exchange.  

 

SECRETARY

Julie Meyers

Non-Ferrous Marketing/Copper Sales
OmniSource 

Julie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, and began her career in the metals industry working with a copper refinery.  She then switched base metals and worked on the sales desk for A.M. Castle and Co. (a Chicago based steel service center) before going back to the copper industry where for the past 30 years she has marketed copper and other non-ferrous metals for OmniSource Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of Steel Dynamics, Inc.) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She served on the Board of Directors for the Northern Indiana Chapter of the American Foundry Society for seven years and was the chapter's first female Chairman.  She has also served as a Director for the Ductile Iron Society and is a current member of the DIS College and University Relations Committee.  In addition, for the past 29 years she has served on the Trine University Mechanical Engineering Cast Metals Advisory Board where she organizes and manages the golf outing, which is the major fund raiser for the University's student metal casting program.

 


DIRECTORS

Frederic Fafard

Director, Sales & Marketing
Nexans Canada

Frederic graduated from McGill University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing and International Business.  He continued to further his academic development by receiving, in 2014, an Executive MBA from Sherbrooke University.  Frederic relies on more than 23 years of experience in the North American metals industry.  He is currently the Director, Sales & Marketing for Nexans Canada Inc. – Rod Mill operation located in Montreal, Canada.  He started his career in the aluminum industry with Reynolds Aluminum of Canada, where he worked for five years.  In 2005, he joined the steel industry with ArcelorMittal North America, where he stayed for 13 years and moved through the commercial ranks.  During these years, Frederic has developed strong commercial leadership abilities while focusing on results and maintaining excellent relationships with his customers/partners. 

 

Jeff Kot

Group Vice President, Procurement
Marmon Electrical

Jeff received his BA degree in Materials Management from Michigan State University, and his MBA from Eastern Michigan University.  He has over 30 years of experience with most of that time spent in the Procurement field.  Since 2013, Jeff has been with Marmon Holdings and is currently the Group Vice President, Procurement for the Electrical Group.  

 

Leo Valadares

Trading Manager - Refined Copper - North America 
IXM Trading LLC

Leo manages the North American Refined Copper book at Trading House IXM.  He has been working as a Commodities Trader for over 20 years, with responsibilities throughout the Americas, starting in agricultural commodity trading at Louis   Dreyfus Company, and now focused on the base metals industry.  He graduated from UFRJ (The Federal University of Rio   de Janeiro) with a Bachelor degree in Naval Engineering before tackling two simultaneous Masters programs (Computer Systems Analysis and Operations Research.) 

 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rose Heirman

Executive Director
American Copper Council

Rose joined the American Copper Council board in 2015 with nearly 30 years of copper industry experience. Originally from Michigan, she began her mining career at Bagdad, Arizona with Cyprus Minerals and worked at three of the company’s Arizona mines before transferring to the Phoenix Corporate office, where she supported the accounting, sales, and trading departments of Phelps Dodge Corporation. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Arizona State University. Rose was promoted to Manager of Commodity Risk shortly after Freeport-McMoRan acquired Phelps Dodge in 2007 and became responsible for trading and assisting Freeport-McMoRan clients with their risk management needs. After her 34-year career with the company, Rose retired and assumed the role of Executive Director of the American Copper Council. 

 

 

 

PAST CHAIRMEN 

2021 - 2023
Mary Lou Hendricks, Cal-West Express

2019 - 2021
Geoffrey Kent, International Wire Group

2017 - 2019

Paul Eaglin, Carlisle Interconnect Technologies

2015 - 2017
Jeff Burghardt, Aurubis Buffalo 

2013 - 2015
Dennis Wright, Freeport-McMoRan Sales Company 

2011 - 2013
Gretchen Daniels, Revere Copper Products 

2009 - 2011
John P. DePetro Jr., Kataman Metals 

2007 - 2009
David McKiernan, Prudential Bache Commodities 

2005 - 2007
Chrys Makarushka, International Wire Group

2003 - 2005
Stephen J. Ruth, Phelps Dodge Sales Co.

2001 - 2003
Matthew Palazzolo, Emerson 

1999 - 2001
Ron Stevens, Kennecott Corp. (retired) 

1997 - 1999
James Stevenson, New Haven Copper (retired) 

1995 - 1997
C. Lee Griffin, Southwire Company 

1993 - 1995
Richard L. Hirsch, Sharps Pixley Brokers (retired) 

1991 - 1993
Bernard C. Schilberg, Prime Materials Recovery 

1989 - 1991
Peter J. Thomas, Kennecott Copper (retired) 

1987 - 1989
George P. Tateosian, Metal Traders 

1984 - 1987
C. Lee Franks, Packard Electric (retired) 

1976 - 1984
Herbert Barchoff, Eastern Rolling Mills (retired) 

PAST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mary C. Boland, 1971 – 2012