Board of Directors & Officers

President

Morgan Malkowski

Morgan Malkowski is the Director of Process Improvement and Mining Technology at Thunder Basin Coal Company, Black Thunder Mine. Morgan heads the Scholarship Committee, reviews applications, and interviews students to select scholarship winners.

Immediate Past President

Jessica Wilczek

Jessica Wilczek is the Director of Engineering and Environmental Affairs for the West Elk Mine located in Somerset Colorado. Prior to her work with West Elk, Jessica worked as a co-owner and project manager for a civil engineering consulting firm and as a project engineer.

Jessica received her BS in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University, maintains a host of certifications relevant to the underground coal mining industry and is a licensed Colorado Professional Engineer. She enjoys spending time with her husband Mark, their four children and their families.

Director

Rebecca McGrew

Rebecca graduated with a BS and MS in Geology from MSU in 1997 and 2008, respectively. Rebecca is a licensed Registered Professional Geologist and began her career offshore as a Quality Control Geophysicist for an oil exploration firm prior to transitioning to environmental consulting where she specialized in environmental work including contaminant fate-and-transport assessments, lead remediation, and pre-law landfill abatement projects. For the past 13 years, Rebecca has worked for North American Coal. She spent 10-years as Environmental Manager for the Red Hills Mine in Mississippi and then, three years ago, accepted the corporate Environmental and Regulatory Affairs position in Dallas, TX. Rebecca has been focused on federal regulatory reforms since moving to Dallas.

Director

Greg Mager

Greg Mager is the Director, Technical Services for Navajo Transitional Energy Company, based in Gillette Wyoming. Greg began his career with Kennecott Energy in 1994 and has worked in the mining industry at several locations and within diverse disciplines, establishing significant experience in engineering, production and management.
Over the past 27 years, Greg has held positions as Mining Engineer, Production Supervisor, Production Planner, Production Manager, and Technical Services Manager at the Antelope, Jacobs Ranch and Cordero Rojo mines and corporate headquarters.
Greg is Board of Director member for Rocky Mountain Mining Institute (RMMI).

Greg is an Idaho native, and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Idaho. Greg enjoys the Wyoming life and spending time with his three children Kendal, Samantha, and Cougar.

Director

Matthew S. Palmer

Matt Palmer is President and CEO of Rimpull Corporation, overseeing all operations of the company with nearly 30 years of mining equipment experience. Matt began his career with Rimpull in September of 1986 in Gillette, Wyoming as an inside sales representative and subsequently held multiple field positions for Rimpull in Indiana, Arizona, West Virginia, and New Mexico.

Matt moved to Rimpull’s corporate office in Olathe, Kansas in July of 1999 as the Parts Manager, and has since held the Marketing Manager, Director of Operations, and Vice President of Sales positions. Matt was named President of Rimpull in January, 2014.

Matt resides in Olathe, Kansas with his wife Michelle, and four children McKenzi, Nicole, Amanda, and Sam.

Matt is a member of the Rocky Mountain Mining Institute (RMMI), Texas Mining and Reclamation Association (TMRA), National Mining Association (NMA) and sits on the Manufacturers and Services Board of Governors of the NMA and is a Board Member and Immediate Past President for RMMI.

Director

Nathanial Huckabay

Nathaniel is the General Manager of Westmoreland’s Rosebud Mine in Colstrip, Montana with twenty-three years of surface coal mining experience. He joined Westmoreland in 2018 and spent over six years as the General Manager of Westmoreland’s Poplar River Mine in Coronach, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Nathaniel received his bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the University of Missouri – Rolla and spent the first fifteen years of his career with TXU/Luminant Mining in various operations and engineering roles of escalating responsibility.

Advisory Board Chairman

Seth Puls

Seth A. Puls, PE, is a mining operations executive with 25 years of experience across surface and underground coal mining. His leadership background spans operations, engineering, environmental management, continuous improvement, and mine rescue. He currently serves as General Manager of Peabody’s Southwest U.S. Operations.

Seth earned a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly the University of Missouri–Rolla, and is a licensed Professional Engineer. He currently serves on the Rocky Mountain Mining Institute Board of Directors and was the organization’s president in 2024 and 2025. He also holds a leadership role with the New Mexico Mining Association.

Administrative Liaison Officer

Denise Dragoo

Ms. Dragoo is an equity partner in Snell & Wilmer’s Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Group. Prior to joining Snell & Wilmer, she was in private practice and served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Natural Resources, advising the Utah Board and Division of Oil, Gas & Mining and the Utah Energy Office. As Special Assistant Utah Attorney General, she was responsible for drafting the Utah Coal Mining & Reclamation Act. In 1985, she was named the Natural Resource Lawyer of the Year by the Utah State Bar. In 1996, she received the Utah State Bar’s Distinguished Service Award/Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law Section. She was the recipient of the 1997 Woman Lawyer of the Year award and the 2003 Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award (advancement of women in the legal profession). Her practice focuses on coal law, environmental law, water law, mineral title and public land matters. Ms. Dragoo practices before the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, the Utah Board of Oil, Gas & Mining, the United States Department of the Interior Board of Land Appeals and other state and federal administrative agencies.

Ms. Dragoo is a trustee and former member of the Executive Committee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Chair of the Public Lands Committee, Past Vice-Chair of the Mining Committee, American Bar Association, Section on Environment, Energy and Resources and was recently appointed to the Board of Directors, Utah Mining Association. Ms. Dragoo is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and recently completed her fourth term on the Board of Bar Commissioners, Utah State Bar Association. Ms. Dragoo is listed in THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA (Natural Resources Law). Member of the Salt Lake County, Utah State Bar, and the American Bar Association.

Executive Director

Judy Colgan
Judy Colgan is Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Mining Institute and Friends of Coal West. Both organizations promote western mining through education and support the mining industry at various events throughout the West. She is instrumental in delivering conferences and meetings to provide professional development and educational opportunities to RMMI membership, and providing educational materials to mining industry organizations.

Judy has been involved in the mining industry for the past 20 years. She was previously the Marketing Director for the Colorado Mining Association, where she was the principal architect of CMA’s public outreach and education program. Prior to CMA, she worked with Queenstake Resources, Ltd.

She holds active memberships in Women in Mining, Women’s Mining Coalition, SME, and other state associations.

Treasurer

Tarra Gerlach
Tarra Gerlach is the owner and operator of a small accounting/bookkeeping firm located in Parker, Colorado. She has 13 years’ experience in medical management and 15 years’ experience in accounting and financial management. This includes the opportunity to act as the finance manager for hospital-based physicians, including radiologists and anesthesiologists, and as the practice administrator for an ophthalmology practice specializing in corneal surgery. Tarra’s firm also specializes in QuickBooks consulting and coaching. In addition to bookkeeping, accounting and tax services, Tarra has facilitated strategic planning sessions, budgeting meetings and performed analysis on office efficiencies, joint ventures and expansions.

Tarra earned her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Nebraska and her Masters in Business with an emphasis in accounting from Regis University.

Tarra has enjoyed supporting and working with many non-profit organizations throughout her career. In the past she has served as Treasurer for Flamenco Denver and Corporate Liaison for Colorado Medical Group Management Association. Tarra currently supports Rocky Mountain Mining Institute as Treasurer, as well as the American Academy PTO as Secretary.

Tarra cherishes her time with her son and daughter. She and her husband enjoy attending sporting events, travel and providing their children with experiences that will leave lasting memories.

President- Friends of Coal West

Ronald E. Destefano
Mr. Destefano is currently a Vice-President for CDG Engineers and has been employed with the firm for the past 8 years. CDG is a multi-discipline architectural/ engineering firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Ron manages CDG’s branch office in Sheridan, Wyoming which specializes in mine engineering services. Prior to joining CDG, Mr. Destefano was Manager of Project Engineering for Kennecott Energy Company (now Cloud Peak Energy) at their corporate office in Gillette, Wyoming focused on acquisitions and productivity improvement. Prior to assuming that position, Ron was Technical Manager at Spring Creek Coal Company in Decker, Montana and was originally hired as an entry-level engineer at the Spring Creek Mine by Dave Smaldone in 1980 when the mine was still under construction.

Mr. Destefano is a graduate of the University of Wyoming’s civil engineering program and is a registered professional engineer in Wyoming and Montana.