In this episode, the first of a three-part series on women in mining titled "What Lies Beneath," Jennifer Burge of WorldWise Coaching & Training, Andrea Boltz of Freeport-McMoRan, and María López de la Rosa of SilverCrest Metals talk with Dr. Adrian McIntyre about the MegaWomen of the MegaRegion project and its mission to empower women in the mining industry in Arizona and Sonora.
Our conversation touched on many important topics, including:
- Challenges and opportunities for women in the mining industry
- Sustainability in mining / Responsible Production
- Community relations and economic development in towns near the mine sites
- Impact of Covid-19 and support given by mining companies to local communities
- Importance of gender parity and the positive impact it has on mining companies
Featured Guests
Jennifer Burge is CEO of WorldWise Coaching & Training based in Phoenix, Arizona and Hermosillo, Sonora. With experience on four continents and over fifty countries, WorldWise Coaching prepares its clients to thrive in international environments across the globe. The company provides private executive coaching and customized team training in the field of intercultural business communication and multicultural team building. Their expertise includes strategic consulting services to assist in conflict resolution across worldviews, international expansions, and T-MEC/USMCA Mexican Labor Reform Laws. WorldWise has been working with clients and partners in the Mexican mining industry since 2019. The relationship was formalized in 2020 when WorldWise Coaching became the first strategic ally of the Mining Cluster of Sonora in the United States. In 2021, WorldWise and the Sonora Mining Cluster co-organized Las Mineras: MegaWomen of the MegaRegion, in partnership with the US Consulate General of Nogales and the US Department of State, Bureau of Economic Affairs. This partnership has been the catalyst for ongoing cross-border women’s empowerment collaboration activities in mining across Arizona and Sonora.
A dual national of the US and Australia, Jennifer uses her broad business experience and technology background to assist others to thrive in global business environments. Her experience includes Fortune 100 companies, such as Honeywell and Fortune Global 500 companies—Accenture Consulting and EDS. She achieved her PMP certification in Amsterdam in 2007. Her certification to teach English as a Second Language (specialization in Business English) was earned with distinction in Madrid in 2017. Following that, she was a Fellow at the Institute for Intercultural Communication in Portland, Oregon in 2018 and Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2019. In August 2019, Mayor Kate Gallego appointed Jennifer to the Pacific Rim Advisory Council for the City of Phoenix where she is now the Vice Chairwoman. The Diplomatic Corps of Arizona appointed Jennifer to its Board of Advisors and she accepted the invitation to join the US Global Leadership Coalition’s Advisory Committee for the state of Arizona in 2020. Jennifer is also an expert contributor to Mexico Business News for the mining industry.
Andrea María Boltz is a corporate sustainability professional with over twenty years’ experience in the mining industry. She currently works across global sustainability programs and risk management at Freeport-McMoRan Inc, a leading international mining company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Andrea was raised in a mining family and began her mining career in investor relations and corporate development for small to mid-cap Canadian companies across North and South America, during which time she recognized the invaluable opportunity for increased performance and transparency within the industry in equitable sustainable development programs and civic engagement. Andrea also served as a sustainable infrastructure analyst through a joint program with the Inter-American Development Bank and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and as senior coordinator in Education and Diversity in urban resilience to climate extremes through Arizona State University and the National Science Foundation. She holds a MA from Harvard in Corporate Sustainability, a BA in Geography from Boston University and studied international business at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. A dual national, Andrea was raised in the US and Mexico and considers both countries ‘home sweet home’.
María López de la Rosa is an Exploration Administrative Manager with SilverCrest Metals, a Canadian precious metals company focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico’s historic precious metal districts. María has worked for a decade in the mining field, performing activities related to administration, human resources, logistics and permits. In recent years she has specialized in the development of mining exploration projects. Until recently, she held the position of regional manager of the Las Chispas project in Arizpe, Sonora, where she directed efforts to obtain concessions, land use rights and compliance with legal obligations, management of personnel and building community relationships. María received a BS in Education at the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) and an MS in Education at the University of Sonora. She is currently the Administrative Manager in the Exploration area of the Las Chispas and El Picacho projects in Sonora, Mexico.
Additional Resources
Las Mineras: MegaWomen of the MegaRegion, a conference organized by the Mining Cluster of Sonora and WorldWise Coaching LLC, was held on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021, sponsored by the US Consulate General in Nogales and the US Department of State, Bureau of Energy Affairs.
The 7th Discoveries Mining Conference will be held October 5-7, 2021 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
The Valley Business Radio show, hosted by Dr. Adrian McIntyre, is recorded and produced in the studio of PHX.fm, the leading independent B2B online radio station and podcast studio in Phoenix.
