Zeroday Enterprises owner and president Bill A. Hancock has begun his term as the 2025 Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) president. He assumes the role at a time in which the association is preparing for a transformative change in leadership with Executive Director and CEO David Kanagy set to retire in March 2026.
“It has been incredible having Dave lead our organization for all these years. He has done an excellent job as the SME executive director and CEO,” Hancock said of Kanagy, who has been at the helm for 20-plus years.
“He came to SME at a time that the society was really struggling, and he turned into a powerhouse. Our job (Hancock and a search committee) is to find someone who will maintain the momentum that he (Kanagy) engendered in SME.”
Hancock’s term also comes at a time in which SME is exploring ways in which it can prioritize the development of professional training options.
“There is a woefully insufficient number of mining engineers, metallurgists and other professionals in the pipeline to meet the coming demand, we are struggling to bring them into the industry, which also pertains to the underground construction industry which is also dealing with severe professional staffing issues,” said Hancock. “Consequently, the industry is recruiting allied engineers such as in civil and chemical engineering who could benefit from courses by giving them enhanced mining perspective, understanding and depth of knowledge and capabilities.
“Including the work of the SME Foundation and other training and educational programs SME offers and are considering developing, we feel that we can help increase the number of people joining the industry.”
“As technical leaders and industry experts, we have the capabilities to exchange knowledge and train future leaders,” Hancock said. “I will keep this issue on the front burner this year.”
Source: SME