Mines Professors Selected as Experts for U.S. State Department Speaker Program

Two South Dakota Mines professors have earned the honor of representing the United States on the global stage after being selected by the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to share their expertise as part of the U.S. Speaker Program.

Jon Kellar, Ph.D., professor of materials and metallurgical engineering, and Andrea Brickey, Ph.D., professor of mining engineering and management, were recently selected for the U.S. Speaker Program which recruits dynamic American experts to engage international audiences on topics of strategic importance to the United States. Key policy priorities include cybersecurity, energy security and economic prosperity.

Speakers represent a broad range of fields and expertise and are leaders in their sectors and communities. The office conducts approximately 650 speaker programs annually, both virtually and in person.

“This is a great opportunity to share knowledge across the globe, highlight South Dakota and South Dakota Mines, and bring awareness of the importance of mining to society,” Brickey said. “Educating and sharing information on mining is our passion; this is an amazing opportunity to reach across the ocean.”

Brickey will share her insights on mining engineering, early career development, and the advancement of women in mining and STEM. She worked in the mining industry for 15 years before returning to academia to pursue her doctorate degree. Her industry expertise primarily focused on mining operations and consulting projects across Africa, as well as North and South America. Her work spanned the extraction of copper, gold, silver, nickel, phosphate and coal.

Kellar, the Douglas Fuerstenau Professor of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at Mines, will share his expertise on mineral processing, engineering education, and illicit economy. He recently gave a virtual presentation to a Serbian audience.

“I aim to continue highlighting the university’s unique heritage and expertise especially our hands-on approach to engineering education, and specifically the mineral industry."

Kellar has been a Mines faculty member since 1990. In 1994, he was selected as a National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow and was named the 2008 South Dakota Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In 2016, Kellar was recognized as a Distinguished Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.