About Us

Joe Evers,JD, MA

Prior to joining Wyoming Rare (USA), Inc., Joe served in various leadership roles in the energy and mining industry. Most recently, Joe served as General Counsel of American Rare Earths Ltd. Prior to that, Joe was corporate counsel at an international mining company and held positions of increasing responsibility in the land and policy departments at a publicly traded oil and gas company.  Originally hailing from Sheridan, Wyoming, Evers received a bachelor’s degree and JD/MA in Environment & Natural Resources from the University of Wyoming. He maintains strong ties to his alma mater where he serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board at the Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources, President-Elect of the Alumni Association, and is a member of the Advisory Board at the College of Law. 

Joe was instrumental in securing a US$7.1 million grant from the State of Wyoming with support from partners Wyoming Energy Authority and the University of Wyoming Energy Resources Council.

Megan McPherson

Megan is a seasoned finance and governance professional with over 23 years of experience, including senior leadership roles at several ASX-listed mining companies. She most recently served as CFO and later Company Secretary at Group 6 Metals Limited.

As CFO and a core member of the executive team, Megan will lead ARR’s financial operations, including capital management, treasury, compliance, investor relations, and risk oversight.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Wollongong and is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ).

Dwight Kinnes

Dwight is a Certified Professional Geologist and JORC Competent Person (coal) with over 35 years in the mining industry. A third generation Coloradoan, Dwight obtained a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Colorado State University. He specialised in the geological modelling of complex coal deposits in British Columbia, Venezuela and Indonesia. Prior to joining American Rare Earths, he was the President of Highland GeoComputing LLC for 17 years, providing geological field services, geological modelling services, GIS services, and database management services to the mining industry.

Wayne Kernaghan, BBUS, ACA, FAICD, ACIS

Appointed 25 September 2020. Wayne is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia with over 35 years’ experience in various areas of the mining industry. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Chartered Secretary.

Tommy von Finckenstein

Experience in the mining financial services industry, both in investment banking and equity research. Tommy earned a B. Eng in Mine Engineering from McGill University.

Richard Hudson

Richard is experienced in strong corporate governance and internal controls, resolving shareholder disputes, and advising on business sales, acquisitions and mergers. He is currently Chairman of a private Contract Research Organisation in Animal Health in Australia and New Zealand and the Company Secretary of a group of Emergency Veterinary Practices operating throughout Australia. He also was the Chairman for many years of a manufacturing business operating in the marine industry in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Sten L. Gustafson, B.A., J.D

Sten is the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Pyrophyte Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: PHYT), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) focused on companies that provide products, services, equipment and technologies that support a variety of energy transition solutions. Sten is a highly experienced energy service industry executive, investment banker and corporate securities attorney. With over 25 years of experience in the global energy sector, Sten has advised on more than 100 corporate transactions worldwide for over US$100b of transaction value.

Melissa ‘Mel’ Sanderson, B.EC., BA English Literature, MBA, Professor, Thunderbird School Of Global Management

Mel’s International career has spanned diplomacy and mining for more than 30 years. Mel is adept at cross-cultural communication and brings exceptional leadership experience in inclusivity and diversity issues. At global mining leader Freeport-McMoRan, Mel sited, staffed and ran a corporate office focused on government and public relations and social responsibility programs. She has also served as a senior diplomat in the US Department of State.

Jason Beckton

Mr. Beckton is a professional geologist and Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists with more than 30 years’ experience in exploration, project development, production, and management across Australia and internationally. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Economic Geology from the University of Tasmania.

Brian Arkell

Mr. Brian Arkell brings over 35 years of global experience in mineral exploration, mine development, and operations, with a proven track record advancing world-class gold and copper-gold projects across the Americas and Southeast Asia. His career highlights include key roles in the development of the Yanacocha (Peru), Batu Hijau (Indonesia), Merian (Suriname), and Magino (Canada) mines.

From 2018 to 2023, he served as Vice President of Exploration and Mine Technical Services at Argonaut Gold, managing exploration, mine planning, geology, and corporate reserves across five producing mines and multiple development assets. He has also held senior positions as CEO of Caza Gold, SVP at Rio Novo Gold, and spent over 20 years with Newmont Mining, where he rose to Director of Geology and Exploration for South America.

Mr. Arkell holds a B.S. in Geology and Engineering from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Geology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He is a Registered Member of the SME, a Fellow of both AusIMM and the Society of Economic Geologists, and is recognised as a Qualified Person (NI 43-101) and Competent Person (JORC).