Board + Staff

Albert Chong is a semi-retired, professional geologist providing geological advisory services on a part-time basis.  Albert has a wide range of progressive industry experience spanning more than three decades and has worked on projects and mineral deposits located on six continents.  This includes actively contributing to the technical due diligence for precious metal streaming agreements worth more than US$8B while employed as the Director and Senior Director, Geology with Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.

Albert’s other geological industry experiences include exploration, development, mining, mineral resource estimation and consulting on projects and operations hosting a variety of mineral deposit types and commodities.  During his early career, Albert was a member of the Noranda Exploration team credited with discovering the Eagle River gold deposit near Wawa, Ontario.  The deposit is still being actively mined today.

Albert’s enthusiasm for giving back to our industry is demonstrated through his ongoing volunteer work with AME’s Board of Directors (since 2022), Finance committee (2024), and the Roundup Organizing Committee (since 2016; Co-chair (RU2025) and Vice-chair (RU2023-24)).  He has also delivered technical talks for industry and students at U.B.C. and B.C.I.T.  Albert is a Professional Geoscientist (EGBC), has his M.Sc.-Exploration Geoscience (CODES, University of Tasmania, Australia), and B.Sc.-Geology (McMaster University, Ontario).  He and his family reside in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia.

Andrea Ross holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of Saskatchewan and worked as geologist in western Canada for 7 years in a variety of roles including geological mapping, prospecting, stream & sediment sampling, overseeing drill programs and as production geologist at an open pit copper mine. Following her time as a field geologist Andrea joined the Ministry of Energy and Mines in the NW Region as an Inspector of Mines focused on permitting.

In her 8 years with the Ministry, Andrea was focused on improving the review and adjudication process, including consultation associated with Notice of Work applications, and ensuring operators understood their responsibilities under their approvals. Andrea is currently Manager, Indigenous and Regulatory Affairs with Galore Creek Mining Corporation based out of their Smithers office.

Paul Jago is Senior Geologist for Amarc Resources Ltd. and a Professional Geologist with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. He is based in Prince George, British Columbia. Prior to joining Amarc, Paul was previously Chief Geologist for Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd., Exploration Manager with Centerra Gold Services Inc. (to June 2022) and BC Regional Geologist for the Northcentral-Northeast regions with Ministry of Energy & Mines (to June 2017).

He is a UBC graduate where he completed studies with the Mineral Deposit Research Unit. In his career, Paul has worked mainly in BC and Southwestern USA, with several years of field and office work for mineral exploration companies in northcentral BC followed by additional years of near-mine exploration with Freeport-McMoRan in Arizona and Colorado before returning to BC.
A paper summarizing his M.Sc. thesis on the Mt. Milligan porphyry gold-copper deposit was published in 2014 by in Economic Geology.

Paul has managed a range of exploration programs with a strong focus on team building and collaboration.

Carmen’s background is in Geology (BSC Geology, 1993, UBC) and Education (B.Ed. 1997, M.Ed, 2016, UBC). She first worked in the mining industry as a student in the early nineties at Myra Falls and Premier Gold doing dirt bagging and water monitoring.

After graduating, Carmen worked as a Geology and Science Teacher in the K-12 system in BC and Alberta, which started her life-long passion for teaching young minds about this amazing industry. Since 2011, she has been employed by the University of British Columbia, Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, managing and directing the Master of Engineering Program.

She has had the opportunity to recruit, evaluate and advise students from all over the world and through this work has developed a broad knowledge of international educational programs for mining and geosciences.

Most recently, her program has set up UBC Applied Science’s first graduate certificate program in Mine Waste Management and she continues to develop other educational programs for the department with input from government, industry and communities. Her ongoing goal is to make lifelong learning accessible and flexible to people throughout their careers. She enjoys working in mining and looking for opportunities to attract people to careers in this industry.

Chris Wild has over 35 years of experience associated with a wide range of mineral exploration and development projects and operating mines, mainly in BC, but extending to South America and Africa. He has served in executive positions for several BC-based junior mining companies and in senior technical roles at a number of BC mines including Goldstream and Mount Polley for Imperial Metals. As Project Manager with KGHM’s Ajax Project near Kamloops, B.C., he led the Project’s Environmental Assessment application process with the BC Government (EAO). Chris takes a consensus-based approach to mineral exploration and development. In roles in Canada and overseas he has managed exploration and development programs, spending considerable time meeting with local community leaders, addressing issues ranging from employment opportunities and local environmental concerns, to support for healthcare and education infrastructure.

Currently, Chris is Exploration Manager for Red Canyon Resources where he leads exploration planning, permitting activities and community engagement. He is a graduate of the Geological Engineering program at the University of British Columbia and is a Registered Professional Engineer in BC.

Darcy Vis was born and raised in northern British Columbia. Growing up in the forests and mountains he developed a strong connection to the land, its people, and its rocks that persists to this day. His journey into geology began at the age of sixteen, conducting till sampling and terrain mapping northwest of Prince George. In the seventeen years since, he has contributed to numerous mineral exploration projects spanning British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, the Yukon, and the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Earth and Ocean Science from the University of Victoria and is a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.) with Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

Currently, Darcy is the President and Co-Founder of Tripoint Geological Services Ltd., a full-service exploration consulting company that has been in operation since 2019. Tripoint provides technical expertise, equipment, and personnel for exploration projects from initial staking to definition drilling. Darcy is also the owner of a specialized geological tool design startup, a privately held mineral exploration project generator, and is the Vice President Exploration for Red Pony Exploration Ltd. He enjoys quietly innovating and building sustainable systems and team environments that work well, and benefit everyone involved.

Darcy lives in Victoria, BC with his wife and dog. When not in the office, he can be found excitedly pointing out roadside outcrops on family vacations, walking with his head down looking for rocks on hikes, and breaking pace to check out outcrops while training for marathons.

With 35 years of experience in the mining industry, Jane McCaw is a dedicated professional who has developed extensive expertise in land and mineral title management across Canada, regulatory major mines permitting, mineral exploration permitting, and underground gold and base metals mining throughout her career.

Jane has had the privilege of working at several prominent mining areas in the industry, including the Hemlo Gold camp, Hoyle Pond and Detour Lake Mine in Ontario, plus the Sullivan Mine, Barrick’s Eskay Creek Mine, and the New Afton Mine in British Columbia.  Her technical skills in sampling protocols and data management have contributed to numerous successful exploration and development projects.  She excels in ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and managing mineral land records and data, while optimizing resource extraction practices. 

Jane is currently Principal – Regulatory Permitting and Corporate Land Management with New Gold Inc/New Afton Mine.  In her off-work time, Jane is the President of the Kamloops Exploration Group, where she champions the BC mining and mineral exploration communities.  Positive relationships with local communities, industry, and First Nations groups are a priority to her, in all aspects of her life. 

Janice is a life-long explorer – with a diverse career by design. She is currently a member of the UBC BRIMM team (Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining), as the BC & Yukon Innovation Lead for the pan-Canadian MICA Network. BRIMM is one of 6 partner organizations that supports small-medium businesses that are creating technology solutions for challenges experienced across the mining value chain – including exploration. She has previously dedicated more than 30 years to mineral exploration in BC and across Canada as a professional geoscientist, leading project teams, and providing strategic and operational advice to the C-suite. As a specialist in bridging silos, she has fostered collaboration among diverse team members, consultants, service providers, and executives to advance projects. Some of which became producing mines, while others navigated through the peaks and valleys of market conditions, towards successful pivots.

From those experiences, it was the many informal stories she heard about risks and uncertainties faced by explorers, that inspired Janice to become an active supporter and ongoing volunteer for AME. To help them navigate that space, she served on AME’s Health and Safety committee for 5 years, and in 2017, was honoured with the AME Dave Barr Award, for Innovation & Leadership in Health and Safety in chairing and leading a diverse volunteer team in developing fresh approaches to training. Known for her willingness to move “towards”, both into the unknown and also to build bridges in spots of tension, these involvements have more recently inspired Janice to introduce and promote the core practices of successful explorers as participatory strategies to navigate change in the wider industry: pattern spotting, inquiry and deep listening, collaborative action and feedback loops. Because no one can see it all.

Keivan is an expert in corporate affairs and sustainable natural resource development. He has held senior political, public service, and private sector roles where he has worked to responsibly bring Canadian commodities to world markets while ensuring local communities were involved in decision-making and benefited from resource development. Keivan is currently Director, External Relations & Communications for Canada with Newmont. In this role, he leads government relations, Indigenous relations, and major strategic initiatives across North America and provides expert counsel to senior executives. Keivan also sits on the board of Mining Association of British Columbia, on the Public Affairs and Indigenous Relations Committees for Mining Association Canada, and serves as the Board Vice-Chair of YMCA BC.

Keivan holds a Masters in Global Business through a joint program between University of Victoria, University of Glasgow, and Chulalongkorn University of Thailand and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science through University of Victoria. He also holds a Certificate in Mining Law through Osgoode Law School and a Certificate in International Trade through the Forum for International Trade Training and Export Development Canada.

Kevin O’Callaghan is a partner with Fasken in Vancouver and the Leader of the firm’s Indigenous Law group. He is also the regional Lead for the Corporate Social Responsibility Law group.  Kevin has been involved in the AME BC for a number of years, most recently was elected by the Board to serve as Vice-Chair of the Board.

Providing strategic advice on Indigenous, regulatory, environmental and other corporate social responsibility issues, Kevin advises mining clients throughout Western and Northern Canada, and around the world.  Kevin provides strategic advice on managing projects through environmental assessment and consultation with Indigenous peoples, including advice on negotiations and agreements. However, if unavoidable conflicts arise during project development, Kevin appears before courts to assist his resource clients on challenges to licenses by local communities (including injunctions). 

Kevin was counsel for a coalition of businesses in two critical aboriginal cases at the Supreme Court of Canada: first on a leading case on Indigenous consultation and accommodation (Haida Nation v. B.C.); and second, on the leading case on Indigenous title (Tsilhqot’in Nation v. B.C.).  He has also recently been representing AME BC in the challenges to the mineral tenure system in British Columbia.

Ms. Maggie Layman is a professional geologist with 20 years mineral exploration experience across diverse ore deposits in North America. She is currently Manager of Exploration for Canada and the USA at Teck Resources Limited Before joining Teck, Maggie was the Vice President of Exploration for Osisko Development Corp. where she led the Cariboo Gold Project team from exploration to feasibility, earning the AME Spud Huestis Award for her contributions to the project. She holds a B.Sc. from Memorial University of Newfoundland and is registered as a Professional Geologist with the Association of Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.

Maggie has actively volunteered with AME since 2014 and joined its board in 2022. Her volunteer roles have included serving on the Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Committee (2014–2020), the Roundup Committee (2018), and the Mentorship Program (2019–2021). She is dedicated to advancing exploration projects by building skilled, diverse teams, tackling technical challenges, and promoting strong ESG performance.

As a director, her focus would be to leverage her exploration and volunteering experience to support AME in advocacy and partnerships that protect and promote the interests of mineral
explorers and developers operating, or based, in British Columbia.

Sally Goodman was the former Head, Global Discovery for Newmont, that spearheaded the drive to discovery across the company’s global portfolio of early-stage exploration projects. Before joining Newmont she was Chief Geoscientist with Atlantic Gold, following five years with Goldcorp in a variety of technical positions in the Vancouver corporate team. Prior to that she travelled globally as a consultant in structural geology with SRK Consulting, after holding various lecturing and research posts in universities in Canada and the UK. She has a PhD in Economic Geology and MSc in Mineral Exploration from the Royal School of Mines, London (UK), and BSc Geological Sciences from Leeds University (UK).

Sally is currently Chair of the Mineral Deposits Research Unit, University of British Columbia; Member of the Future Minerals Working Group, University of British Columbia, and Society of Economic Geologists Thayer-Lindsay Visiting Lecturer for 2023.

Sharyn Alexander is an accomplished mining professional with over 20 years of diversified experience in mineral exploration and mining. She specializes in business development, strategic planning, marketing and investor relations, with a proven track record in raising capital for exploration. Her past roles include serving as President of Sun Summit Minerals and technical positions with B2Gold, Barrick, and SRK Consulting.

A strong advocate for responsible resource development, Sharyn has been instrumental in fostering relationships with local communities and Indigenous Nations, negotiating agreements that create mutual benefits and economic opportunities. She is an active volunteer with the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) BC, serving on the Mineral Tenure Act Advisory Group, ensuring policy development aligns with the needs of AME members while addressing public and Indigenous concerns. Outside her professional pursuits, she enjoys exploring British Columbia’s natural beauty through outdoor activities like hiking and backpacking.

Thomas is an exploration geologist specializing in magmatic mineral deposits and alpine geological mapping. He has extensive technical and project management experience in Au, REE, Cu-porphyry, and U deposits. He is a registered professional geologist with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC), and currently acts as the Vice President, Exploration for Scottie Resources Corp. He has served as a lecturer at Carleton University and British Columbia Institute of Technology. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from University of New Brunswick, and was awarded the Leopold Gélinas medal for the best M.Sc. thesis from the GAC Volcanology and Igneous Petrology division. He holds a Ph.D. from Carleton University focused on magmatic controls of the Nechalacho REE deposit in the NWT.