Board of Directors
Our Team
Board of Directors
Benjamin Russ, PhD
Dr. Benjamin Russ is the Senior Director of Development at Grants Energy, responsible for technology development and community outreach to support domestic supply of United States’ critical minerals. Dr. Russ has over 25 years of experience in research and development of advanced process technologies.
Dr. Russ’ previous work has focused on novel, clean-energy chemical process development, including commercially relevant demonstrations of rare earth elements (REE) processing and separation technologies, medical radioisotope production, and large-scale thermochemical hydrogen production. Dr. Russ’ work has focused on achieving environmentally friendly, sustainable processes in support of re-establishing domestic capabilities across a wide range of critical industries.
After growing up in Leawood, Kansas, Dr. Russ attended UC Davis and then UC San Diego where he received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering respectively. A father of five children ages 17-25, Dr. Russ is committed to protecting the planet for future generations. Dr. Russ lives in San Diego where he gives back to his community as a board member through various volunteer positions for the local youth soccer league and high school music booster boards continuously for the past 20 years.
Mark Pelizza, MSc, CPG
Mr. Pelizza has spent 45 years in the uranium industry with direct project experience including the Alta Mesa, Benavides, Kingsville Dome, Longoria, Palangana, Rosita, West Cole and the
Vasquez projects, all in Texas. He was also responsible for the permitting and licensing of the Church Rock, Crownpoint and Unit 1 projects in New Mexico and the North Platte project in Wyoming.
His technical expertise includes uranium geology, hydrology/water quality analysis, uranium health physics, Texas, New Mexico and Federal permitting, State and Federal radioactive materials licensing, policy/procedure development and environmental audits and compliance. Mr. Pelizza has managed public and governmental relations efforts pertaining to uranium recovery and participated in legislative and rule-making process, and administrative hearings related to the uranium industry.
Continuing his successful experience overseeing ground restoration and closure at five commercial in situ recovery projects, Mr. Pelizza currently serves as a Principal Investigator with Los Alamos National Laboratories researching in situ groundwater restoration technologies to improve groundwater conservation at ISR projects through the restoration cycle.
Currently, Mr. Pelizza is the Principal of M.S. Pelizza & Associates where he serves clients in the extractive industries. He previously served as Sr. Vice President of Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs with Uranium Resource, Inc. He has also previously worked with Union Carbide Corp. Mr. Pelizza received his B.S. in Geology, Fort Lewis College and his M.S. in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He is a licensed Professional Geoscientist in Texas and a Certified Professional Geologist by the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He is the Past Chairman of the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association and the Past Chairman of the Uranium Producers of America.
His technical expertise includes uranium geology, hydrology/water quality analysis, uranium health physics, Texas, New Mexico and Federal permitting, State and Federal radioactive materials licensing, policy/procedure development and environmental audits and compliance. Mr. Pelizza has managed public and governmental relations efforts pertaining to uranium recovery and participated in legislative and rule-making process, and administrative hearings related to the uranium industry.
Continuing his successful experience overseeing ground restoration and closure at five commercial in situ recovery projects, Mr. Pelizza currently serves as a Principal Investigator with Los Alamos National Laboratories researching in situ groundwater restoration technologies to improve groundwater conservation at ISR projects through the restoration cycle.
Currently, Mr. Pelizza is the Principal of M.S. Pelizza & Associates where he serves clients in the extractive industries. He previously served as Sr. Vice President of Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs with Uranium Resource, Inc. He has also previously worked with Union Carbide Corp. Mr. Pelizza received his B.S. in Geology, Fort Lewis College and his M.S. in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He is a licensed Professional Geoscientist in Texas and a Certified Professional Geologist by the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He is the Past Chairman of the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association and the Past Chairman of the Uranium Producers of America.
Janet Lee-Sheriff
Ms. Sheriff presently owns and operates a communications and public relations company focused primarily on the uranium and nuclear industries. She served as the Chief Communications Officer for enCore Energy Corp. having managed their brand and communications from a micro-cap company to a leading uranium producer in the United States. She is the also the President and Director of Group 11 Technologies.
Group 11 Technologies is a private company focused on the development of non-invasive and environmentally friendly precious metals extraction. Prior to co-founding Group 11, Ms. Sheriff led the world’s first on-site test of a solvent which replaced cyanide in the gold extraction process, resulting in the formation of Group 11. She was responsible for creating the SRU® (the Secondary Recovery Unit) which replaced the smelter process in the test process. Ms. Sheriff also established and presently owns the Yukon Mint®, which has created green gold coins with indigenous art to celebrate the local communities and artists. With a strong commitment to social responsibility and community engagement she has successfully negotiated and implemented socio-economic and exploration agreements with indigenous governments plus implemented numerous innovative programs, including the award-winning Elders-in-Residence Program, to ensure community involvement in corporate projects. She is responsible for developing the Yukon Mine Training Association, focused on aboriginal training, raising $20+ mm for training initiatives. She also is a co-founder of the Clean Energy Association of New Mexico and the enCore Energy Education Society.
Ms. Sheriff previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Golden Predator Mining Corp and President of Tigris Uranium (now enCore Energy Corp.). and is a graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. She is a dual Canadian and US citizen and a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal awarded for outstanding achievements by Canadians.
Group 11 Technologies is a private company focused on the development of non-invasive and environmentally friendly precious metals extraction. Prior to co-founding Group 11, Ms. Sheriff led the world’s first on-site test of a solvent which replaced cyanide in the gold extraction process, resulting in the formation of Group 11. She was responsible for creating the SRU® (the Secondary Recovery Unit) which replaced the smelter process in the test process. Ms. Sheriff also established and presently owns the Yukon Mint®, which has created green gold coins with indigenous art to celebrate the local communities and artists. With a strong commitment to social responsibility and community engagement she has successfully negotiated and implemented socio-economic and exploration agreements with indigenous governments plus implemented numerous innovative programs, including the award-winning Elders-in-Residence Program, to ensure community involvement in corporate projects. She is responsible for developing the Yukon Mine Training Association, focused on aboriginal training, raising $20+ mm for training initiatives. She also is a co-founder of the Clean Energy Association of New Mexico and the enCore Energy Education Society.
Ms. Sheriff previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Golden Predator Mining Corp and President of Tigris Uranium (now enCore Energy Corp.). and is a graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. She is a dual Canadian and US citizen and a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal awarded for outstanding achievements by Canadians.
Our value
Unlock true potential of clean energy in New Mexico Community
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Collective Expertise
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Collective Expertise
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Collective Expertise
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