Management

• Ken Mushinski - President, CEO and Director

  Mr. Mushinski brings over 30 years of leadership experience in corporate development and project management, both domestically and internationally. He served on Rare Element Resource’s board from November 2017 until March 2022. As the former Vice President, Corporate Planning and Acquisitions for General Atomics Technologies Corporation and President of uranium companies Quasar Resource and Cotter Corporation, all subsidiaries of General Atomics, Mr. Mushinski has extensive production-related operational experience, from permitting to decommissioning, in the resource industry. His career experience includes mergers and acquisitions, operational and financial planning for uranium production operations, regulatory affairs, and governmental interactions. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for developing strategic partnerships and garnering investments from within the defense industry for projects under his direction and played a key role as a management committee member for the Honeywell/General Atomics ConverDyn partnership. Mr. Mushinski holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, from San Diego State University.
  

• Kelli Kast - VP, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer

  Ms. Kast has nearly 30 years of in-house legal experience, including as top legal officer in the precious metals industry for seven years and 12 years in the rare earth industry. She served as a consultant of Rare Element Resources, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company, from June 2015 through June 2024, when she resumed her prior executive position of Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, a position she held from July 2012 to May 2015. Ms. Kast additionally served as the Corporate Secretary of the Company from July 2012 through August 2022. She served as Coeur d’Alene Mine Corporation’s Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from May 2005 to March 2009 and as its Chief Administrative Officer from March 2009 to December 2011. From 2004 to 2005, Ms. Kast served as Corporate Counsel for HealtheTech Inc. From 1997 to 2003, she served as the Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Global Water Technologies Inc. and Psychrometric Systems, Inc. From January 1996 through December 1997, she served as corporate counsel for Boise Cascade Corporation. Ms. Kast earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Dakota School of Law and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho.
  

   

• Wayne Rich - Chief Financial Officer

  

  Mr. Rich is a financial executive with more than 20 years of experience in the resource industry, including with mining and metals companies. His experience includes serving as Chief Financial Officer of Star Mountain Resources, Inc., Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance for Prospect Global Resources, Inc., and Treasurer and Director of Corporate Finance of Thompson Creek Metals, Inc.  Mr. Rich has extensive experience in public accounting and reporting, internal controls, and financial modeling. Mr. Rich holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Illinois State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Accountancy from Eastern Illinois University. Mr. Rich joined the Company in March 2022. 

• Jaye Pickarts, P.E. - Chief Operating Officer

  Jaye Pickarts is a senior process engineer with more than 40 years of leadership in project management for development, acquisitions, engineering design, permitting and reclamation, mine closure, water management and process operations. He has extensive experience with projects in North and South America, Australia, Africa and Kazakhstan. His mine operations experience includes supervisory, maintenance and engineering positions working with precious metals, base metals and industrial mineral companies, including test programs, capital and operating cost estimates, and start-up and operations assistance. Mr. Pickarts formerly served as the Chief Operating Officer of Rare Element Resources (from March 2011 to March 2016) prior to his transition to a consultant to the Company.  In October 2024 Mr. Pickarts rejoined the Company as its Chief Operating Officer.  Prior to his engagement with Rare Element Resources, he was the Senior Vice President for Knight Piesold and Company, he was responsible for successfully coordinating the completion of numerous feasibility studies and environmental permitting programs both in the US and internationally. Mr. Pickarts has a BS in mineral processing engineering from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology and completed the Business Administration Graduate Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado, Nevada and Wyoming and is considered to be a "Qualified Person" in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. 
  

   

• Paul Bonifas - Director of Business Development

  

  Paul Bonifas brings over a decade of experience within the energy sector in corporate development and strategic project management. As Director of Business Development at Rare Element Resources, Paul leads efforts in business growth initiatives, corporate partnerships, and stakeholder relations. He is the founder of Bonifas Consulting, where he has provided project management, economic analysis, and regulatory navigation services to clients across mining, petroleum, and greenfield energy development. Paul has also held leadership roles at 9H Energy, where he drove the development of datacenters & energy projects, and serves as a Board Director at the 9H Research Foundation, a non-profit focused on innovation and education in Wyoming. His career includes extensive work in mining, power grids, and regulatory affairs, with a focus on economic and technical development for energy projects. Paul holds an M.S. in Petroleum Engineering, an M.B.A., and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Wyoming. He is fluent in both English and French.