EMA Welcomes Back Darrell Smith as Senior Vice President of Operations and Development

Arlington, Va., Sept. 5, 2024 – The Essential Minerals Association (EMA) today announced the hire of Dr. Darrell Smith as Senior Vice President of Operations and Development, where he will focus on growing association programs and membership, and leading various association initiatives and task forces to address pressing issues in the industry.

“Darrell has long been known to our members and has served as a trusted resource for the minerals and mining industry,” said Chris Greissing, EMA president. “We are excited to have Darrell back on our team as we work to broaden EMA’s representation and better position the industry as the provider of raw materials used in products that are essential to our daily lives.”

Darrell has been active in the public policy arena since 2002 and has represented the advocacy concerns of the chemical, petroleum and waste industries. Most recently, Darrell was the President & CEO of the National Waste & Recycling Association, and he also was an executive vice president at EMA’s predecessor organization, the Industrial Minerals Association – North America, from 2009 to 2017.

With Darrell’s strong background in association management and environment, sustainability, health, and safety, EMA will be uniquely positioned to assist the industry in meeting regulatory compliance. Darrell has already formed a Silica Compliance Task Force to help the industry address the new MSHA silica standard in a positive and proactive manner. Additionally, Darrell will lead EMA’s Talc/Wollastonite section, the Associate Members section, the Technology and Operations Committee, the Membership Committee and the Hand Safety Task Force

Darrell holds a bachelor’s degree in public health and a master’s degree in leadership from The Citadel, a master’s degree of public health from the University of South Carolina, and a Ph.D. in environmental conflict from George Mason University. Darrell is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and Certified Association Executive (CAE). He is originally from South Carolina.

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The Essential Minerals Association (EMA) is the representative voice for companies that extract and process a vital and beneficial group of raw materials and minerals, which are the essential ingredients for many of the products used in everyday life. Formerly, the Industrial Minerals Association – North America, EMA ensures that the voices of its member companies and the socio-economic benefits they provide – from mining to end-use products – are heard by government leaders as well as the general public. Visit essentialminerals.org to learn more.