The Alaska Miner Winter 2025 28 Meg Smith, Chuck Hawley Lifetime Achievement Award Presented by Bill Bieber It is my pleasure to present this year’s Chuck Hawley Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. This award is named in honor of the longtime AMA member and former Executive Director Emeritus who dedicated his entire career to advancing Alaska’s mining industry. It recognizes the service contributions of a mining industry pioneer, individual, or employee who, like Chuck, devoted his professional life to ensuring a successful mining industry in Alaska. This individual has spent over 30 years in our industry. She has held a number of HR positions in mining projects and operations, including the Greens Creek Mine, Kensington Mine, Usibelli Coal Mine, Donlin Gold Project and the Manh Choh Mine. In particular, this individual was involved in a number of mine startups which is always labor intensive and requires a lot of diligence in getting contractors to hire locally and a lot of patience working with the workforce in the development process. She was instrumental in always championing Alaska hire at all of the mines and projects she worked at, and was always forward thinking in regards to workforce development and high school pathways to mining. She was very instrumental in developing the Alaskan Mining Workforce Development plan. And coached AMA staff through its administration. This plan required a significant amount of her efforts working with all of the Alaska mines, universities, colleges trade schools and regional demographics, and it came together due to her work. Any time someone mentions Alaska mining human resources, her name is generally in the conversation. Meg Smith has spent a lifetime fostering and championing the Alaskan workforce, and it was pleasure to nominate her for the Chuck Hawley Lifetime Achievement Award.
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