Instructors
Kimberly (Kim) Finke Morrison, PE, RG
Kim Morrison is a globally recognized leader and technical expert in the mining industry with nearly 30 years of experience in geotechnical engineering design, operations, and governance of tailings, waste, and water management. She also brings extensive expertise in environmental permitting for mining projects. Currently serving as Adjunct Professor and Interim Director of the Tailings Center at the Colorado School of Mines, Kim is actively shaping the future of tailings engineering education and research. From 2019 to 2024, she was Newmont’s global function lead for tailings, dams, and heap leach facilities in Denver, Colorado, where she oversaw critical infrastructure and led the company’s implementation of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM). Kim’s influence extends to industry literature as the Managing Editor for the Tailings Management Handbook: A Lifecycle Approach, published by SME, which has become an essential resource for tailings management professionals worldwide.
Tejo Bheemasetti, Ph.D.
Tejo Bheemasetti is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Arizona. Prior to joining academia, he worked in the industry as a geotechnical design engineer for hydraulic fill structures, high retaining walls, and ground improvement techniques. He is the recipient of the ASCE James J. Croes Medal for his work on 3D modeling and visualization studies on highly heterogenous hydraulic fill structures. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and is a member of standing technical committees on the Embankments, Dams, and Slopes committee; Engineering Geology and Site Characterization; Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering. His work has been sponsored by industry, state and federal agencies and serves as a reviewer for major geomechanics journals.
Joseph Scalia, Ph.D.
Joe Scalia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University specializing in tailings and mine waste research and education. He is the CSU Site Director of the Tailings Center. In 2024, he was the co-chair of the Tailings & Mine Waste (TMW) Conference in Denver, CO, which he will again co-chair TMW in 2026. He has authored over 70 peer reviewed publications and is an associate editor for the Journal of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering and Geotextiles & Geomembranes, as well as an editorial board member of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal and Geosynthetics International. Prior to joining Colorado State University, Joe was a Senior Associate in the Environmental and Earth Science Practice of Exponent.
Terry Braun, PE
With over 30 years of professional experience in mining and environmental projects, he strives to organize and support project teams that tackle technical and non-technical challenges faced by his clients. His professional experience includes over 20 years of experience in TSF characterization and closure design. Since the inception of GISTM, he has supported clients with the investigation, stabilization, and monitoring of legacy TSFs under GISTM audit and compliance programs. He is an adjunct lecturer with the Colorado School of Mines. He is the Chair of the Industry Advisory Board and short course lecturer for the Tailings Center.
Guest Lecturers
Mark Walden, P.E., P.Eng.
Newfields
Mark Walden is a geotechnical and civil engineering consultant with over 14 years of experience, specializing in geotechnics, Tailings Management, Engineer of Record services, and Tailings Dam Breach Analysis. He spearheaded the development and growth of NewFields’ tailings dam breach team and leverages his expertise in geotechnical design, hydrology, hydraulics, and advanced modeling to provide practical solutions. Mark actively contributes to the Canadian Dam Association’s Tailings Dam Breach Analysis subcommittee and has shared his knowledge through technical papers and presentations at prominent industry conferences. He is committed to advancing best practices in tailings management and geotechnical engineering through innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
George Afriyie, P.Eng.
Newmont Corporation
George has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana and a master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Carleton University, Canada. He has about 13 years of experience working on tailings facilities and water dams across Ghana, Canada and Australia. His work has mainly focused on operational management of tailings facilities and water dams, site investigations, monitoring, design and construction of these structures. George currently works as a Senior Engineer with the Newmont Corporate Tailings and Dams Team responsible for supporting governance including development of Standards, Guidelines and Procedures. Away from work, George enjoys watching and playing football and enjoys the occasional bike ride.
Heather Lammers, Ph.D., P.E.
CSM & WSP
Heather is a geological and mining engineer with over 17 years of consulting experience in the mining industry. She currently serves as a Senior Technical Manager for Mine Closure and Geotechnical Engineering with WSP, and as a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Mining Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines. Her expertise includes developing and implementing risk-based design approaches for mine waste and water management throughout the life cycle of a facility. She works directly with internal and external project teams and communities to develop innovative solutions and implement best practices for environmental stewardship.
Dr. Priscilla Nelson
CSM
Dr. Priscilla Nelson came to the Colorado School of Mines in 2014 as Professor and Department Head of Mining Engineering. She formerly served as Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, Division Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and Provost and Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). She has an international reputation in geological, geotechnical, mining and tailings engineering. Dr. Nelson has >200 technical publications, and is a Distinguished Member of ASCE, former president of the Geo-Institute of ASCE, and a lifetime member, former President and Fellow of ARMA (American Rock Mechanics Association). Dr. Nelson was elected as a Mole and Tau Beta Pi Eminent Engineer, and she has received the Roe Award from AAES, and the Michel Award from ASCE. In 2016 she was identified as a Global Inspirational Woman in Mining, and in 2018 she received the Outstanding Educator award from UCA of SME. In 2020, she founded the Tailings Center in collaboration with Colorado State University and the University of Arizona. She presented the prestigious Muir Wood Lecture to the International Tunnelling Association in 2024. Her PhD in Geotechnical Engineering is from Cornell University.
Katie Kruger
Freeport-McMoRan
Katie Kruger is Manager of Tailings, Crushed Leach, and Water at Freeport-McMoRan, where she applies her civil and geotechnical engineering expertise. Her career spans both consulting and industry roles, with experience managing construction projects, supervising milling operations, tailings facilities, and water systems. In her current role, Katie supports the implementation of tailings governance and site support programs across both active and legacy operations. She plays a key role in aligning Freeport-McMoRan’s practices with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. Katie has held progressive roles within the company, including serving as the responsible engineer for closed sites in Colorado and leading the reporting of tailings-related key performance indicators. Her leadership extends to technical reviews, training development, tailings management system development, and fostering cross-functional collaboration to enhance tailings safety and environmental stewardship. Passionate about responsible mining, Katie is committed to advancing good practices in tailings management and promoting a culture of continuous improvement and transparency across the industry.
Eugeshin Naidoo
WSP
Eugeshin Naidoo is a water resources engineer with over fifteen years of consulting experience. He has experience in a wide range of water resources projects including hydrology studies, hydraulic modelling, surface water management design, water balance studies, and mine closure and reclamation planning. He has experience developing and operating probabilistic water balance models and 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional hydraulic models.
Eugeshin has contributed to the design of Tailings Storage Facilities from siting studies and conceptual design through detailed design, operational support, and closure planning. His areas of expertise include probabilistic water balance modeling, tailings hydrology and hydraulic analysis for water storage and conveyance design.
Mike Waldron, P.E.
Freeport-McMoran
Mike Waldron is the Manager of Tailings and Water for Colorado Operations at Freeport-McMoRan where he continues to apply a pragmatic approach and people focused leadership in management of Tailings Storage Facilities, water dams, and water systems at multiple mining operations. With a civil and geotechnical engineering background, Mike has nearly two decades of broad and extensive experience in planning, design, investigation, characterization, monitoring, construction, operations, maintenance, governance, and closure planning of Tailings Storage Facilities and appurtenant infrastructure. After several years of consulting in mining and water sectors, Mike joined Freeport-McMoRan in 2013 and has held roles in engineering, operations, and leadership with increasing responsibility at four mining operations across Colorado and Arizona. While combining his technical background, varied experience, and big-picture focus, Mike is enthusiastic about the future of mining as the landscape of the industry continues to evolve.
Sarah Doyle
WSP
Sarah is a senior geochemist at WSP in Lakewood, Colorado. She has more than 18 years of experience working on issues related to mine water quality, including geochemical materials characterization and water quality modeling for pit lakes, tailings facilities, waste rock facilities, and site-wide water quality models. She also has experience with hydrologic studies, including modeling of flow through waste rock and tailings, site-wide water balances, pit lake tracer studies, and hydrogeologic characterization studies. She recently received her PhD from Colorado School of Mines in Environmental Engineering Science.
