Mark Board is a mining and geotechnical engineer with about 45 years of international experience in the mining industry.  Until retirement in 2020, he was Vice President – Technical Services for Hecla Mining, Ltd., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  For approximately 25 years prior to Hecla, Mark acted as a consulting mining and geotechnical engineer for Itasca Consulting Group, where he provided mine evaluation, mine design, and stability assessments for underground and open pit mines worldwide.  His particular specialty is the design of deep underground mines and caving operations.  He holds a PhD in Geological Engineering from the University of Minnesota and is an elected Member of the US National Academy of Engineering.