Women in the Mining Industry in Arizona & Sonora | What Lies Beneath, Part 1

In this episode, the first of a three-part series on women in mining titled "What Lies Beneath," Jennifer Burge of WorldWise Coaching & Training, Andrea Boltz of Freeport-McMoRan, and María López de la Rosa of SilverCrest Metals talk with Dr. Adrian McIntyre about the MegaWomen of the MegaRegion project and its mission to empower women in the mining industry in Arizona and Sonora.

Our conversation touched on many important topics, including:

• Challenges and opportunities for women in the mining industry
• Sustainability in mining / Responsible Production
• Community relations and economic development in towns near the mine sites
• Impact of Covid-19 and support given by mining companies to local communities
• Importance of gender parity and the positive impact it has on mining companies

Featured Guests

Jennifer Burge is CEO of WorldWise Coaching & Training based in Phoenix, Arizona and Hermosillo, Sonora. With experience on four continents and over fifty countries, WorldWise Coaching prepares its clients to thrive in international environments across the globe. The company provides private executive coaching and customized team training in the field of intercultural business communication and multicultural team building. Their expertise includes strategic consulting services to assist in conflict resolution across worldviews, international expansions, and T-MEC/USMCA Mexican Labor Reform Laws. WorldWise has been working with clients and partners in the Mexican mining industry since 2019. The relationship was formalized in 2020 when WorldWise Coaching became the first strategic ally of the Mining Cluster of Sonora in the United States. In 2021, WorldWise and the Sonora Mining Cluster co-organized Las Mineras: MegaWomen of the MegaRegion, in partnership with the US Consulate General of Nogales and the US Department of State, Bureau of Economic Affairs. This partnership has been the catalyst for ongoing cross-border women’s empowerment collaboration activities in mining across Arizona and Sonora.

A dual national of the US and Australia, Jennifer uses her broad business experience and technology background to assist others to thrive in global business environments. Her experience includes Fortune 100 companies, such as Honeywell and Fortune Global 500 companies—Accenture Consulting and EDS. She achieved her PMP certification in Amsterdam in 2007. Her certification to teach English as a Second Language (specialization in Business English) was earned with distinction in Madrid in 2017. Following that, she was a Fellow at the Institute for Intercultural Communication in Portland, Oregon in 2018 and Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2019. In August 2019, Mayor Kate Gallego appointed Jennifer to the Pacific Rim Advisory Council for the City of Phoenix where she is now the Vice Chairwoman. The Diplomatic Corps of Arizona appointed Jennifer to its Board of Advisors and she accepted the invitation to join the US Global Leadership Coalition’s Advisory Committee for the state of Arizona in 2020. Jennifer is also an expert contributor to Mexico Business News for the mining industry.

Andrea María Boltz is a corporate sustainability professional with over twenty years’ experience in the mining industry. She currently works across global sustainability programs and risk management at Freeport-McMoRan Inc, a leading international mining company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Andrea was raised in a mining family and began her mining career in investor relations and corporate development for small to mid-cap...