John H. Robinson will retire from the board of Alliance Resource Partners at the end of the year. “John has been an invaluable asset of Alliance since 1999,” said Joe Craft, chairman, president and CEO of Alliance. “John’s service on the board has been instrumental to Alliance’s success since its inception and we are grateful for his thoughtful guidance over the years and wish him the best in retirement.”
Paul Vining has been elected to the Alliance board and will serve as its lead director. He will assist the board and Alliance’s management team on planning and other initiatives. “Paul’s extensive background and leadership in the natural resources mining industry brings a unique level of knowledge and experience of global energy markets to the board,” Craft said. Vining most recently served as board chair for Westmoreland Mining, LLC. He has held numerous board and executive positions with leading coal companies over the years, including Foresight Energy, Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., Patriot Coal Co., Arch Coal Inc. and Peabody Energy.
Alliance also promoted Mark Watson to senior vice president, operations and technology. “Mark’s strong leadership and expertise at our Matrix Design Group has seen Matrix expand its products and services beyond the domestic underground mining industry into the international mining and industrial markets positioning Matrix to accelerate innovation and growth at Alliance,” Craft said. “In Mark’s expanded role he will continue to lead Matrix as well as advance other technology growth opportunities in different markets for Alliance.”