Donald S. Bubar, M.Sc., P.Geo, President and CEO
Mr. Bubar, P.Geo. is a geologist with over 30 years experience in mineral exploration in Canada. He is a graduate of McGill University, (B.Sc., 1977) and Queen's University (M.Sc., 1981). From 1984 to 1994, he worked for Aur Resources Inc. where as Exploration Manager he was involved with the discovery of the Louvicourt copper-zinc deposit, Val d'Or, Quebec in 1989. Since 1995, Mr. Bubar has been President and CEO of Avalon.
Mr. Bubar is also a Director of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and was instrumental in the creation of its Aboriginal Affairs Committee in December, 2004. He continues to Co-Chair the committee which advocates for greater co-operation between exploration companies and aboriginal communities.
R.J. (Jim) Andersen, CA, CPA (Illinois), CFP, Vice-President, Finance and CFO
Mr. Andersen is the managing director of the accounting firm Andersen & Company Professional Corporation, a boutique accounting firm located in downtown Toronto. He has over fifteen years of experience in public practice, and has had a wide variety of experience in providing auditing, accounting and management consulting services to mining companies and large manufacturing firms in several different industries. He joined Avalon in 2000 and was in charge of the Company's external audit for five years prior to that.
Mr. Andersen earned his B.Com (with high distinction) from the University of Toronto in 1991, and began his career with the mining services team at Coopers & Lybrand. More recently he has acted as a part-time professor in the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business at York University and is a trustee of the Gardiner Museum.
William Mercer Ph.D., P.Geo, Vice-President, Exploration
Dr. Mercer has been VP Exploration with Avalon since 2007. A consulting geologist, Dr Mercer earned his BSc. in geology from Edinburgh University (1968) and a PhD from McMaster University (1975). Since graduating, he enjoyed a 32-year career with the Noranda/Falconbridge group holding a series of managerial positions, working on international projects in over 30 countries, ultimately serving as Director- Geology and Geochemistry.
His responsibilities have ranged from management of large exploration groups based in Canada and overseas, to technical advice on advanced acquisitions as part of the Business Development group, negotiation of joint venture agreements, review of resource reports, implementation of quality control programs and implementation and auditing of environment, health and safety programs.
Dr. Mercer is currently President of the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES), the umbrella organization for all earth science associations in Canada (2008 - 2010). He served as President of the Prospectors and Developers Association (2002-2004), serving as an executive of the association for 8 years. He currently chairs or is a member of several PDAC committees, including the Governance Committee, Health and Safety Committee and Corporate Social Responsibility.
In January 2009, Dr. Mercer was the recipient of the David Barr Award from the Association for Mineral Exploration in British Columbia for excellence in leadership and innovation in mineral exploration health and safety. He also was honoured with the PDAC Distinguished Service Award in 2006.
David D. Swisher, B.Sc, Vice President, Operations
Mr. Swisher is a mining engineer with over 20 years of precious and industrial mineral operations both underground and on surface, including the study of underground and surface mining techniques in Sweden. He has held positions of increasing responsibility in all facets of mining at the mine manager and executive levels. His experience includes the evaluation and implementation of mining methods, environmental, health and safety processes, maintenance best practices, operations optimization as a Six Sigma Black Belt, feasibility assessment and advanced behavioral instruction. Mr. Swisher has also successfully led numerous Labor Union and Aboriginal negotiations to mutually agreeable results.
From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Swisher worked for Tamerlane Ventures Inc. where as Vice President and Senior Project Manager he planned, designed and drafted an independently verified NI 43-101 technical report and feasibility study, negotiated and executed comprehensive agreements with local aboriginal groups, directed and successfully completed diamond drilling programs, completed a full environmental assessment resulting in the receipt of all permits for project construction and developed a bankable finance package for the project.
Finley Bakker, BSc, P.Geo, Senior Resource Geologist
Mr. Bakker has over 30 years experience in mining and exploration geology. He graduated with a B.Sc. Honours, Geology from McMaster University in 1979. He has held positions of increasing responsibility for a diverse range of companies including, Petro-Canada, Noranda, Westmin Resources, Boliden, Breakwater Resources, Adanac Molybdenum Corporation, North American Tungsten and Hawthorne Gold Corp. He has experience in a wide variety of commodities and mining methods. He has held the position of Chief Geologist at four mines and was involved in expanding their resources and reserves. He has undertaken resource estimations for most of his career.
Pierre Neatby, BA Econ (Hons), Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Mr. Neatby spent 19 years with the Noranda/Falcondbridge group in various sales and marketing roles, including Managing Director of Noranda's London, UK based sales company. Mr. Neatby brings leadership and international marketing, sales and trading experience in LME traded metals, industrial chemicals and industrial minerals to Avalon. Mr. Neatby earned a BA in Economics from Queen's University and trained as a Black Belt in Six Sigma with Noranda.
Cindy Hu, CA, CPA (Illinois), CGA Controller
Ms. Hu is a senior manager with the accounting firm Andersen & Company Professional Corporation. She is a Chartered Accountant with 11 years experience in public accounting practice and financial reporting, primarily for junior public companies and private wealth management portfolios. She joined Avalon in 2007.
MS. Hu earned her B.Com from Laurentian University in 1996.
Charlotte May, Corporate Secretary

Charlotte May, Corporate Secretary. Over 20 years experience in the junior resource industry in the areas of corporate secretarial, marketing and public company administration.
Ron Malashewski, BSc, P.Eng (Alberta), Manager, Investor Relations

Ron Malashewski's professional career spans over 30 years and includes engineering project management, strategic planning, technical and corporate management, investment management and investor relations, with emphasis in the mining and minerals sector, most notably rare earth elements and minor metals.
During his professional career, he has developed many industry contacts with various levels of investment decision-makers, including Portfolio Managers, Analysts, Financiers, and Technical and Scientific Experts.
Sonia Tercas, BA, Investor Relations Associate
Ms. Tercas has over 5 years experience in business development, client relationship management, marketing and recruitment. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, a Public Relations Certificate from University of Toronto, and is currently working towards the Canadian Securities Course.
Jaswinder Roaprai, Administrative Assistant
Ms. Roaprai has over 5 years combined experience as a Marketing Assistant for RBC Dominion Securities and CIBC Wood Gundy. She graduated in 2008 with a Advanced Business Diploma from Sheridan College where she majored in Human Resources Management.
Virginia Morgan, B.Com, Manager, Investor Relations (Maternity leave returning Sept 2011)
Mrs. Morgan has over 10 years combined experience in investor relations, corporate development, corporate securities, regulatory monitoring and compliance, financial analysis and forecasting, and project management. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University and a Public Relations Certificate from the University of Toronto.
Strategic Advisors
- F. Dale Corman, P. Eng.
- Gerald Proselandis, Communications
- Joe Monteith, Business Development