Executive Leadership

Joseph A. Carrabba joined Cliffs in April 2005 as president and chief operating officer. He assumed the role of president and chief executive officer of the Company in September 2006, and was elected chairman of the Board of Directors in May 2007.

Mr. Carrabba joined Cliffs from Rio Tinto, a global mining company, where he served for 22 years in a variety of leadership capacities at locations worldwide including the United States, Asia, Australia, Canada, and Europe. Before relocating to Rio Tinto's Diavik Diamond Mines, Inc., in Canada's Northwest Territory, where he served most recently as president and chief operating officer, he spearheaded the development and successful implementation of Rio Tinto's Six Sigma initiative at its bauxite mining operation in Australia.

A native of Ohio, Mr. Carrabba earned his bachelor's degree in geology from Capital University and his MBA from Frostburg State University in Maryland. He sits on the Board of Directors of the American Iron & Steel Institute, the National Mining Association, Newmont Mining Corporation, Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland's University Hospitals and KeyCorp.

Donald J. Gallagher was named to his current position in January 2011. He had previously served as president, North American Business Unit since 2006, executive vice president of the Company since 2005, and senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer since 2003.

Mr. Gallagher joined Cliffs in 1981 as an ore sales representative in the commercial department. He has held various management positions within the Company, and was named vice president-sales in August 1998. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Gallagher earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

Mr. Gallagher has served as chairman of the Cleveland Section of The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (A.I.M.E.) and is currently a member of Financial Executives International, the Iron and Steel Society of the A.I.M.E., and the American Iron and Steel Institute. He is also active in the local community, including serving on the board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland.

Duncan Price was named to his current position in January 2011 and now has sole operating responsibility for all minerals and other products that Cliffs produces. He had previously served as senior vice president & managing director of Asia Pacific Iron Ore since 2009.

Mr. Price joined Cliffs in 2007 as chief executive officer of Portman Limited, the then third largest iron ore mining company in Australia.

He has an extensive minerals management and operating background spanning more than 20 years, including serving as project director for the Sinosteel/Midwest joint venture and managing director of Rio Tinto's HIsmelt reduction technology project. He received his B (Hons) degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and his B Commerce from the University of South Africa.

Laurie Brlas is Cliffs' executive vice president, Finance and Administration & chief financial officer. She joined the Company in December 2006 as senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. In her current role, her responsibilities include finance, financial reporting, accounting, financial planning, investor relations, human resources and treasury functions.

Ms. Brlas joined Cliffs with an extensive accounting and financial career spanning more than 20 years, most recently as senior vice president, chief financial officer of sterilization systems manufacturer STERIS Corporation from 2000 to 2006. Prior to that, she was with OfficeMax from 1995 to 2000, most recently as senior vice president and controller.

Ms. Brlas earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from Youngstown State University. She currently serves on Perrigo Company's Board of Directors as a director and as chair of the Audit Committee.

P. Kelly Tompkins is executive vice president – Legal, Government Affairs and Sustainability, and chief legal officer. He has responsibility for all traditional corporate general counsel matters, Cliffs' ongoing relationships with all U.S. and international government and regulatory bodies, and the execution and reporting of the Company's increasingly critical sustainable development practices, including all environmental matters.

Mr. Tompkins joined Cliffs in May 2010, having previously been executive vice president and chief financial officer for RPM International Inc. Before joining RPM in 1996, he held various legal and executive positions with Reliance Electric Company and Exxon Corporation.

Mr. Tompkins received his B.A. degree from Mercyhurst College and his J.D. degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1981. He is active on a number of boards, including University Hospitals Case Medical Center and the Greater Cleveland Partnership's Government Affairs Council. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Canada-United States Law Institute of Case Western Reserve University and the Advisory Council for the Baldwin-Wallace College of Business, and served as the 95th president of the Cleveland Bar Association in 2005-2006.

Mr. Smith has global responsibility for business development at Cliffs, including the identification and evaluation of potential strategic transactions, due diligence and valuation, integration, and resource evaluation/quantification. He also has oversight for the exploration and development activities of the company's Global Exploration Group. He was named to his present position in January 2011, having served as vice president, Latin American operations and technical, and general manager – business development for Cliffs. Prior to Cliffs, Mr. Smith held mine management positions with Asarco and South Peru Copper Corporation. He holds a BSc in mining engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.