About Us

Joseph W. Craft III has been President, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and a Director since August 1999, Chairman of the Board of Directors since January 1, 2019, and indirectly owns our general partner. Previously Mr. Craft served as President of MAPCO Coal Inc. since 1986. During that period, he also was Senior Vice President of MAPCO Inc. and had previously been that company’s General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer. He is a Director of the National Mining Association, and a Director and former Chairman of America’s Power. Mr. Craft is a Director and former Chairman of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He has been a Director of BOK Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: BOKF) since 2007 and chairman of its compensation committee since 2014. Mr. Craft holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Kentucky. Mr. Craft also is a graduate of the Senior Executive Program of the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Cary P. Marshall became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in April 2023. Prior to his current position, Mr. Marshall previously served as Alliance’s Vice President, Corporate Finance and Treasurer since May 2003. Mr. Marshall joined Alliance’s predecessor entity, MAPCO Inc., in 1989 and has since held multiple positions across corporate finance and marketing. Mr. Marshall is an alumnus of Southern Methodist University, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree.

Megan J. Cordle became Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer in March 2022. Since joining the Partnership in October 1999, Ms. Cordle has held several positions of increasing responsibility, serving as Vice President Assistant Controller prior to her current position. She held the position of Audit Manager with Deloitte & Touche LLP prior to joining the Partnership. She is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a major in Accounting from the University of Tulsa.

Steven Schnitzer has been Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since February 2024. Mr. Schnitzer previously served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the general partner of both Arc Logistics Partners, LP, formerly a publicly-traded limited partnership engaged in the midstream business, from February 2014 through the completion of its sale in December 2017, and Lightfoot Capital Partners, LP, the private equity sponsor of Arc Logistics Partners, from February 2014 through the completion of the sale of all its portfolio company investments in December 2018. From January 2019 through August 2023, Schnitzer served as Private Energy – General Counsel and Managing Director (or initially Director) of Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C., which (together with its affiliates) is an energy and power infrastructure and energy transition asset management and advisory firm, and from September 2020 to August 2023 also served in a similar capacity on behalf of Tortoise Capital’s affiliate, Ecofin Investments, LLC. While at Tortoise Capital, Mr. Schnitzer also served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Tortoise Acquisition Corp., Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II and TortoiseEcofin Acquisition Corp. III, which were special purpose acquisition corporations sponsored by affiliates of Tortoise Capital that evaluated or completed business combinations in the energy transition space. From June to August 2022, Mr. Schnitzer also served as the Interim General Counsel (or at times Special Counsel) of Volta Inc., a developer and operator of EV charging station infrastructure that completed its business combination with Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II in August 2021. Most recently, Mr. Schnitzer served as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Onyx Renewable Partners L.P., a commercial and industrial solar generation and battery storage developer, from September to December 2023. Schnitzer began his career at Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP in New York City, where he was an Associate in the Corporate Finance Department from 1988 to 1994. He was an Associate from 1994 and a Partner from 1997 to 2000 in the Corporate Group of Washington, DC-based Crowell & Moring LLP. From 2001 to January 2014, Mr. Schnitzer was the Chair of the Corporate Group of the Washington, DC office of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.

Kirk D. Tholen became Senior Vice President in December 2019 and also serves as President of the Partnership’s oil & gas minerals business. Prior to his current position, Mr. Tholen most recently served as a Managing Director within the Oil & Gas Group and Head of the Acquisitions and Divestitures (“A&D”) Practice for Houlihan Lokey in Houston. From 2012 to 2015, he was Head of A&D for Credit Agricole CIB and was responsible for creating and leading their A&D platform to service domestic and cross-border client transactions as well as assisting in reserve-base lending, equity offerings and high-yield debt offerings. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Tholen provided business development, marketing, transaction management, negotiating and closing services to clients at Albrecht & Associates, Inc., a sell-side E&P boutique advisory firm. His previous industry experience also includes serving as a Region Engineer for BJ Services from 1996 to 2006, where he provided drilling and fracturing technical services to clients operating in the lower 48 and Gulf of Mexico predominately as a dedicated in-house engineer focused on drilling and completions for BP, Conoco and Devon. Mr. Tholen began his career in 1992 joining UNOCAL’s Louisiana inland waters and shallow shelf operation and reservoir engineering team. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston.

Timothy J. Whelan has been Senior Vice President – Sales and Marketing of Alliance Coal, LLC since May 2013. Since joining the Partnership in September 2003, Mr. Whelan has held several positions with increasing responsibility, serving as Vice President – Sales prior to his current position. Mr. Whelan previously served in various business development positions for MAPCO Inc. and as Director, Power & Gas Origination for Williams Energy Marketing and Trading. Mr. Whelan has over 30 years of energy industry experience and is a former board member of the American Coal Council and The Coal Institute. Mr. Whelan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Arkansas.

Thomas M. Wynne has been Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since March 2009. Mr. Wynne joined the company in 1981 as a mining engineer and held a variety of positions with the company prior to his appointment in July 1998 as Vice President—Operations. Mr. Wynne has served the coal industry on the National Executive Committee for National Mine Rescue and previously as a member of the Coal Safety Committee for the National Mining Association. In addition, Mr. Wynne is a past Chairman of the Kentucky Coal Association. Mr. Wynne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Business Administration degree from West Virginia University.

Mark A. Watson has been Senior Vice President – Operations and Technology since July 2024. Mr. Watson joined the company in 1994 as an intern and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering form the University of Kentucky.

Joseph W. Craft III has been President, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and a Director since August 1999, Chairman of the Board of Directors since January 1, 2019, and indirectly owns our general partner. Previously Mr. Craft served as President of MAPCO Coal Inc. since 1986. During that period, he also was Senior Vice President of MAPCO Inc. and had previously been that company’s General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer. He is a Director of the National Mining Association, and a Director and former Chairman of America’s Power. Mr. Craft is a Director and former Chairman of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He has been a Director of BOK Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: BOKF) since 2007 and chairman of its compensation committee since 2014. Mr. Craft holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Kentucky. Mr. Craft also is a graduate of the Senior Executive Program of the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Paul H. Vining has served as Lead Director since July 2024.  Mr. Vining has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Westmoreland Mining, LLC, a privately held coal producer, since October 2019, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Frazier Quarry Inc. since July 2023. From May through July 2022, Mr. Vining served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Allegiance Coal Limited  and from 2016 to 2019 served as a member of the Board of Directors of the general partner of then NYSE-listed Foresight Energy LP. Mr. Vining began his career in 1979 as a mineral engineer and has held a variety of senior executive positions over the years with several companies, including as Chief Executive Officer of Minerals Refining Company throughout 2022, Executive Vice President Global Investment and Development for Xcoal Energy and Resources LLC from 2019 to 2021, and Chief Executive Officer of The Cline Group, LLC from 2015 to 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Vining held senior executive positions in several major companies including as Chief Operating Officer and then President of Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer of Patriot Coal Company, Chief Executive Officer of Magnum Coal Company, Chief Commercial Officer of Arch Coal Inc. and Chief Commercial Officer of Peabody Energy, Corporation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Vining held various commercial and marketing positions at Massey Energy Company, Occidental Petroleum Corp., and ENI S.p.A. Mr. Vining holds a Bachelor and a Master of Science degree in Mining and Minerals Engineering from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary.

Nick Carter became a Director in April 2015. Mr. Carter is a member of the Audit, Compensation and Conflicts Committees. Mr. Carter retired as President and Chief Operating Officer of Natural Resource Partners L.P. (NYSE: NRP) on September 1, 2014, having served in such capacities since 2002 and in other roles for NRP or its affiliates since 1990. Prior to 1990, Mr. Carter held various positions with MAPCO Coal Inc. and was engaged in the private practice of law. Mr. Carter previously served on the board of directors, the audit committee and as chairman of the compensation committee of Community Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTBI). Mr. Carter also previously served as chairman of the National Council of Coal Lessors for 12 years, as chairman of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and as a board member of the West Virginia Coal Association, the Indiana Coal Council, the National Mining Association, and ACCCE. Mr. Carter has served as a board member of the Kentucky Coal Association for over 20 years and currently is its Treasurer. Mr. Carter holds Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawaii.

Robert J. Druten became a Director effective January 1, 2019. Mr. Druten is Chairman of the Conflicts Committee and is a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees. From January 2007 through 2018, Mr. Druten was a member of the board of directors of Alliance GP, LLC, the former general partner of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (“AHGP”). From September 1994 until his retirement in August 2006, Mr. Druten served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hallmark Cards, Inc. Mr. Druten holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Kansas as well as a Master of Business Administration from Rockhurst University. Mr. Druten previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kansas City Southern Industries, Inc. (NYSE: KSU), a transportation and financial services company, and was Chairman of its executive committee and a member of its compensation committee and nominating and governance committees, and now serves as a trustee of the voting trust holding KSU pending the Surface Transportation Board’s review and approval of KSU’s recent combination with Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Mr. Druten is also a Trustee and former Chairman of the Board of Entertainment Properties Trust (NYSE: EPR), a real estate investment trust focused on the acquisition of movie theatre complexes and other entertainment-related properties, and is a member of its audit, compensation, finance and governance committees. Mr. Druten previously served as a director of American Italian Pasta, from 2007 until it was acquired by Ralcorp Holdings in July 2010, where he was the Chair of its audit committee and also served on its compensation committee.

John H. Robinson became a Director in December 1999. Mr. Robinson is Chairman of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit and Conflicts Committees. Mr. Robinson is the Chairman of Hamilton Ventures, LLC. From 2003 to 2004, he was Chairman of EPC Global, Ltd., an engineering staffing company. From 2000 to 2002, he was the Executive Director of Amey plc, a British business process outsourcing company. Mr. Robinson served as Vice Chairman of Black & Veatch, Inc. from 1998 to 2000. He began his career at Black & Veatch in 1973 and was a General Partner and Managing Partner prior to becoming Vice Chairman when the firm was incorporated. Mr. Robinson is a Director of Coeur Mining Corporation and a member of its executive and audit committees and chairman of its compensation committee. He holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Engineering from the University of Kansas and is a graduate of the Owner- President-Management Program at the Harvard Business School.  Mr. Robinson will retire as Director at the end of 2024.

Wilson M. Torrence became a Director in January 2007. Mr. Torrence is Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. From April 2015 through June 2018, Mr. Torrence was also a member of the board of directors of Alliance GP, LLC, the former general partner of AHGP, and chairman of its audit committee. Mr. Torrence retired from Fluor Corporation in 2006 as a Senior Vice President of Project Development and Investments and after retirement has performed investment and business consulting services for various clients. Mr. Torrence was employed at Fluor from 1989 to 2006 where, among other roles, he was responsible for the global Project Investment and Structured Finance Group and served as Chairman of Fluor’s Investment Committee. In that position, Mr. Torrence had executive responsibility for Fluor’s global activities in developing and arranging third-party financing for some of Fluor’s clients’ construction projects. Prior to joining Fluor in 1989, Mr. Torrence was President and CEO of Combustion Engineering Corporation’s Waste to Energy Division and, during that time, also served as Chairman of the Institute of Resource Recovery, a Washington-based industry advocacy organization. Mr. Torrence began his career at Mobil Oil Corporation, where he held several executive positions, including Assistant Treasurer of Mobil’s International Marketing and Refining Division and Chief Financial and Planning Officer of Mobil Land Development Company. Mr. Torrence holds a Bachelor and a Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Tech University.

Ronna R. McDaniel became a Director in December 2024. Ms. McDaniel is a member of  the Compensation, Audit and Conflicts Committees. Ms. McDaniel served as Chair of the Republican National Committee from 2017 until the first quarter of 2024, where she also chaired its executive committee, and served on the Board of Directors of the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics from 2016 to 2021. She served as Chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2015 to 2017 and as chair of the Michigan Delegation at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Ms. McDaniel served as State Committeewoman in Michigan from 2012 to 2014. She received her B.A. in English from Brigham Young University