Michelle Lammers

Corporate Manager, Development Projects & Services, ASARCO LLC

Medal of Merit Under Age 40

Michelle Lammers, following her father’s footstep, attended the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and received her Metallurgical Engineering degree in 2001. She was a member of the Mining & Mucking Team and was on the only all-women’s team ever fielded by SDSM&T.  In her last year of participation in the annual Intercollegiate Mining & Mucking Competition, won first place in jackleg drilling.

Upon graduation, Lammers was immediately hired by ASARCO as a Control Room Supervisor in the North and South Mills at the Mission Complex.   Within 2 years, she was transferred to the Ray Complex as Supervisor over the Concentrator and the L-SX-EW (Leaching- Solvent Extraction- Electrowinning) processing plant.  She was named the Acting General Maintenance Supervisor in 2004 and was awarded the official title in 2005, a position rarely given to Metallurgical Engineers.  In 2007, in addition to serving ASARCO’s Ray Complex as the General Maintenance Supervisor, Lammers was given additional responsibilities as Acting General Operations Supervisor.  Under her leadership, the plant met all its safety, production and cost goals.

Lammers continued her upward career path and was named the General Operations Supervisor at the Ray Concentrator in 2008.  At the age of 31, she became the Manager of South Mill in 2010. During her tenure there, Lammers was also tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the South Mill Expansion Project.  Again, she exceeded expectations with South Mill increasing production by 33% and recapturing its capital investment within a short time.  After spending three years at Mission, she was assigned to the Tucson Headquarters to her current position as Corporate Manager of Development Projects & Services overseeing multi-million dollar expansion from concept through construction.   The Hayden Converter Retrofit Project and the Silver Bell Mammoth Heap Leach Facility are among her current responsibilities.

Born in Fresno, CA, Lammers was a scholarship varsity basketball player at SDSM&T and played on the squad reaching the NAIA Final Four!  The 1997-98 Lady Hardrockers basketball team with the 28-4 season, setting records with most points in a game (104) and with the highest season scoring average (81.0), unbroken to this date,  was inducted into the SDSM&T’s Hall of Fame in 2015.