Carrabba Elected New AISI Chairman
05/22/2012 - The Board of Directors of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has elected Joseph A. Carrabba, Chairman, President and CEO of Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc., to serve as chairman of the Institute until May 2013.
The Board of Directors of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has elected Joseph A. Carrabba, Chairman, President and CEO of Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc., to serve as chairman of the Institute until May 2013.
The appointment was made by the AISI board during the Institute’s 120th General Meeting being held this week in Cambridge, Md.
In his role as chairman, Carrabba will lead AISI’s advocacy efforts as the steel industry seeks to strengthen pro-manufacturing public policies that will enhance the competitiveness of the North American steel industry. He previously served as chairman of the Institute’s Policy and Planning Committee, as well as its Finance Committee.
“We welcome Joe’s leadership during a pivotal period for the North American steel industry,” AISI President and CEO Thomas J. Gibson said. “Joe brings extensive advocacy skills and a breadth of industry insight and understanding of the global marketplace that will strengthen our issue advocacy to the benefit of AISI and our members.”
“I’m pleased to serve as chairman of AISI at a time when we need to take hold of the challenges before us and turn them into opportunities,” Carrabba said. “I believe the steel industry can continue to help lead the economy out of recession. We see this in how the industry is serving demand in the growing energy sector, including expansion of the domestic shale plays; by the strong reception for new advanced high-strength steel in the automotive industry; and in the industry’s significant jobs multiplier impact, with every one job supporting seven jobs in other sectors. I look forward to working with AISI and our member companies in advocating for policies that strongly support the competitiveness of America’s dynamic steel industry.”
Carrabba joined Cliffs in April 2005 as President and Chief Operating Officer. He assumed the role of President and CEO of the company in September 2006, and was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors in May 2007.
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, Carrabba earned his bachelor’s degree in geology from Capital University and his MBA from Frostburg State University in Maryland. In addition to his role as Chairman of AISI, he is a Director of the National Mining Association, Newmont Mining Corp., Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Center, Capital University Board of Trustees, and KeyCorp.
Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc. is an international mining and natural resources company. A member of the S&P 500 Index, the company is a major global iron ore producer and a significant producer of high- and low-volatile metallurgical coal. Cliffs operates iron ore and coal mines in North America and two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia. The company also has a 45% economic interest in a coking and thermal coal mine in Queensland, Australia. In addition, Cliffs has a major chromite project, in the feasibility stage of development, located in Ontario, Canada.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. The Institute is comprised of 25 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 124 associate members that are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.
