SENIOR MANAGEMENT
Piedmont Lithium’s senior leaders bring a broad depth of experience to our global portfolio of lithium assets with backgrounds involving some of the world’s leaders in mining and lithium production. Their experience includes a multi-decade track record of creating wealth for shareholders in mining ventures, building top-tier management teams in the U.S., and the proven ability to fund exploration and development-stage opportunities.
Ms. Kara deBorde
Vice President of Risk Management
Ms. Kara deBorde is the Vice President of Risk Management at Piedmont Lithium and is responsible for identifying, formulating, coordinating, and implementing all risk-related activities and procedures. With a background spanning more than 20 years, Ms. deBorde has cultivated robust experience in strategic risk management vision, loss protection, savings, and analytics. Most recently, Ms. deBorde served as Senior Director of Risk Management at TC Transcontinental, where she received national recognition for aligning safety and environmental priorities with the risk management structure with focused objectives. Her career also includes positions with Coveris, S.A.; Michelin North America; S.B. Phillips Company; and Liberty Mutual Insurance. Ms. deBorde earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of South Carolina.
Ms. Malissa Gordon
Vice President of Government Affairs
As Piedmont Lithium’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Ms. Malissa Gordon oversees the company’s relationships with government officials at the federal, state, and local levels. Ms. Gordon engages with key stakeholders to discuss the importance of developing lithium hydroxide production in the United States to support national energy security, decarbonization, and the electrification of transportation. She regularly participates in efforts to help America develop a robust, reliable supply chain for abundant, affordable energy, and she plays a pivotal role in advancing government funding options for Piedmont’s global portfolio of projects. Ms. Gordon joined Piedmont Lithium in 2020 after spending more than 12 years with the Gaston County (North Carolina) Economic Development Commission, where she oversaw business retention and expansion services for more than 200 manufacturers. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Communications from Western Carolina University.
Mr. James Griffiths
Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Treasury
As Piedmont’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Treasury, Mr. James Griffiths is responsible for advancing Piedmont’s strategic priorities and capital plans, providing leadership guidance on merger and acquisition (M&A), joint venture, and strategic investment activities, along with associated capital structure and financing plans. With a background in investment banking and management consulting spanning 17 years, Mr. Griffiths has advised on a range of M&As, divestitures, and debt and equity capital raisings for public and private companies. Most recently, he served as a Director in the Global Industrials Group at Bank of America, working with some of the unit’s largest clients to help raise debt and equity financing and advising on M&A. Prior to that, Mr. Griffiths was a Vice President in the fixed-income futures, options, and cleared derivatives business, helping clients navigate the transition from over–the–counter to central cleared derivatives. He began his career at Accenture in its financial services management consulting business. As a UK native, Mr. Griffiths earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Lancaster University.
Ms. Monique Parker
Senior Vice President of Safety, Environment, and Health
Ms. Monique Parker, CSP joined the company in October 2021 and serves as Piedmont Lithium’s Senior Vice President of Safety, Environment, and Health (SEH). Ms. Parker is responsible for overseeing and developing Piedmont’s SEH program, and she leads the permitting process for our proposed Tennessee Lithium and Carolina Lithium projects. As a certified safety professional, Ms. Parker has approximately 20 years of SEH experience in a wide range of industries, including chemical manufacturing, food processing, building materials, and textiles. She has spent time in all the world’s regions, supporting and auditing facilities according to safety and environmental regulatory requirements. Ms. Parker also has collaborated with many agencies domestically and internationally to advance permitting. Most recently, she served as Senior Global Business and New Product Development Director at Albemarle Corporation, where she spent five years in various leadership roles within the lithium business. Her background also includes key SEH positions at Owens Corning, Hexcel Corporation, and Unilever. Ms. Parker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University.