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 Newmount Mining Company, Cleveland's University Hospitals, and KeyCorp.

Duke D. Vetor was promoted to his current position in November 2007. Mr. Vetor joined Cliffs in 2005 as vice president of operations, and was elected vice president, operations - North American Iron Ore the following year. In his current capacity, he has responsibilities for PinnOak's corporate offices in Canonsburg, Pa., the Pinnacle Complex in West Virginia, and Oak Grove mine in Alabama.

Vetor has nearly 30 years' experience in operating roles at mines, both at Cliffs and Rio Tinto, where he was most recently vice president of operations at Diavik Diamond Mines in Canada. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in business management from the University of Redlands and his MBA from the University of Phoenix.