JESSICA E. KOGEL (1959-2023)

BY BARBARA A. FILAS

JESSICA ELZEA KOGEL was an accomplished geologist, researcher, artist, and leader. She served as the 56th president, and second female president, of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration. Jessica was also a delegate to the United Nations, contributing to sustainable development efforts, and chaired the World Federation of Engineering Organizations Task Force on Sustainable Mining. Her true niche — and the capstone of her esteemed career — came when she was named associate director for mining of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). There, she was instrumental in the innovative refocusing of research to improve the health and safety of mine workers. Jessica passed away on Jan. 25, 2023, at age 63.

Born to Ruth A. Miller and Rowland P. Elzea in New York on Feb. 9, 1959, she spent her early years on White Clay Creek in Pennsylvania. Both her parents were artists; her brother, Lucas, pursued a career in the arts, and her sister, Cathy, has been a lifelong admirer. While Jessica loved the arts, she loved science even more — particularly playing in the inactive kaolin pit behind the barn on the family farm, where she became fascinated by minerals and clays.

By the sixth grade, she announced that she would someday earn a doctorate — she just hadn’t yet decided it would be in geology. In her oral history, she said, “I love the fact that geology is an inexact science that really invites creativity.” Her career choice allowed her to blend the creativity of her upbringing with the science inquiry she loved.

Jessica began her undergraduate studies in geology at Smith College but later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she double majored and earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in both earth sciences and paleontology. She went on to earn a Master of Science degree in geology and geochemistry at Indiana University and, true to her adolescent goal, completed a Doctor of Philosophy in geology and geochemistry, researching bentonite deposits under the direction of Haydn H. Murray (NAE 2003).

She began her career as a crystalline silica consultant with the McCrone Group in the Chicago area. Her mining journey truly began when she joined the Thiele Kaolin Company as a principal research scientist and group leader. She was the first woman to achieve such a senior position at Thiele. After more than a decade there, she moved to Imerys, where she held progressively responsible roles, eventually becoming senior manager of group mining and geology. At Imerys, Jessica reached new professional territory — stretching herself, gaining exposure to a wide range of challenges, and collecting rewarding experiences. But after nearly 12 years with the company, she began to think about her capstone — the final phase of her career that would become the landing pad for her retirement. She asked herself: Where could she contribute the most? It had to be a truly meaningful fit.

Jessica’s career and research centered on the development, production, and commercialization of novel engineered mineral products, with an emphasis on sustainability. She had a deep interest in applied clay mineralogy, clay mineral characterization, mineral processing, and applying sustainable development principles to mineral extraction. Her later focus shifted to occupational health and safety, where she studied the health effects of mineral dusts, particularly quartz and elongate mineral particles, as well as other naturally occurring hazards that miners are likely to encounter on the job.

Throughout her career, Jessica managed multidisciplinary research programs that spanned analytical chemistry, geostatistics, colloidal chemistry, geoscience, microbiology, behavioral science, environmental science, and mining engineering. This expertise — along with her 25-year career in the mining industry — gave her a unique perspective on research, development, and mine operations management. She led the development of novel processes and engineered mineral products for a variety of markets, including paper, packaging, ceramics, fiberglass, and oil and gas.

One day, a friend and former president of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) called to ask whether she would consider a job with the federal government — the position of associate director for mining at NIOSH. It seemed that Jessica's capstone landing pad into retirement may have arrived through her SME network. Reflecting on the opportunity, she said in her oral history, “Wow, there's something really unique about the government that I didn’t experience in the private sector… and the timing was just right for me, that I could go to the government and do science for social good.”

At NIOSH, Jessica led the institute’s mining research program, focusing on improving mine worker health and safety through the development and implementation of innovative engineering controls, novel monitoring approaches, and improved work practices. She established the Miner Health Program, a multidisciplinary collaboration aimed at improving the health and well-being of mine workers. She also supported and advocated for the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s silica rule, which lowers the permissible exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica in mines and improves respiratory protection for miners.

Jessica’s overarching professional goal was to contribute to a sustainable future for the mining industry and its communities by driving positive change in operations management, health and safety practices, environmental stewardship, and mineral resource utilization. She once said, “What has motivated me for most of my career is a commitment to achieve a sustainable future for the mining industry, its workers, and its communities.” Her position at NIOSH gave her the unique opportunity to pursue that goal.

A distinguished member of SME, Jessica served as SME president in 2013, which she described as “a pinnacle” of her career. She served on the boards of SME, the SME Foundation, and the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum. She was also a member of the Industry Advisory Council for the Colorado School of Mines’ Department of Mining Engineering and the Alumni Advisory Board for the Indiana University’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She served on the editorial boards of several international journals, including Clays and Clay Minerals and the Minerals and Metallurgical Processing Journal. She was president of the Clay Minerals Society in 2003 and authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in minerals research. Jessica held four patents in mineral processing and was senior editor of the seventh edition of Industrial Minerals and Rocks, a seminal reference on industrial mineral geology, mineralogy, processing, and marketing. She was a certified professional geologist with the American Institute of Professional Geologists and a registered member of SME. She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2019.

Throughout her career, Jessica’s scientific and leadership contributions were widely recognized. She delivered several keynote and plenary lectures, and her accolades reflected both her technical excellence and her service to the profession. Her honors included the SME Young Scientist Award in 1992, the Robert Pierkarz Award in 1998, the SME Industrial Minerals Division Chair Award in 2002 , the A. Frank Alsobrook Distinguished Service Award in 2007, the SME Distinguished Member in 2009, the SME President’s Citation in 2010, selection as Henry Krumb Lecturer for 2014-15, the Joan Hodges Queneau Palladium Medal in 2017, and the Hal Williams Hardinge Award in 2019. She was elected an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) in 2020. Also in 2023, her family endowed the Dr. Jessica Kogel Memorial Scholarship through SME’s Health and Safety Division, a division she helped create. The scholarship ensures that her lifelong commitment to the mining industry, miner health and safety, and the next generation of professionals will continue to inspire.

Jessica was a loving wife and mother. She is survived by her husband, Robert (Bob) Kogel, and their three children: Allegra, Daniel, and Matthew. Always living life in high gear, she made the most of every moment. Behind her prestigious career was a sensitive and creative woman who painted, gardened, practiced yoga, loved poetry — especially Emily Dickinson’s “‘Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers” — and championed environmental causes. She devoted time to land conservation and environmental education, volunteering countless hours with organizations such as the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, Harrisburg Community Garden, the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership, the National Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, and the United Nations.

An avid explorer and outdoor enthusiast, Jessica traveled to all seven continents. Yet her greatest joy was her family. With them, she hiked local trails, played board games, harvested homegrown vegetables, and prepared family meals. She was a wonderful partner, mother, and role model who faced death with the same grace and spirit with which she lived.

That determined sixth grader who once declared she would earn a Ph.D. grew up to leave a colossal impact — in the mining industry, in environmental stewardship, and in the lives of all who knew her. Jessica will be long remembered for her wisdom, compassion, warmth, and creativity.

Sources

AIME (American Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineers). AIME Honorary Member.

AIME. Hal Williams Hardinge Award.

AIME. 2023. Oral Histories. Her oral history, an interview conducted by longtime friend and fellow geologist Vanessa Santos.

Find A Grave. “Dr. Jessica Elzea Kogel.” https://www.findagrave.com/

NAE (National Academy of Engineering). “Dr. Jessica Elzea Kogel.”

Gleason W, ed. 2023. “In Memoriam Jessica Elzea Kogel.” Mining Engineering, pp. 57-8. April.

Gleason W, ed. 2023. “Jessica Kogel’s health and safety legacy will live on.” Mining Engineering, p. 72. October.

CDC | Mining | Miner Health Program. www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/about/minerhealth. html

MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration). Respirable Crystalline Silica. https://www.msha.gov/regulations/rulemaking/silica

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety). 2016. “Mining Feature: NIOSH Welcomes its New Associate Director for Mining.” Feb. 8.

VoicesNews.com. 2023. “Jessica Elzea Kogel.” March 15.