WMC Leadership - Board of Directors

Laura Skaer

Laura Skaer has forty-three years (17 in oil & gas; 26 in mining) of legal, government affairs, management, and operations, experience in the natural resource industries on private and public lands throughout the west. She has drafted federal and state legislation, testified numerous times before various congressional and state committees on mining, environmental, public lands, oil and gas, and national, state & local tax issues; and has spoken at numerous conferences and technical meetings. Laura has a proven track record of successfully influencing the outcome of political dialogue, building effective working strategies with key elected officials, developing and coordinating the industry’s response to legislative and regulatory issues, improving the industry’s public image, and effectively building coalitions with other natural resource industry groups and public land users.

She retired in March 2019, having served as the Executive Director of the American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) (formerly Northwest Mining Association), since December 1996. Under her leadership, AEMA grew to be the largest membership-based mining industry trade association in the U.S. She continues to consult to the Association and the mining industry on various legislative, regulatory, and public policy issues.

From June 1979 through May 1995, she served as vice president and general counsel of Skaer Enterprises, Inc., an independent oil and gas production company. Prior to working in the oil and gas industry, she was an associate and partner in the Kansas City, Missouri law firm of Blackwell, Sanders, Matheny, Weary & Lombardi (now Husch Blackwell LLP), where she specialized in tax planning and advocacy for corporate, charitable, and individual clients.

She served as President of the Independent Petroleum Association Mountain States (now the Western Energy Alliance) in 1991 and 1992, and as Regional Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) from 1989-91. She served on a select national oil and gas tax advisory group from 1984 through 1992 and was instrumental in obtaining congressional approval of critical alternative minimum tax relief for independent oil and gas producers in 1992.

In 1992, Governor Roy Romer appointed her to Colorado’s Minerals, Energy and Geology Policy Advisory Board. She was re-appointed in 1994 and was elected to chair the multidiscipline advisory board. She received the Colorado Oil & Gas Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1990. In 2004, she received the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Sustainable Development Award and a Special Recognition Award from the U.S. Forest Service, Division of Minerals & Geology Management. In December 2013, she was named one of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining by Women in Mining UK. In 2022, she was chosen to be one of 15 women to be part of a temporary display at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, “Pioneering the Field: Women in Mining.”

Laura earned a Bachelor of Science with honors in Business Administration in 1970, and a Juris Doctor, Cum Laude in 1974 from the University of Missouri. She helped restart the Denver Colorado area chapter of the Missouri Alumni Association (MAA) in the 1980s and served as its president 11 years. After moving to Spokane, she organized an Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho chapter of MAA and served as its leader. In 1991, she received MU’s Faculty-Alumni Award. She currently serves on the University of Missouri Jefferson Club Board of Trustees, is a member of the Missouri and Colorado Bar Associations, a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and serves on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Mining Coalition.

Laura has two daughters, a stepson and 4 grandchildren. She loves the Lord, is active in her church, and sponsors two children in Zambia through World Vision. Laura is passionate about Mizzou athletics, especially softball, has a commercial pilot’s license, is an avid golfer, a rock concert junkie, collects LPs, loves to BBQ, makes a killer homemade BBQ sauce, is an audiophile, and loves to listen to rock n’ roll music from the late 50’s through today on vinyl.