Mines appoints Executive Director of Critical Minerals Strategy and Advancement

Alicia Polo y La Borda Cavero has been named executive director of critical minerals strategy and advancement at Colorado School of Mines. 

A 25-year veteran of the mining industry, Polo y La Borda has broad experience in mineral economics and market analysis, business strategy and development, mining policy and project management, previously holding roles in the private sector, government, and academia in the U.S., South America and Europe.  

Critical minerals — rare earths elements, copper, lithium, gallium and other minerals and metals— are foundational to modern life, powering data centers for AI, satellites, energy systems, medical devices, defense technologies and more. 

“Having a secure and resilient critical minerals supply chain is key to our economy and national defense, and the federal government and industry need help in achieving that,” said Mines President Paul C. Johnson. “Mines, more so than any other university, has world-renowned faculty expertise and facilities to support technology development, economic analysis and policy formulation. The challenge is connecting Mines’ experts and programs to the needs of government and industry and responding at the speed needed. Alicia brings a rare understanding of, and ability to work across Mines, industry and government, and she will add the capacity and speed that we need to respond to the numerous requests for our expertise and to pursue the growing number of opportunities to assist government and industry. I’m excited to have Alicia join us and very appreciative of our donors that are funding her position.” 

Prior to starting the position in December 2025, Polo y La Borda served as Director of Outreach and Research at The Copper Mark, an independent assurance framework for the copper industry that verifies responsible production practices, from 2023 to 2025. She is also no stranger to Mines, having worked as the project manager for the Center for Mining Sustainability, a partnership between Mines and the Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa (UNSA) in her native Peru, from 2019 to 2023.  

“Colorado School of Mines brings a unique value proposition to the critical minerals sector: our 150-year foundation of expertise, our presence across the mineral value chain, from mining and extraction to processing and manufacturing and end use, and our global reach and active international footprint, boots on the ground, across disciplines and geographies,” Polo y La Borda said. “I’m excited to take on this important role and connect the research being developed across campus to deliver solutions impacting the value chain of critical minerals while at the same time identifying real industry needs to guide our efforts at the university.” 

Polo y La Borda's professional experience in Peru, Chile, the UK and US include positions at APOYO Consultoría, Peru Ministry of Energy and Mines, CRU and Anglo American. She holds a Master of Laws in Mineral Law & Policy from the Centre of Energy, Petroleum, Minerals, Law & Policy at the University of Dundee in Scotland and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Universidad del Pacifico in Peru.  

“My job is to connect what is happening in the lab with a wider audience,” Polo y La Borda said. “Because of the nature of critical minerals, downstream users are becoming an increasingly important stakeholder for the mining industry. What I see for Mines is opportunity – to interact across departments, to learn from each other and to leverage the work that is being done here to make a real impact on this global challenge.”  

To learn more about critical minerals research at Mines, go to the Mines website.