Meet the staff

The team behind Coal Trends

Donna Schmidt
Donna began her journey in the mining trade publication industry in late 2004 as a junior correspondent for American Longwall magazine, which would later become Coal USA magazine, as well as International Longwall News, Australia’s Mining Monthly and International-China Mining Review. Her experience beyond that nine-year tenure included positions of increasing breadth and oversight with titles including Coal Age and Mining Magazine as well as her seat as content development manager for Content Works by Aspermont.

Donna has been editor of North American Mining magazine and Miners News Global since their respective inceptions in 2020 and 2021. She is a member of SME and holds board positions with Women in Mining USA (national representative alternate and Central Appalachian mineral education); the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America (PCMIA); and the SME Pittsburgh/PCMIA Joint Committee. She is also on the communications committee for the 2025 International Day of Women in Mining, selected and hosted by International Women in Mining (iWiM). She has visited more than 60 mining sites in her career, including dozens of longwall and room and pillar mines.

Josephine Patterson
Based in Jacksonville, Fla., Josephine Patterson has covered the construction and mining industries for the last 14 years. She is currently the managing editor for Rock Products, Cement Optimized, Concrete Products, The ASIA Miner and North American Mining magazine. Prior to joining SEMCO Publishing, she worked as an editor for a local publishing firm, specializing in industry-specific guides and directories. She holds a bachelor’s in communication from the University of North Florida and a graduate certificate in global strategic communication from the University of Florida. Josephine is an active member of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and the co-founder of Women in Aggregates.

Jonathan Rowland
Jonathan began his career as an editorial assistant at World Coal magazine almost two decades ago. He would go on to become the editor there, traveling widely to cover the coal industry in places as far-flung as Australia, China, Indonesia, and West Virginia. He has written for SEMCO Publishing since 2019 and is now the features editor at North American Mining magazine and Cement Optimized.

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