Leadership Team

Gregory H. Boyce

Greg Boyce is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Peabody Energy. Under Boyce’s leadership, Peabody has become one of the leading investments in the world. Boyce is the only CEO to be named among the top chief executives for both the energy and mining sectors, garnering recognition from Institutional Investor magazine and the Global Energy Awards. Most recently, Boyce was named one of America's Most Valuable CEOs by Chief Executive magazine, ranking 36th among S&P 500 chief executives. 

Boyce trained as a mining engineer and has gained extensive management, operating and engineering experience around the world during a three-decade career in the mining and energy industry. He joined Peabody Energy in 2003 as President and Chief Operating Officer, assumed responsibility for the company as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2006, and became Chairman the following year. 

Prior to joining Peabody, Boyce served as Chief Executive Officer – Energy for international mining company Rio Tinto in London, with responsibility for a worldwide coal and uranium portfolio. Other prior positions include President and Chief Executive Officer of Kennecott Energy Company, President of Kennecott Minerals Company and Executive Assistant to the Vice Chairman of Standard Oil of Ohio. 

Boyce holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering from the University of Arizona and an Advanced Management Program degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business. His leadership positions include Chairman of the National Mining Association and Deputy Chairman of the Coal Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency. He is a member of The Business Council, Business Roundtable and the National Coal Council, where he was Study Chair of the council's report, "Coal: America's Energy Future." He is a member of the Board of Directors of Marathon Oil Corporation.  In addition, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis, and is a member of the Advisory Council of the University of Arizona’s Department of Mining and Geological Engineering.

Michael C. Crews

Mike Crews was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Peabody Energy in June 2008. He has executive responsibility for the company's financial and accounting functions, including treasury, insurance, risk management, accounting, financial reporting, tax, strategic and financial planning, forecasting, capital management and budgeting.

Mike has more than 20 years of financial experience and an extensive background with Peabody. He joined Peabody in 1998 as Senior Manager of Financial Reporting. He has served as Assistant Corporate Controller, Director of Planning, Assistant Treasurer and, most recently, Vice President of Operations Planning.

Prior to joining Peabody, Crews served for three years in financial positions with MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. and six years at KPMG Peat Marwick in St. Louis. Crews serves on the Board of Directors of Action for Autism in St. Louis. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from the University of Missouri at Columbia and a Master of Business Administration degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Sharon D. Fiehler

Sharon Fiehler is Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. She has served on the company's senior leadership team since April 2003, and she has executive responsibility for organizational and employee development, benefits, compensation, employee relations, affirmative action, facilities management services, information technology, global security and aviation services.

Sharon has served in a series of roles in organizational and employee relations, compensation, salaried benefits and supply chain management since joining the company as Manager of Salary Administration in 1981. From April 2002 until January 2008, she served as Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Administration.

Sharon is Deputy Chair and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and on the Board of Trustees of the Missouri Botanical Garden. She is Chair of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Mississippi Valley Inc. and on the Board of Directors of the Saint Louis Zoo Association. She is a member of the Chancellor’s Council at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, the International Women's Forum/Missouri and the St. Louis Forum. Sharon has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and bachelor degrees in psychology and social work from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Eric Ford

Eric Ford was named President – Australia in March 2012. He joined Peabody in 2007, and has executive responsibility for the company’s Australia operations, including the areas of health and safety; operational support; sales and marketing; finance and administration; business development; government relations; human resources; communications and community relations; as well as oversight of the law function in Australia.

Eric was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Peabody. He has more than 40 years of extensive international management, operating and engineering experience in the industry. Prior to joining Peabody, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Anglo Coal Australia Pty Ltd. Eric held a series of increasingly complex operating assignments at Anglo, including Chief Executive Officer of Anglo American's joint venture coal mining operation in Colombia and Executive Director of Operations of Anglo Platinum Corporation Limited.

Eric holds a Master of Science degree in management sciences from Imperial College in London and a Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering (cum laude) from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of Compass Minerals based in Kansas City, Mo., and served as Deputy Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of the Coal Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency. He also has served as Vice Chairman and Director of the Minerals Council of Australia.

Jeane L. Hull

Jeane Hull is Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, and has executive responsibility for the global delivery of engineering, environmental, geology and design and construction services; asset management and continuous improvement; global supply chain management and applied information technology. Jeane most recently served as Group Vice President Powder River Basin and Southwest Operations, and Group Vice President of Powder River Basin Operations. She joined Peabody in May 2007 as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services.

Prior to joining Peabody, Jeane served as Chief Operating Officer of Kennecott Utah Copper. She has held numerous management, engineering and operations positions with Rio Tinto and affiliates. Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Jeane spent 12 years with Mobil Mining and Minerals, and Mobil Chemical Company. She has additional engineering, environmental and regulatory affairs experience in the public and private sector.

A registered professional engineer, Jeane holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Nova University in Florida. A member of the Society of Mining and Metallurgy and Exploration, Jeane has participated in numerous events to help interest young women in engineering and mining fields.

Richard A. Navarre

Rick Navarre was named President - Americas for Peabody Energy in March 2012. He has executive responsibility for the company’s operations in the Americas, including Peabody’s U.S. mining operations in the Midwest, Colorado, Powder River Basin and Southwest, a joint venture in Venezuela; all business development opportunities in the Americas and the areas of operational support; health and safety; sales and marketing; finance and administration; human resources; as well as oversight of the law function for the Americas.

With nearly 30 years of diverse experience, Rick served as Peabody’s President & Chief Commercial Officer from 2008 – March 2012 and was Chief Financial Officer from 1999 through 2008. He joined the company in 1993, and has held a series of positions, including executive responsibility for departments as diverse as Sales, Marketing, Business Development, International Growth Initiatives, Business Performance, Trading, Transportation, Treasury, Tax Accounting, Strategic Planning, Legal, Information Technology, Supply Chain Management, Post-Mining Reclamation, Resource Management and Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. Rick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting with honors from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and completed advanced management courses at Harvard Business School and University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School.

Rick is a member of the Hall of Fame of the College of Business at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; a member of the Board of Advisors of the College of Business and Administration and the School of Accountancy of Southern Illinois University Carbondale; a member of the Board of Directors of the Regional Chamber and Growth Association of St. Louis and the Foreign Policy Association. He is a Director of the United Way of Greater St. Louis; Vice Chair of CEOs Against Cancer, Co-chair of the American Red Cross Heroes and a member of the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital - Bob Costas Benefit Committee. He is Treasurer of the Missouri Historical Society; a member of Financial Executives International and a former Chairman of the Bituminous Coal Operators’ Association.

Fredrick D. Palmer

Fred Palmer is Senior Vice President of Government Relations. He joined Peabody in February 2001. The Government Relations department is responsible for advancing government policies in the United States and worldwide to unlock the potential for coal as the world’s future fuel. Prior to joining Peabody Energy, he served for five years as General Counsel and 15 years as Chief Executive Officer of Western Fuels Association, Inc. 

Fred began his career in 1969 in Washington, D.C., on the staff of Arizona Congressman Morris K. Udall where he served for two years. He was a partner in Duncan, Brown, Weinberg & Palmer, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm, for eight years where he specialized in utility, environmental, and resource law. 
 
He is the 2004 recipient of the Erskine Ramsay Medal Award from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. He is a member of the National Coal Council, Executive Committee, and Chairman, Coal Policy Committee. He is Chairman of the World Coal Association, and Peabody Energy's representative on the Board of Directors of the FutureGen Alliance.  Additionally, he is a member of the California and D.C. Bar Associations.

Fred attended the University of Arizona, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966 and Juris Doctorate with honors in 1969. There he was inducted into the Order of the Coif honor society in 1969 and served as Symposium Editor of the Arizona Law Review.

Alexander C. Schoch

Alex Schoch is Executive Vice President Law, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Peabody Energy. He joined Peabody in October 2006 with executive responsibility for all law and corporate secretary functions. Prior to joining Peabody, he served as Vice President and General Counsel for Emerson Process Management.

Alex has more than 30 years of extensive corporate legal experience. His prior positions include various legal positions with Goodrich Corporation, serving as Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Secretary. Earlier in his career he worked for Marathon Oil Company as an attorney in its international exploration and production division.

Alex is a member of the American and International Bar Associations, as well as the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Law Council, the National Mining Association and the National Association of Corporate Directors. He serves as a Trustee at Large on the Board of Trustees for the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation. He is a member of the board of directors for North Side Community School and the National Blues Museum, both in St. Louis. He previously served as Chairman of the Legal Committee of the Aerospace Industries of America.

Alex received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He is admitted to practice law in Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Texas.

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