Ms. Casanova joined VanEck in 2011. She serves as Deputy Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst for VanEck’s Global Gold Strategy, specializing in gold and precious metals. She further serves as an Investment Team member for VanEck’s Global Hard Assets Strategy. Prior to joining VanEck, Ms. Casanova worked at McNicoll Lewis & Vlak as Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst in charge of establishing its metals and mining research department. From 2007 to 2010, Ms. Casanova was an equity research analyst at Barnard Jacobs Mellet USA, specializing in gold mining stocks, and expanding its coverage universe and product offering of metals and mining research practices in the Americas. From 2005 to 2007, Ms. Casanova worked as an associate analyst for BMO Capital Markets’ gold research team, covering small-, intermediate- and large-cap gold mining companies. Prior to working as an analyst, Ms. Casanova was a production technologist, offshore well-site supervisor, and petroleum engineer for Shell Exploration and Production in Venezuela. Ms. Casanova received an MS in Mechanical Engineering and a BS (Magna Cum Laude) in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She has been quoted in Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, Reuters, theStreet.com, and has appeared on CNBC.