Lobbyist Tyre Gray will be the new head of the Nevada Mining Association as its leader of five years, Dana Bennett, steps down from her post as president.

The association announced the news on Friday, Bennett’s last day on the job.

“We received several strong applications, but Tyre was clearly the most qualified,” said Robert Stepper, chairman of the association’s board of directors and general manager of the Coeur Rochester Mine. “His background as an attorney and his broad nonpartisan relationships across Nevada will serve the association well.”

Gray has been a lobbyist representing clients including the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Nevada Hospital Association and insurance agents. He has a law degree from UNLV’s Boyd School of Law and most recently worked with the firm Fennemore Craig.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to represent Nevada’s iconic mining industry,” Gray said. “It is an important part of Nevada’s economy and culture and critical to our state’s future success. I look forward to working with the members to showcase their good work and contributions to the state and its communities.”

Bennett was the first woman to lead the association. She grew up in Reno and earned a Ph.D. in history from Arizona State University.

She had previously worked at the Legislative Counsel Bureau and at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

Bennett told The Nevada Independent recently that her goals as head of the agency have been to educate people about modern mining and connect the industry to a supply chain that includes advanced manufacturing and renewable energy.

But she said at the mining association’s annual meeting last year that the industry — which is among Nevada’s oldest — faces challenges ranging from Congress revisiting mining laws to rules around protecting the sage grouse.