Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), will be a keynote speaker on May 19 at the Metallurgical Coal Producers Association (MCPA) annual conference and expo in Roanoke, W. Va, May 18-20, 2026.

Dempsey is expected to speak about the current state of the steel industry, including its key role in national and economic security. In December 2025, AISI reported that steel shipments for 2025 were up 4.9% year-over-year since 2024. In 2025, some 90,953,066 net tons were shipped, compared to 86,698,917 net tons in 2024.

Dempsey has been with AISI since 2009, previously having served as AISI’s senior vice president of public policy and general counsel. Under Dempsey’s executive leadership, the institute achieved numerous policy successes, including: maintaining broad bipartisan support for the Section 232 trade remedies to preserve the steel industry’s key role in national and economic security, enacting legislation to strengthen trade laws, passing successful infrastructure and clean energy initiatives to benefit the steel industry, advancing the case for steel as the material of choice in the automotive and construction markets, and promoting the American steel industry’s global leadership on decarbonization.

“We look forward to hearing Dempsey and his thoughts on the state of the steel industry and the continued importance that industry plays in national and economic security,” said MCPA President Ben Beakes. “We all know that Met coal makes steel, and we welcome the opportunity to continue to make that important association between the resource our MCPA producer members produce and what it makes possible.”