James L. Corsaro

James L. Corsaro was born in a mining camp in Stickney, West Virginia, to immigrant parents from Southern Italy. His family relocated to Kanawha Valley for work, where his father worked for Carbon Fuel Company as a miner. Following graduation, Corsaro was hired at the West Virginia University School of Mines as a research engineer. Later he went to work for Eastern Associated Coal Company at the Harris Mine and then to Federal One Mine as a chief engineer. He became superintendent of Federal Two Mine in 1972. He installed the first longwall at Federal Two Mine which established new company production records. He moved through the ranks to division manager in northern West Virginia. In 1980 he became vice president for safety and training, where he was charged with improving the safety culture of the company. During that period, because of the improvement achieved, he provided expert testimony before the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Underground Mine Safety regarding the development and implementation of effective safety programs and reduction of mine accidents and injuries at Eastern Coal. He was appointed vice president of Carbon Industries in 1992. He served as vice president of the West Virginia properties until his retirement in 2012.