PSIA-AASI Names Peggy Hiller As Chief Executive Officer
Peggy Hiller, a snowsports-industry leader with senior management experience in resort operations, will join PSIA-AASI as its new chief executive officer on January 16, 2023. She brings more than 30 years of professional experience working for snowsports resorts, including 17 years leading operations and 15 years in human resource roles.
“As our association’s CEO, Peggy will be a crucial spokesperson for PSIA-AASI’s educational initiatives and industry presence – and we’re excited to appoint her to this role,” said PSIA-AASI Board of Directors Chair Eliza Kuntz. “Her strategic leadership approach shows that she has the skills to support our members and improve the guest experience. Plus, her industry experience means she can work collaboratively with PSIA-AASI’s board of directors, regional leadership, committee members, industry leaders, suppliers, and other organizations in the snowsports industry.”
Peggy served as the Arapahoe Basin Vice President of Operations and Assistant General Manager from 2005 through 2022. In her management role, she gained experience working in the operations side of the industry, including ski school, rentals, guest services and ticketing, human resources, maintenance, grounds, aerial adventure park, and retail.
She also serves on several nonprofit boards in her home community of Dillon, Colorado, including The Summit Foundation and the Summit Economic Partnership.
Peggy grew up in Denver and learned to ski on weekends with Winter Park Resort’s Buffalo Ski Club. She attended Smith College, in Massachusetts, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics before returning to Denver to pursue a career in human resources. Peggy moved to the mountains of Colorado, where she worked as a Human Resources Specialist for Keystone Resort, and was the Human Resources Director at Vail’s Christie Lodge and Arapahoe Basin Resort.
“I am thrilled to be joining the passionate team who serve the PSIA-AASI membership,” said Peggy. “PSIA-AASI plays a pivotal role in the current and future growth of the sports we all love, and I am honored to lead the association into the bright future ahead.”
With high regard for the invaluable role instructors play in the guest experience, Peggy said PSIA-AASI training and certification are critical in giving instructors the skills to create excellent learning environments for students and viable career paths in snowsports for themselves. In addition, she sees diversity, equity, and inclusion as a key issue facing the industry, and hopes to increase diversity and equity to make ski and ride areas more welcoming places to visit and work.
Peggy replaces longtime PSIA-AASI CEO Nicholas Herrin, who stepped down in June 2022. At that time, the PSIA-AASI Board of Directors chose PSIA-AASI Chief Financial Officer Tom Spiess to serve as interim CEO and approved a multi-phased approach for conducting a CEO candidate search. The PSIA-AASI Search Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors Chair researched options for conducting CEO searches for large member-based, non-profit associations and presented the recommended plan and an associated timeline to the PSIA-AASI Board for approval.
The Committee also recommended selection steps to be facilitated and executed by professionals with specific expertise in nonprofit association executive searches. The search firm of Sterling Martin assisted in the PSIA-AASI CEO search process. The PSIA-AASI Search Committee was comprised of:
- Shelby Rogala, Search Committee Chair and PSIA-AASI Board Director
- John May, Treasurer and PSIA-AASI Board Director
- Eric Jordan, Secretary and PSIA-AASI Board Director
- Dino White, Western Region Board of Directors
- Becky McDill, Rocky Mountain Region Board of Directors
- Ed Younglove, former PSIA-AASI Board of Directors Chair
