Killington Resort Announces Staff Promotions

Killington Resort has announced staff promotions, they say:

"Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America, is pleased to announce the promotions of several team members to new roles with the organization. Continuing our tradition of promoting from within, these promotions will help streamline efficiencies across the resort with a new structure within several key departments and create opportunities for growth throughout the organization.

In Mountain Operations, Vice President Tait Germon has created a new position, the Mountain Experience Manager, who will work to advance quality controls and promote Killington’s hospitality standards around the mountain. With this new promotion, Kayla Sarajian assumes a larger role within the Mountain Operations group and takes on added responsibility.

Formerly the Lift Operations Manager, Kayla will now oversee all guest-facing Mountain Operations departments in her new role. This includes Lift Operations (including Ticket Checking, Tubing and Summer Adventure Center), Terrain Parks, Ski Patrol and Race Event Operations.

Kayla began her career at Killington Resort in 2014 as a team leader for the Unleashed program in the Snow Sports department, then worked summers as an attendant for the Snowshed Adventure Center, eventually becoming a foreman for the Lift Operations group and transferring to that department full time in 2016.

“Kayla has a proven record of building strong teams and providing superior guest service,” says Tait. “In elevating her leadership over these departments, her role is to continue to improve the guest’s experience on the mountain. By focusing on team morale, promoting Killington’s hospitality standards and identifying and eliminating issues that affect our guests and staff, we inevitably strengthen our culture of guest service and improve the resort experience for everyone.”

Also in Mountain Ops, Christine Bulgini, currently Mountain Operations Administrative Coordinator, is being promoted to the role of Administrative Manager. This change will enhance the crucial role Christine plays in overseeing Mountain Operations’ extensive safety program and in auditing Mountain Operations’ compliance with federal OSHA laws and state Tramways regulations.

Christine’s strong organizational skills and collaborative work style make this a natural progression. As with her previous role, Christine will continue to facilitate communication, disseminate information and provide timely and relevant reporting. In order to consolidate efforts and increase efficiency, the Mountain Operations Dispatch Supervisor, Matt Poli, will now report to Christine.

“With this structure, Christine can leverage the knowledge and expertise of that team in providing consistent oversight and reporting,” says Tait.

Senior Vice President of Hospitality, Scott Harrison will now oversee all base area operations, including lodges and parking. Accordingly, Ryan Gosselin, the Parking Manager, will now report to Scott. Scott is also pleased to announce the following promotions.

Eric Rusch
Eric Rusch has been promoted to Food and Beverage Director of the Grand Hotel and Northside Dining. Eric recently expanded his role to include front of house Food and Beverage operations in the Grand Hotel. These additions include Preston’s, Banquet Events, the Ledgewood Yurt and the Clubhouse’s winter operations. His promotion will include the oversight of our Grand Hotel Culinary Team.

Eric started his career in 2010 as the Executive Sous Chef in the Grand Hotel, exhibiting strong interpersonal and leadership skills as well as culinary excellence. Eric was then promoted to open the new Peak Lodge Restaurant as Peak Chef/Manager. In this role, he was instrumental in making the Peak our premier on-mountain dining location.

Soon thereafter, Eric and team elected to bring to life the Jerk Jamaican Mountain Grill, which has become a must-stop for many of our skiers and riders. Thus, he was a natural choice to be selected to also manage and assist in designing and opening the K-1 Lodge, which has quickly become our largest and finest on-mountain dining experience at Killington.

“Eric has done an exceptional job creating a well-balanced team and improving our staff culture and guest experience,” says Scott.

Sophie Parvez
Sophie Parvez has been promoted to Hospitality Business Manager. Her new duties will include financial/budgetary management for the resort’s food and beverage and lodging operations. Sophie will also assume oversight of the Conference Sales team operations and provide technical support for operating sales platforms. Sophie also manages Commissary Operations.

Sophie moved to Vermont to complete her education at Green Mountain College in 2010, graduating in 2012 from the Resort and Hospitality Management Program. During college, Sophie worked at Bear Mountain Base Lodge for her co-op and internship. After graduating, Sophie worked in various Food and Beverage roles at Bear Mountain, Skyeship, and the Clubhouse Grill until she left Killington in 2014 to accept a role at Riverside Farm until 2017. Sophie then returned to Killington as Grand Hotel Banquet Supervisor. In this role, Sophie excelled as a supervisor, improving our culture and guest experience while also showing great organizational skills and proficiency in financial management.

In 2023, Sophie accepted the role of Food and Beverage Administrator, where she became proficient in all operating systems, managed menu pricing and content, and served as Department of Liquor Control liaison with the state.

"I look forward to seeing Sophie excel in her new role. Her great organizational skills are ideal for this role, and she is sure to go above and beyond,” says Scott.

Nate Stoodley has been promoted to K-1 Base Lodge Manager. In his new role, Nate will oversee all food and beverage operations in K-1, as well as acting as a liaison with other departments and events in K-1. Nate began his career at Bear Mountain in the rental shop, then transferred into the Food and Beverage Department to eventually become Bear Mountain Base Lodge Manager.

Prior to being promoted, Nate was K-1 Base Lodge F&B Front of House Manager. His duties included oversight of public area attendants, front of house staff and pub operations. Nate will continue to transition into his summer role at Snowshed Base Lodge, where he assists Ellen McDonough with operations and works closely with the Events Team.

“I look forward to seeing Nate continue his growth within our F&B team and sharing his interpersonal skills and passion for our resort and guest satisfaction,” says Scott.

In Human Resources, Rebecca Reed has been promoted to Employee Experience Manager. In this role, Rebecca will helm the day-to-day operations of HR. Rebecca began her career at Killington in 2021 as International Recruiter before expanding to focus on all recruitment efforts. Danielle Hewitt and Susanna Foster will continue their roles as recruiting specialists under her guidance. Kathy O’Rourke reports to Angelica Probst, who, along with Roberta Hefner round out the HR team reporting to Rebecca. Rebecca reports to Vice President of Employee Experience & Technology Chris Condon, another relatively new role in the company.

And on our Resort Leadership Team, Jordan Spear has been promoted to the role of Vice President of Resort Services & Sales. In this expanded capacity, Jordan will oversee all skier service revenue and guest service areas, unifying these key functions under one leadership team. This alignment will allow us to streamline operations and continue delivering outstanding service to our guests.

Jordan began his career at Killington as part of the Resort and Hospitality Management program at the now Vermont State University. During his 17 years at Killington, he has served as Guest Services Manager, Tickets Manager, Marketing Manager, and Director of Product Marketing and Sales.

As part of this transition, Dave Beckwith, Director of Mountain Sports will now report to Jordan. Dave will continue to oversee the Mountain Sports School, Rentals, Daycare, and Golf, maintaining his strong leadership and focus in these important areas. In addition to this new oversight, Jordan will continue leading Tickets, Guest Services, Marketing Technology, Group Sales, and Reservations, ensuring these functions remain well-integrated and optimized.

“This reorganization represents an exciting step forward for our team, fostering greater collaboration and operational excellence, and continuing our tradition of promoting from within,” says Killington President and CEO Mike Solimano. “Please join me in congratulating everyone on these well-deserved promotions.” "