The Team

Dave is the CFO of SNOW Partners, managing the financial operations of its portfolio—including Mountain Creek Resort, Big SNOW American Dream, and Snowcloud—and playing a key role in boosting national snowsport participation as NSAA Growth Committee co-chair and Economic Committee member. Previously, he was Director of Consulting Services at RRC Associates, where he became a recognized expert in ski resort operations, finance, and snowsports demographics, frequently presenting his findings at NSAA events. A Colorado resident who teaches skiing at Eldora on weekends, Dave holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University. 

Emily Smith is a seasoned ski industry executive and was POWDR’s General Counsel and SVP of HR. She drove POWDR’s profitability by establishing a robust legal department and managing key transactions—including the Eldora acquisition and an Alterra partnership for the Ikon product—while leading an HR strategy that honored each resort’s local identity. Prior to POWDR, she practiced litigation for ten years at Ray Quinney & Nebeker and Snell & Wilmer. Emily holds a B.A. from Stanford University, where she was an NCAA All-American swimmer, and a J.D. from UC San Francisco, College of Law.

Mark is the founder of Adventures in Leading, a group that connects leaders and teams with their purpose and potential. He also teaches in the Master of Science in the Outdoor Recreation Economy program at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he emphasizes ethical, environmental, social, and economic business practices. Previously, he was an associate professor and program director at Colorado State University’s tourism programs and served as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Vail Resorts, helping the company earn national accolades from Forbes and Fast Company. His career also includes key roles in organizational development and HR at companies such as Comcast, AT&T Broadband, Lexis-Nexis, and Target, as well as service as a commissioned officer and aviator in the U.S. Army. Additionally, Mark has volunteered on various nonprofit boards. He holds a Doctorate in Organizational Change from Pepperdine University, an MBA from the University of Denver, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Systematic Biology from California Polytechnic State University.

Matt is a seasoned entrepreneur with a track record for founding and leading companies across multiple industries. He founded one of the largest insurance providers in the outdoor industry, SPOT, which serves ski resorts (IKON Pass, Jackson Hole, Telluride, etc… ) and sports organizations across the US. With deep expertise in risk management and cost optimization, Matt has a comprehensive understanding of the insurance landscape and the unique risks within the ski industry. 

Blaise was President of Vail Resorts from September 2008 until August 1, 2015 with oversight of all of the company’s mountain resort operations, mountain resort capital projects, budgeting and strategic planning. Blaise helped orchestrate and implement the company’s mountain resort acquisition strategy. 

Upon his retirement in August 2015, Blaise took on the role of Senior Advisor and worked primarily on resort acquisitions, new resort integration, capital planning and management, leadership mentoring and oversight of the company’s lift maintenance program. 

Blaise was Vail Resorts Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Heavenly Mountain Resort until January 2008 and prior to that had served as Senior Vice President since 2002. From 1997-2002, he was the President and Managing Director for The Canyons in Park City, Utah. Prior to 1997, Blaise served as the Managing Director of the Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont where he had been since 1976 in a variety of positions from Ski Patrol to President. Blaise most recently served as chairman of the National Ski Areas Association. In the past he has served as chairman of Vermont Ski Areas Association, Ski Utah, and the California Ski Area Association. He has also served on the boards of the National Forest Foundation, the Mad River Chamber of Commerce, the Park City Chamber of Commerce, the Tahoe - Baikal Institute, the Nevada Commission on Tourism, and the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. He was a founding member of Conserve Our Open Lands, now known as the Summit Land Conservancy. 

In May 2019 Blaise was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Ski Areas Association