Vice President of Athletics Alan Ashley to leave USSA

Vice President of Athletics Alan Ashley to leave USSA{mosimage}PARK CITY, Utah — U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt has announced that USSA Vice President of Athletics Alan Ashley has decided to leave the company after nearly 15 years.

Ashley, who has held the head athletic position since 1997, was credited with the leadership that brought record levels of athletic success the past few years across a diverse program with six uniquely different sport programs and grassroots growth at every level.

“Alan has made a remarkable difference in our athletic programs,” Marolt said. “He instilled leadership in each of our six sport programs and brought a focus on both sport science and education that has truly made the difference in our athletes having the ability to achieve their goals.”

Ashley said, “This was one of those very hard decisions in life to move on, but I feel I’ve accomplished my dream and it’s time to move on to new challenges. I am particularly indebted to the leadership of USSA, to our management team and staff, and to our sport community for working together with me to help achieve our organizational goals.”

A native of Jackson, Wyo., Ashley was a collegiate skier at the University of Colorado and later director of skiing from 1984-87. He went on to develop a cross-country ski area in Park City and organized a cross-country World Cup in 1988. He came to USSA in 1991 as cross-country program director, moving to the alpine program in 1993. He later became vice president of events before leaving in 1996. He came back a year later to take over as vice president of athletics.

Ashley came into his position in 1997 at a time when USSA was putting a new focus on athletics under its new CEO Marolt. He established a leadership structure for each of USSA’s six sports programs with a well-developed and serviced athletic pipeline in each sport. He then began to focus on service and support for athletics, building a sport science program from scratch and revamping an education program to provide more tools to support coaches, clubs and parents across the country. USSA’s athletic programs are now considered a model for Olympic sport in America.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished as a team,” Ashley said. “What has made it work so well is the strength of our staff and our sport community — especially our partnership with the USSA clubs and academies. It’s gratifying now to look back and see how far we’ve come as a community — everyone works together now and the results show in what our athletes accomplish.”

Under Ashley’s athletic leadership, membership in USSA’s athletic programs has seen six years of sustained growth. Elite athletic results in the Olympics, World Championships and World Cup are among the highest level in the organization’s history.

“One of the most important hallmarks of the athletic program Alan built is the partnership with our sport community,” Marolt said. “It’s a great example of what can be accomplished when people work together in a cohesive, focused manner to drive an organization to greatness.”

While a search for a replacement will now begin, Marolt does not have a pre-set timetable.

“We’re fortunate that Alan has built a strong management team within athletics,” said Marolt, “so we can continue to function normally and take the time to find the best person for the position. Our sport and division managers will continue to lead just as they have been in the past. Alan and I have been discussing this for some time and I’m very appreciative that he has continued to provide strong leadership through our very critical spring planning meetings.”

Ashley will continue in his position through June 16.

— USSA