Catching Up with Kelly

Just before Kelly Pawlak started as president and CEO of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) in 2017, SAM publisher Olivia Rowan and editor Dave Meeker sat down with her to discuss her time as general manager of Mount Snow, Vt., and the new opportunity she was about to take on. It was clear Pawlak was going into the role with an open mind, eager to learn and share what she knows for the greater good of the industry.

Now, five years later, we spoke with her again to get a status update. Pawlak has accomplished a lot during a time when the industry—and the world around us, for that matter—has changed dramatically. When she started, growing visitation with new skiers and riders was the biggest challenge. Now, record skier visits have resorts scrambling to try and effectively service the renewed interest in snowsports brought on by the pandemic.