I am submitting my application to volunteer for CASI’s Board of Directors. I am confident in my suitability for the role for many reasons, though primarily due to my extensive 19 years of experience as a CASI instructor, trainer, and evaluator. I began my teaching career at the age of 14 at Silver Star, later instructing at Perisher in Australia for seven winters, and now I have spent over a decade in Whistler. Throughout my career I have built strong relationships with evaluators, trainers and instructors from around the world, and I have made use of their expertise to guide my own professional development.

Over the past decade, my focus has shifted towards training and evaluating, particularly for Levels 3 and 4. Conducting every level of CASI courses, including Park 1 and 2, has enabled me to refine and innovate teaching methodologies while gaining a deeper understanding of the administrative challenges within CASI’s courses. Mentoring new evaluators has also been a rewarding experience, providing fresh perspectives and discussions about the career of teaching snowboarding.

In December 2022, I launched Very Good Snowsports Training. VGST is a public-facing, instructor-training business in Whistler that offers programs for aspiring CASI instructors of all levels. Managing this business has honed my organizational and marketing skills and has taught me much about how to communicate and cooperate with industry partners.

And through all of this, I remain dedicated to teaching regular lessons. I believe that teaching the normal public is crucial for continuing to enrich my career, providing me with up-to-date experiences with beginners, novices, and intermediates that I can integrate into my training, evaluation, and contributions to the Board.

Beyond snowboard instruction, I have a diversified portfolio of skills and accreditations. I am Fluent in both English and French, and my educational background includes a Major in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from UBC-O with a GPA of 3.7. This program honed my writing skills, taught me how to interpret scientific and legal papers, as well as familiarized me with various software tools that I now find crucial for the running of VGST.

If elected as the Western Representative on CASI’s Board of Directors, I would be a voice for the professional instructor, a career that I feel is slowly dying in Canada. I would also be a voice for continued and increased investment in protecting ‘the CASI brand’ and its international reputation, which I believe is the association’s most valuable asset. I would also be a modernizing voice; I believe that CASI could improve course scheduling, evaluator development and brand protection by making use of data-driven analyses and a yearly membership census.

If elected, I would offer my skills in reading and interpreting legal documents and communicating with industry partners to try to position CASI as a champion for its working members. I would guide conversations towards increasing and improving mentorship, quality assurance and evaluator training, to continually improve our courses and providers. I would also be comfortable in fiscal discussions that are a main part Board’s purpose.

More than anything, I feel that I owe a debt of gratitude to CASI for shaping my life and achievements. Having been a member for over half of my life, I am honored to give back to this fantastic organization in whatever ways I can. I believe in CASI’s commitment to reassessing itself through an ongoing conversation among all members, and if elected, I am eager to play a larger role in facilitating that conversation. CASI’s philosophy of openness and innovation in snowsports instruction aligns with my values, and I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to continue contributing to its success.

Thank you for consideration.