SSWSC Foundation Board of Directors
SSWSC Foundation Board of Directors
John Adams
SSWSC supporter and visionary John R. Adams died peacefully on August 27, 2023. John was a longtime resident of the Yampa Valley. According to his obituary, he had a distinguished career spanning over 40 years in mining, banking, agriculture, real estate, and land conservation. John’s philanthropic spirit was widespread across the valley, but he was particularly committed to continuing the legacy of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. His contributions to SSWSC were extraordinary. He and his wife Tammy dedicated years of service to the club. John held a seat on the SSWSC Board of Directors and was instrumental in fundraising and finding new sources of revenue for the club in its greatest time of need. Board members describe John’s undying passion for SSWSC’s legacy and purpose. Former staff members remember John as a fierce supporter of their work and a relentless advocate for the organization. John never took no for an answer. He was involved with upgrading the ski jumps at Howelsen Hill, including adding plastic for summer training, building the chairlift, envisioning and bringing to reality the construction of the Howler Alpine Slide as a source of summer revenue, and initiating the SSWSC’s endowment. John recognized the positive impact the SSWSC had on his boys and worked for decades to secure funding sources that provided scholarships and opportunities for hundreds of youth in our community so they could experience the SSWSC programs. SSWSC will forever be grateful for the support, vision, and passion of John Adams..
David Baldinger, Jr., Chairman of the Foundation Board, Member of Development Committee
Raised in Steamboat, David is a graduate of Dartmouth College with degrees in English and Environmental Studies. He is a Real Estate Broker and Co-Owner of Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty. As a Million Dollar Guild Member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, he has been a top performer in the sales of major developments, including residential, condominium and commercial ventures for over 20 years. He also holds a Certificate from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. David’s many successes include being instrumental in the sell-out of the exclusive Catamount Ranch and Club. As a former alpine ski racer and coach of future Olympic stars, David is a passionate supporter of all disciplines and has been a member of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club for over 40 years. Since 2005, Dave has been a Founding Board Member and is current Co-Chair of the Ski Base Area Urban Renewal Authority (URAAC). He served on the Steamboat Pilot & Today Editorial Board, is a past President and Board Member of the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association, served eight years on the Steamboat Springs Planning Commission, and is a Board Member on the Yampa Valley Construction Trades Association. David is proud to have been honored with the Navigator Award as Steamboat’s 2007 Business Leader of the Year.
Hans Berend
Hans has lived in Steamboat Springs for 33 years. Originally from Chicago, he is grateful to have raised his family in an amazing mountain community like Steamboat Springs. He and his wife Heidi have two grown children; Ben and Sabina. Heidi is a Family Counselor in town. Ben is partnered with Cam Boyd, on the Boyd Team at Sotheby’s Realty in Steamboat Springs. Sabina graduated from CU Boulder Environmental Design School, and is now engaged in product design for Restoration Hardware at their Corporate Headquarters in the Bay Area.
Berend holds a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts, Colorado College and is the owner and CEO of Gerber Berend Design Build. He has been a board member for USA Nordic for 5 years and also ran Wednesday Night Jump for three years with his wife, Heidi.
“Every time I go down to Howelsen, I get pangs of joy, just remembering the days and nights spent down at the venue with Heidi and our kids. Watching young families with the kids on tiny skis….navigating the slopes…..it just makes me feel alive. I really see this Club and this Town as a driving force in my life.”
Paul M Berge, Member of Executive Committee, Member of Investment Committee, Member of Development Committee
Paul is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking. He was associated with the M&I Bank of Madison and Southern Wisconsin for 42 years, becoming President in 1976 and retiring as Chairman & CEO in 2003. Paul has been active in numerous professional and civic organizations as an officer and board member, including being the past President of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Foundation. Paul is also a former Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation Ambassador and a past Certified Official for the United States Ski Association. Paul is a resident of Madison, Wisconsin and has a daughter Maren who resides in Steamboat Springs, and a son Robert who resides in New Hampshire.
Jim Boyne
Jim recently served on the SSWSC Board of Directors and stepped down in October 2023 and on the SSWSC Foundation Board of Directors. Since 2018, Jim has been the President and Treasurer of Weitz Investment Management, Inc. and Vice President of the Weitz Funds based in Omaha, Nebraska. Before Weitz Investments, Jim was the Executive Director of the SSWSC from 2013 until 2018. Prior to joining the SSWSC, Jim spent more than 20 years in the investment management industry, serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of Calamos Asset Management, Inc., an investment management firm based in Naperville, Illinois. He also previously served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for McDonnell Investment Management, where he was responsible for the company’s businesses and operations, and also was Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Van Kampen Investments. Jim began his career as an attorney with the law firm of Jenner & Block in Chicago, IL. Since 2017, Jim is an independent director of Kennedy Capital Management, Inc., an investment management firm based in St. Louis, MO. He earned a law degree from Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Northern Illinois University. Jim and his wife, Leagh, have four children and split their time between Steamboat Springs and Omaha, NE.
Debbie Dacus, Member of Development Committee
Debbie Dacus and her husband, David, have made Steamboat their “second home,” having lived in Houston, Texas for over 50 years.
An avid golfer, skier, traveler, and dog lover, Dacus has supported her passions as a leader, participant, and donor throughout the years. She has served on the Catamount Ranch and Club Advisory Board of Governs for a number of years and is the former chair of the Social Committee. Along with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, Debbie also supports Born Free Wildlife Rehabilitation, Boys and Girls Club, Strings Music Festival, and Young Life.
Dacus has been married to David for 34 years, they have three grown boys and five grandchildren. She shares her love of Steamboat regularly with her family and numerous great friends.
Dacus believes that, “Young athletes who participate in the SSWSC training programs are provided a healthy environment to learn and grow. With coach mentoring, the athletes are engaged in their personal performance and focus on their individual goals. Athletes have a purpose and with that comes discipline, motivation and confidence. These are skills that they will take them into college and beyond.”
Scott Engelman
Scott Engelman is the President of SEAdvisors LLC, a hospitality advisory company specializing in operational and strategic consulting for hotel and restaurant entities. SEAdvisors also provides business development strategy for companies wishing to penetrate or fortify their exposure and positioning in the hospitality industry. SEAdvisors holds an equity position in two restaurant entities in Steamboat Springs, Colorado…Truffle Pig and Carl’s Tavern.
Scott Engelman received his Executive MBA (2011) and BSBA(1991) in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Denver. He also studied Tourism Management at The University of Hawaii. Scott moved to Steamboat in June of 2010 and lives in the South Valley with his wife, Liz and sons Barret, Owen and Elshu. He is an avid “Alpine” skier, golfer and trailblazer.
John Hayden, President and Chairman of Development Committee, Member of Executive Committee, Member of Development Committee
John Hayden retired from the Midland Company (NASDAQ “MLAN”) in October, 2010 after nearly 30 years of service, the last 13 as the company’s President & CEO. He held the same positions in the Company’s wholly-owned specialty property/casualty insurance company, American Modern Insurance Group. Midland achieved unprecedented success under Mr. Hayden’s leadership. The company’s market capitalization grew from $180 million to $1.35 billion, a compound annual rate of 22%. The company’s revenues expanded from $375 million to $1.2 billion, its assets grew from $760 million to $1.7 billion and its pretax profits grew from $35 million to $120 million. Mr. Hayden serves five for-profit corporate boards and is active in the pursuit of cancer cures nationwide.
The Hayden’s have three married children and six grandchildren.
Carrie Hayden, Foundation Board Member
Ed MacArthur, Vice President and Treasurer, Member of Executive Committee, Member of Investment Committee
Ed graduated from CSU in 1979 and came to Steamboat Springs with his wife June. Since those early years, Native Excavating has grown into one of the biggest construction companies in Steamboat. Native Excavating, has donated equipment, time and money to projects like the Alpine slide, the Winter Sports Club’s weight room, the water ramps east of Steamboat and the new Nordic jump facility at Howelsen Hill.
Charlie MacArthur, Member of the Development Committee
Charlie MacArthur has been the President of Native Excavating since 2018. As a Steamboat native, MacArthur has built solid relationships and connections within our community. He has been married to his wife Rebecca for 13 years, raising three young children in the Yampa Valley. For seven years, MacArthur was a Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club athlete and was also a coach for two years of the Freeskiing team.
MacArthur graduated from CU in 2007 with a Business Management degree. He served on the Steamboat Springs Planning Commission for five years and was on the Steamboat Institute Board of Directors for four years.
MacArthur says, “I credit the SSWSC for providing me with many of the life skills I rely on today. The SSWSC shaped who I am and provided the confidence for me to tackle bigger challenges beyond the world of snow sports.”
Brian Olson, U16 Assistant Coach & Foundation Board Member
Brian grew up in La Crosse, WI as an Alpine racer. He continued his ski racing career at Colorado mtn college and the University of Nevada Reno. He moved to Steamboat in 1990 where he began coaching for the Billy Kidd center for performance skiing and the SSWSC. He enjoys working with young athletes and takes pride in their accomplishments. He and Lisa have two Daughters Taylor and Abby, both being former and current members of the SSWSC Alpine program. Brian also serves as vice president of the SSWSC Foundation board, and is currently a U14 Alpine Coach.
Aaron Roth
Aaron Roth is the founding equity partner of Shorewood Development Group, LLC, a commercial development firm out of Buffalo Grove, IL which specializes in tenant driven retail developments since 2008. Before Aaron’s involvement with Shorewood, he spent 10 years trading futures electronically for Geneva Trading and on his own.
Aaron and his wife Nikki are both originally from the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN where they met in high school then followed each other to the University of Kansas before getting married and moving to Chicago, IL. 20 years and 5 kids (2 dogs) later they decided to move the family to Steamboat Springs in the summer of 2020. Finally following Warren Miller’s advice …… “If you don’t do it this year, you will be one year older when you do.”
The Roth’s have been enjoying all the activities Steamboat has to offer and their 5 kids (ages 5-17) utilize many of the amazing SSWSC programs while attending the public schools. They are a very active family enjoying ski racing, soccer, wake surfing, mountain biking, hiking, etc……and always looking for the next adventure.
“We feel very blessed to be a part of the community here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and finally found a place we can call home.”
Bryan Scheer
Bryan and his wife Melanie and have lived full time in Steamboat for nearly 11 years. They have four children ages 15-25. Their son Will is a junior at Steamboat Mountain School.
Scheer holds an undergraduate degrees in Biology and General Science from Dana College, MD from the University of Nevada School of Medicine and Internship/Residency from the University of Oklahoma.
He practiced Orthopedic Surgery full time for 16 years and served as Ortho director at YVMC prior to focusing on corporate operations at RPM in 2018. Scheer is the CEO of Rural Partners in Medicine (RPM) which is a medical services company that has relationships with over 30 hospitals in 9 states. He is also co-owner of Mountain Aviation (MA) based in Broomfield, CO. MA is an aircraft management/services and charter company.
Scheer is on the board of both RPM and MA as well as the Mid-Central States Orthopedic Society. He served on the board of a non-profit mission organization focused on Christian work in Haiti, County medical Society in Nebraska, a Private Hospital in Wyoming and several small companies.
Scheer is an outdoor enthusiast with main interest in mountain climbing and snowboarding. He enjoys participating and offering service to community organizations. In addition to learning more about the organization and sharing with other foundation members he provides a unique perspective, not only in business/service but also medicine and athletics, will be of benefit.
“Through my childhood and education I have had the opportunity to live in many communities around the country. While there were some great things about all of them I have never seen a club or community organization as relevant and comprehensive as SSWSC. The local support, community involvement, quality of teaching/coaching, and local pride is unmatched. We love showing friends, family and people new to town, Howelsen Hill and watching kids train while sharing some of the history behind it all. It is an honor to help the SSWSC Foundation in supporting, improving and growing the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.”
Melinda Sherman, Member of Executive Committee
Melinda Sherman received her law degree from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law in 1992, was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1992 and the Colorado bar in 1993. Melinda has practiced law in Steamboat Springs for almost 20 years, focusing in the areas of real property, business, banking, special district, zoning, municipal, home owner associations, estate planning, and water law. She currently serves as a board member on the Board of Directors of the Tread of Pioneers Museum, the Routt County Humane Society, Impact 100 Steering Committee, and The Foundation, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Melinda is married to general contractor and carpenter, Jon Sherman, who coaches both skiing and mountain biking for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. She has two children, both of whom participate in the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Ron Simon, Member of Development Committee
Ron is a nationally renowned trial lawyer who has prosecuted thousands of food poisoning cases for victims across the United States. His work has resulted in numerous upgrades to food safety procedures in Fortune 500 companies and in legislation designed to protect consumers from dangerous food-borne pathogens.
Ron and his clients have been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and virtually all other major television networks and print media. He regularly publishes articles about food safety and litigation which are read by viewers in over 180 countries. Through litigation, media commentary, and his food poisoning publications, Ron relentlessly challenges food companies to do a better job in making our food safe.
Ron was raised in Baytown, Texas. He attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he received his bachelor’s degree in the Civil Engineering Honors Program in 1990, and his law degree in 1993. He has been married to his college sweetheart, Sarah, for 29 years. They have three children – Jessica, Ashley, and Jordan.
The Simons moved to Steamboat Springs from Houston, Texas in 2012, and now enjoy fly fishing, snow skiing, horseback riding, golf, and mountain biking as a regular part of their daily routine. Jordan is an alumni of the SSWSC alpine program and now skies for Dartmouth.
Jeff Temple, Member of Executive Committee, Member of Development Committee
Jeff is a director of the SSWSC Foundation. Jeff is also a principal at Momentum Development, LLC, which develops multi-family housing and self storage projects in the front range of Colorado. As President of Storm Mountain Ranch, Jeff along with his brother Jamie, developed Storm Mountain Ranch in 2000 in Steamboat. Storm Mountain won the Smart Growth award from the Governor of Colorado. As Managing Partner for Elk River Partners, Jeff planned and built Marabou in 2005 in Steamboat. Jeff’s father founded the Steamboat Ski Area in 1959. Jeff co-founded Spyder Skiwear in 1977 and ran the company from 1977 -1993. Jeff started skiing in the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, was a four time member of the NCAA Championship C.U. Ski Team, and was named All American in 1976. Jeff turned pro after his college racing career and won the Sierra Blanca Pro Cup and Coors Light Cup in Steamboat, both in 1977. Jeff lives with his wife Kim, and has two sons, Parker and Brandon, who both skied in the SSWSC.
Pam Vanatta, Member of Executive Committee
In January of 2000, Pam purchased Prudential Trimontane Real Estate with another top agent, Cameron Boyd, to create the now formidable real estate firm of Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty. The company has grown tremendously since 2000, and is home to 60 full-time agents and is the number one real estate office in North West Colorado. In 2010, Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty (formerly Prudential Steamboat Realty) was chosen by Steamboat locals as the “Best Real Estate Agency” in the Best of the Boat poll. For the past 15 years, Pam has been in the top 1% of Prudential agents nationwide.
For Pam, living in Steamboat is sheer heaven. She acknowledges every day how lucky she and her associates are to be able to enjoy such beauty in such a close-knit community. Pam married Steamboat native Lonny Vanatta in 1996, a former U.S. Ski Team member and world champion ski racer. Pam’s work might be focused on premier real estate, but her involvement in the Steamboat community is exemplary.
Eric Washburn
Eric and his wife Robin Schepper and moved their family to Steamboat Springs ten years ago to take advantage of the SSWSC and its programs so that their boys; Marat, 20 and Shokhan, 16, could learn skiing and pursue their dreams of racing, especially Marat who is a Division 1 collegiate ski racer at Bates College. Washburn lived outside Phippsburg and attended SOROCO in the late 1970s, and moved his family to Steamboat from Washington DC in the summer of 2012.
Washburn is the sole proprietor of Windward Strategies, LLC, a natural resource consulting firm. For the past few years he has raised money for USA Nordic and worked pro-bono as a lobbyist to promote enactment of federal legislation to reform Olympic sport governance to prevent sexual abuse of athletes and to raise funds for amateur sport athletes, coaches, clubs and National Governing Bodies.
Prior to becoming a consultant, he co-founded the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a coalition of over 50 national hunting and fishing and land conservation organizations working together to promote natural resource conservation policy.
For ten years, Washburn worked in various policymaking and management capacities in the United States Senate. He was a Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, where he oversaw the development and U.S. Senate passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2002. Prior to that, he worked for Senator Harry Reid as the Democratic Staff Director for the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. Before joining the EPW Committee, he was the Legislative Director for U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Thomas A. Daschle for four years. Washburn’s initial service in Congress was as Legislative Assistant to Senator Daschle, where he led the development of Senate Democratic Caucus strategy on a range of environment and energy issues, including federal lands management, clean air and water, endangered species protection, and global climate change.
Washburn has been a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University Forest, and holds an MFS from Yale University, and an AB from Bowdoin College. He sit on the Boards of the Boulder Open Space Conservancy.
“I have been helping to raise money for Nordic Combined and working in Congress to raise money for Olympic athletes generally, and look forward to connect those efforts of the SSWSC. We recognize how impressive the club’s legacy is for ski racing – both Nordic and Alpine – and want to do what we can to support it and ensure that it has a strong future.”