PARK CITY, UT (Oct. 6, 2016) – The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association announced today the addition of Ellen Adams and Chris Packert to its Sport Education department. Adams will be taking on the role of club development manager while Packert will join the staff as coach development manager.
Adams has an extensive background in management and leadership in sports, recreation and education. She has played the role of coach, parent, official and athlete in ski racing and has been actively engaged with the skiing and snowboarding community for many years. Most recently, Adams served as program director for the National Ability Center (NAC) in Park City, UT. She played an instrumental role in establishing the NAC as an internationally renowned leader in adaptive recreation and Paralympic sport. Adams has also served as a USSA Club Consultant for the past two years, where she has been an integral part of the club certification process and Club Excellence Conference.
“USSA’s clubs are the foundation of developing great athletes,” stated Adams. “I am really looking forward to joining USSA’s Sport Education department and being a resource for clubs of all levels as we collaboratively continue to define, develop, implement and share best principles and practices.”
Adams will continue managing the USSA Podium Club Certification Program and is currently looking at the best practices of USSA’s Gold level clubs to give all USSA clubs a roadmap of what the top clubs are doing to create sustainable organizational excellence and high-quality athletic programming.
As coach development manager, Packert will use his background in curriculum design to continue to develop USSA’s extensive coach education opportunities. He holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from West Virginia University and a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology and Design from George Mason University. Packert has been a high school science instructor for twelve years before moving into online curriculum development for American Public University and Western Governor’s University. A lifelong skier, Packert is passionate about the sport and also works as a ski instructor at Vail and Beaver Creek.
In his new role, Packert will perform an assessment of USSA’s current educational programs to compare against professional educational standards and structures. Through collaboration with expert coaches in the USSA community, Packert will adapt the existing programs to best meet the needs of USSA Coaches who work with athletes of all ages and stages of development.
“The addition of Ellen and Chris to the sport education department gives us an incredible depth, expertise and breadth of experience in club development and coach education,” said USSA Sport Education Director Jon Casson. “Our USSA member clubs and coaches are a critical part of developing best in the world athletes. Ellen and Chris are dedicated to supporting our clubs and coaches by providing educational programs and resources to help give kids a great experience and reach their goals in skiing and snowboarding.”
For more information on USSA’s Sport Education programs, visit ussa.org.
