Education Task Force Highlight: Matt Boyd

The Education Task Force Highlight Series spotlights education leaders working to create new Certification Standards, education resources, and communication strategies that will benefit all members.

In this highlight, we sit down with Education Task Force member Matt Boyd.

What task force are you on?

The Teaching Task Force

Current snowsports job title?

PSIA Alpine Team Assistant and Development Coach

Brief bio?

I have been a PSIA Alpine Team Member since 2008, and reside in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Current role on the task force?

I lead the Teaching Task Force. My job is to coordinate the task force members to keep us on track with the development of the new Certification Standards.

What are the task force’s main goals?

The task force collaborated to determine how the three levels of certification interact and relate to the teaching fundamentals. We also wrote the outcomes, or minimum expectations, for each of the certification levels, and the criteria that candidates will need to display to meet these outcomes.

As we move into the future, the task force will continue to develop these outcomes and criteria to make them easy to digest for our members and examiners. The updated Certification Standards that reflect our work go into effect for alpine, snowboard, and cross country, in the 2021-22 season.

Why is it important to work for the benefit of other members?

This organization has had a big impact on my life. It has given me nearly 30 years of enjoyment, growth, professional development, and friendship. It has allowed me to put a roof over my family’s head while performing a job that I love. Providing clarity, simplicity, and reality to our future is not only something I owe to PSIA-AASI, it is something I love doing.

What’s the fun factor?

The fun factor for me is watching simple concepts develop into full blown benefits for our members and students. As an example, the education task forces turned the Learning Connection, a simple concept, into detailed fundamentals for technical, teaching, and people skills, as well as into new Certification Standards to provide our members with more transparency than we have ever had.