SIA Town Hall Series on Inclusion, Recap & Free Member Webinar

Watch this video of PSIA-AASI CEO Nick Herrin talk about inclusion in the snowsports industry as part of Snowsports Industries America’s town hall series on Inclusion in the Winter Industry. Other panelists included Joe Hession, of SNOW Operating, and Miguel Rede, the Diversity Lead & Employee Experience Administrator at Outdoor Gear Exchange, as they discussed how the snowsports industry can help build more inclusive workplaces.

At the January 2020 Outdoor Retail + Snow Show in Denver, Nick Sargent, SIA President, announced that diversity, equity, and inclusion are an important focus not only for SIA, but for the winter outdoor industry.

“Building an inclusive winter industry is not just a moral imperative, it’s a business imperative,” said Nick Sargent, SIA President. “The entire industry must work together to chart a path for positive change, to create a welcoming and inclusive experience for all in the winter outdoor community.”

You can watch the conversation to learn about what PSIA-AASI is doing to build a more inclusive community, and how creating a welcoming environment is at the core of PSIA-AASI’s Learning Connection framework for teaching. To watch the webinar, scroll down to “Member Webinars” and select “Inclusion In The Winter Industry – Creating an Inclusive Culture at Your Organization.”

SIA’s “Inclusion on the Slopes” Free Training Program

Sargent explained SIA’s commitment to DEI, “Educating ourselves and providing our respective members with the tools to embark on their own inclusion journey is a critical first step. At SIA, we have conducted a series of inclusion town halls and provided a number of self-guided resources and programs, as well as engaged our leadership and the industry leadership in a 6-month inclusion training program. This is just the beginning of our inclusion efforts.”

SIA’s Inclusion Training Program Timeline: 

• In August, SIA invited leadership from the following groups to join SIA leadership in a 6-month, weekly inclusion training program led by Dr. Gerilyn Davis of Inclusion on the Slopes – NSAA (National Ski Areas Association), OIA (Outdoor Industry Association), PSIA-AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors), and the Share Winter Foundation.
• In August, this same inclusion training program was also launched with SIA leadership and the Executive Committee of the SIA Board of Directors.
• In September, SIA launched a partnership with Dr. Davis and Inclusion on the Slopes to offer weekly resources, tools and instruction on inclusion to the association’s members and the winter outdoor community. You can watch all of the Inclusion on the Slopes trainings led by Dr. Davis on the SIA website.

SIA continues to offer inclusion workshops (which can be found in SIA’s education library) and on February 8, hosted another Town Hall Series – Inclusion in the Winter Industry.

Find out more on SIA’s inclusion page, which also includes SIA’s summer Town Hall Series with Selema Masekela.