Who We Are

All that we do at Ascutney Outdoors is made possible by the tireless efforts of our volunteers and operations team.

Our dedicated group of community volunteers is over 100 strong. In the winter, volunteers sell tickets and load skiers and tubers. In the summer, they lend a hand at large events and help out with upkeep around the AOC. The passion, comradery and commitment of our volunteers is truly amazing and the lifeblood of our organization. Volunteering is a great way to meet people and be part of all that’s happening at the mountain.

Volunteers and Donors!

Thanks so much to our hundreds of volunteers and donors and partners that make it all possible for our community!

Staff

Jonathan Nichols

Executive Director
Jonathan oversees all day-to-day operations and staff during all 4 seasons. Jonathan comes to AO after a 30-year career as a freelance film and video cameraman. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, nordic skiing and snowboarding. Jonathan lives in West Windsor with his partner, Sofia, and their dog Cappy.

Greg Smith

Facilities Manager
Greg makes sure the lifts, buildings, equipment and grounds are in top-notch condition. Greg has a life-long connection to Mt. Ascutney and was delighted to have lift-served skiing return to the mountain. Additionally, he serves the community as an active member of both the fire department and the FAST squad. He is a general contractor by trade and dabbles in organic vegetable farming.

Jason Larochelle

Tubing Park Manager
Jason is responsible for all aspects of the tubing lift not the least of which is making sure everyone is having fun. Jason spends lots of family time, and enjoys finding new museums, outdoor activities, or shows. He also coaches and is a ref for middle school sports. His favorite individual activities are hiking and trail running.

Board of Directors

Our Board members are very active volunteers, both on site and by taking charge of administrative functions within our organization, such as accounting and insurance, development and fundraising. Additionally, our board is very engaged in community outreach, collaborating with local schools and businesses and sustainability planning to ensure AO’s continued success for the benefit of West Windsor and its surrounding communities. The board’s thoughtful approach to capital projects, new and existing programs, and planning for the future has been a major component of AO’s success.

Rob Calhoun

Quickbook Mentor, Volunteer
Rob and his family learned to ski at Mt. Ascutney after an introduction by a family friend in the 1980’s. They fell in love with the area and bought a home in West Windsor in 1991, establishing permanent residence here in 1998. Rob spent 35 years as the principle of a Boston based turn around management consulting firm and is now a partner of a private equity firm.  Rob and his wife, Joan, have been married for 45 years. They have two sons, Robbie and Ian, and one granddaughter.

Steve Crihfield

Development & Fundraising, Executive Committee, Webmaster
While Steve learned to ski on a rope tow in Indiana, he taught his three sons to ski on Mt Ascutney during visits to their grandparents' home in West Windsor. A family rite of passage was to hike up the Windsor Trail at age 5! Steve and his wife, Ashley, built their own home with a view of the mountain. All of the family enjoy gatherings and time at the pond, year around hiking with the dogs, and, for Ashley, her horse Hamlet. Steve's career spanned working with and investing in highly-engineered manufacturing and service business.  He has served on numerous public and private boards with an emphasis on business strategy and development.  More recently, he describes his life as a "smorgasbord of activity", including family time, travel, guest lecturing, and the outdoors.

Kurt Dermody

Community & Private Rentals
Kurt re-located to Vermont seven years ago from Connecticut after meeting his wife, Nicole who is a West Windsor native. They share an 18 month old daughter, Fallon, who no doubt will be hitting the slopes soon. Kurt is a Superintendent of construction at Pike Industries. His background spans a wide array of large infrastructure projects within New England from his time with Pike, Greenman- Pedersen Engineering, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. He has held positions on the Green Mountain Environmental Associations Public Relations Committee, Town of Hartford Safety committee, and Pike Improvement board.

Steve Giroux

Media Master and Videography
Steve was born and raised in Burlington, Vermont and first learned to ski on Horse’s Hill, a practice slope for the UVM ski team on the back side of Centennial Field.  With a lifelong love of the outdoors and deep connection to the natural environment, Steve’s move to Windsor twenty-one years ago helped to foster his exploration and fond regard for Mount Ascutney.   As a former Director of the Ascutney Trails Association, he has spent countless hours hiking its trails and profiling its beauty through photography and his visual arts business, Third Generation Design.  He has a deep knowledge of the mountain’s history and a passion to maintain its stewardship, and encourages others to appreciate and enjoy all that it offers.

Brian Quirk

Secretary, Mount Ascutney Property Owner’s Association Representative
Brian Quirk is president of Mt. Ascutney Property Owner’s Association and serves on the Mountain Edge Condominium Association Board of Directors. He and wife Linda have been part of Brownsville and the Mt. Ascutney community for over 25 years. Their children “grew up” on the mountain, sons Brian and Duncan skiing for the Mt. Ascutney Race Team, and daughter Kimberly a Young Olympians instructor at the former Mt. Ascutney Ski School. Brian and Linda currently live in West Hartford, Ct. where he works for Apex Tool Group and has responsibility for taking product from concept to actuality. Both dream of living in Brownsville full time and, when not enthusiastically cheering at college football games, find every excuse possible to spend time at their home on Mt. Ascutney. Brian and Linda cannot wait to see their grandchildren learn to ski on our great mountain! At his core, Brian loves to mentor and provide positive, fun experiences for kids. He served as President of the Ascutney Ski team Parent Advisory Board from 1994 – 2001 and as co-President of the U.S. Naval Academy of Parents Club of Connecticut from 2005 -2006.

Glenn Seward

Operations Support
Glenn and his wife Shelley are native Vermonters and have been residents on the mountain since they were married in 1978 building a home on Mountainside Drive. Glenn has a background in the ski industry, working at Ascutney Mountain in various capacities under multiple owners for 18 years. He ended his ski industry career as Operations and Facilities Director in 1985. He then started a site work business, Farrell-Seward Incorporated, with long-time friend Jim Farrell which he retired from in 2005 to pursue his passion for sports car racing on an amateur and professional level until 2011. Glenn has been very involved in the West Windsor community serving as prior Chairman of the Planning Commission, the Development Review Board and the Select Board during the acquisition and conservation of the ski area property. Glenn was the pro-bono executive director for AO for five years and has played an active role in all aspects of capital projects and operations.

Shelley Seward

Chair and Volunteer Support
Shelley recently retired after owning an independent financial advising practice for over 20 years. Shelley has a special connection to Mt. Ascutney, having lived within one mile of its base her entire life. She and her husband Glenn have been very involved in the West Windsor community and most recently in the resurrection of activities on the mountain. Additionally, they open their private land to hikers, bikers and skiers and encourage all to enjoy what the Mt. Ascutney basin has to offer. She is integrally involved with operations, volunteers and community events. She assumed the board chair position on May 1, 2023.

Natalie Starr

Grants Guru and Trails
Natalie came to the Upper Valley over 25 years ago, joining her husband who grew up in South Woodstock. After bushwacking for years on cross country skis in the hills of North Pomfret, South Woodstock and Hartland, she took up backcountry skiing and has enjoyed the trails and woods on Mount Ascutney most snowy winters since. When she isn’t skiing, biking, or hiking, she consults on sustainable waste management policies and programs as a principal at DSM Environmental Services. She served on the Town of Hartland and Town of Jericho Conservation Commissions and now serves on the board of the Upper Valley Trails Alliance.

Erika Stillson

Merchandise
Erika grew up in Windsor and spent her childhood on Mt Ascutney, skiing in the winter and riding her horse in the summer. Growing up with the mountain in view every day, it has carved a special place in her heart, and she is happy to be able to serve on the board and help see Ascutney into its next iteration, allowing it to become a special place for the next generation.

Steve Wood

Treasurer
Steve is a native Vermonter who grew up on the sides of Ascutney Mountain.  Its where he learned to ski in the mid-1950s and 1960s and was a junior ski patroller. The slopes and hiking trails were his summertime passion. In the 1970s, Steve was the executive director of the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission and its Connecticut River Development Corporation, which was responsible for cleaning-up the tangle of communications towers on the summit, remediation of acute waste issues, and development of the Windsor business park. Steve retired from Sentinel Investments, the wholly-owned investment function of the National Life Group, where he was the asset manager of the firm’s nationwide commercial real estate mortgage portfolio. He continues to maintain close ties to the Upper Valley area and is a super-commuter volunteer for AO.  He and wife Susan live in Essex Junction and have two adult daughters.

Amanda Yates

School and Ski Liaison
Amanda Yates grew up in Brownsville, VT, and on the slopes of Mt. Ascutney. First put on skis at the age of three, she spent most of the happiest moments of her childhood racing down mountain. Amanda returned to Brownsville and is raising her family exploring not only the ski trails, but also mountain biking, trail running, hiking, and just playing and building forts on Ascutney. Amanda is a teacher at the Albert Bridge School and believes strongly in the school’s vision of place-based education focused on developing a love and responsibility for your own community and the outdoors.

Ex-Officio

Ted Siegler – Town of West Windsor representative