Glenwood Springs, CO – Colorado’s Sunlight Mountain Resort has named Troy Hawks, former communications manager at the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), as its new marketing and sales director. Most recently Hawks worked two years at Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) in the areas of marketing communications and managing the passport department that processes and distributes more than 20,000 child ski passes annually.

Prior to his work at CSCUSA, Hawks worked 10 years at NSAA where he developed the ski industry’s Conversion Cup Challenge that highlights ski area efforts to create lifelong enthusiasts of the sport. Hawks also served as editor of the NSAA Journal, and directed a number of events including the PhatCat Challenge, a national snow grooming competition, as well as the annual ski area marketing and safety awards. He led communication efforts in conjunction with National Safety Awareness Week and the industry’s Climate Challenge and organized numerous educational sessions related to marketing, communications, snow making, and other key industry issues.

“We’re excited to have Troy on board and are confident that his solid work experience and network of friends in the industry will be a big benefit to our team effort of taking Sunlight to the next level,” said Tom Hays, Sunlight’s assistant general manager.

In addition to his work at CSCUSA and NSAA, Hawks has collaborated with Snowsports Industries America, the National Ski Patrol, and other partners to develop and grow a number of initiatives including Ski Nation, The Goggle Gap Project, National Safety Awareness Week, Warren Miller’s “Why I Love to Ski and Ride Video Contest,” the Bring a Friend Challenge, and Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, a national initiative credited for bringing more than 500,000 new skiers and snowboarders to the slopes.

After earning his Journalism Communications degree from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Hawks moved to Colorado in 1992 and worked 12 seasons as a children’s ski instructor at Keystone Resort. He is a vice president of the North American Snowsports Journalist Association and member of the Ski Confederation of International Journalists. He has authored numerous magazine articles and blog posts addressing a range of ski industry issues and research as well as new consumer trends and athlete profiles.

Skiers and riders at Sunlight can look forward to a number of capital improvements this year including an expanded cafeteria serving made-to-order lunch items as well as a major renovation to the Sunlight Lodge, and a new website that will be launching soon.