NSAA Honors Trailblazing Women Pat Campbell and Geraldine Link for Transformational Contributions to the Ski Industry

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has announced two of the ski industry’s most distinguished honors, recognizing Pat Campbell with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Geraldine Link with the Industry Impact Award. Both will be honored at NSAA’s National Convention and Tradeshow in Carlsbad, Calif., May 4–7, 2026.

Together, Campbell and Link represent decades of leadership, innovation, and service that have shaped the modern ski industry, spanning resort operations and leadership development to public policy and sustainability.

“Pat Campbell and Geraldine Link have each left an indelible mark on this industry in very different but equally profound ways,” said NSAA President and CEO Mike Reitzell. “Their work has strengthened the foundation of the ski industry while helping define its future.”

Pat Campbell: Redefining Leadership and Expanding Opportunity

Pat Campbell has been honored with NSAA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her extraordinary career of leadership, innovation, and service spanning nearly four decades.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to NSAA and the ski industry, with contributions that will benefit the industry for decades to come.

Campbell’s career helped redefine leadership in the ski industry while opening doors for a generation of women in ski area management. Over the course of her career, she broke new ground repeatedly, becoming Vail Resorts’ first female chief operating officer and Mountain Division president, NSAA’s first female board chair, and now the first woman to receive NSAA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Campbell’s path into the ski industry began in Jackson Hole in 1985, where a passion for skiing and mountain life quickly evolved into a lifelong career. A New Jersey native and Middlebury graduate, she moved West shortly after college and began as an apprentice ski instructor under Pepi Stiegler. What started as a ski-bum chapter soon became a clear professional trajectory.

After leadership roles at Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee, Campbell joined Breckenridge in 1999 to lead its ski school. Her career accelerated as Vail Resorts expanded its focus on developing internal talent. In 2006, she was selected to lead Keystone, becoming the company’s first female COO. She later returned to Breckenridge in 2009, where her collaborative leadership helped strengthen relationships with the town and the U.S. Forest Service and supported the advancement of the Peak 6 development project. In 2014, she became president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division.

Campbell became widely recognized not only for her operational excellence and strategic vision, but also for her ability to identify talent and develop future leaders. Her influence has been especially significant in advancing women into senior leadership roles across the ski industry.

“Pat’s profound impact on our industry makes this recognition more than well-deserved,” said Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts. “Throughout her career, Pat raised the standard of operational excellence while building an extraordinary pipeline of talent—mentoring and developing the next generation of leaders and meaningfully advancing the role of women. A trailblazer in the truest sense, Pat’s legacy continues to shape a more inclusive future for our sport.”

Campbell also made a lasting impact through her service to NSAA. As the association’s first female board chair, she helped guide the organization through a period of change and growth while remaining a strong advocate for the future of skiing and snowboarding.

Today, she continues to give back to the mountain community, including through her work with the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Foundation board.

Geraldine Link: A Lasting Impact on Policy, Partnerships, and Sustainability

Geraldine Link, NSAA’s longtime director of public policy, is the recipient of the Industry Impact Award in recognition of her extraordinary contributions over nearly three decades.

The Industry Impact Award recognizes individuals or organizations whose work has had a significant and lasting effect on the ski industry, advancing innovation, collaboration, and progress.

Link, NSAA’s most tenured staff member, has spent nearly 30 years shaping policy, strengthening partnerships, and advancing sustainability initiatives that have fundamentally transformed the industry. Since joining NSAA in 1997, she has served as a leading voice in Washington, D.C., advocating for ski areas on critical issues ranging from public lands policy to climate legislation.

“Geraldine is one of the most impactful leaders in the history of our industry,” said Michael Berry, former NSAA president and CEO. “She consistently exceeded expectations and helped guide NSAA through some of its most important moments with intelligence, balance, and an unwavering commitment to doing what’s right.”

Throughout her career, Link has been associated with virtually every major policy milestone affecting ski areas. Her work includes advancing summer recreation legislation, supporting wildfire mitigation efforts, contributing to climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, and leading critical permitting and regulatory reforms.

Link also played a central role in redefining the ski industry’s relationship with the U.S. Forest Service—transforming it from an often adversarial dynamic into a collaborative partnership. Her leadership in a landmark water rights case resulted in a nationwide injunction protecting ski area water assets, a pivotal outcome for the industry.

Beyond policy, Link has been a pioneer in sustainability. She helped launch NSAA’s Sustainable Slopes program in 2000, laying the groundwork for environmental stewardship across ski areas nationwide. Her early leadership on climate advocacy positioned the ski industry as a credible and influential voice in broader climate policy discussions, contributing to milestones such as the Inflation Reduction Act and NSAA’s recognition with the Ceres Most Valuable Partner Award.

“Geraldine has been ahead of her time in every sense,” said Grant Colvin, NSAA government affairs consultant. “Her leadership has strengthened the industry’s voice, broadened its partnerships, and ensured ski areas are part of the solution on some of the most pressing issues of our time.”

Known for her tenacity, deep institutional knowledge, and ability to build meaningful relationships across industry and government, Link has also mentored countless colleagues and helped cultivate the next generation of leaders.

Reflecting on her career, Link emphasized the importance of collaboration and community. “Work doesn’t feel like work when you get to tackle challenges alongside people you trust and respect,” she said. “I found my people in this industry.”