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MODERATORS & PANELISTS (continued)

Ron Cohen John Fagan
President & Chief Operating Officer Partner
Squaw Valley / Alpine Meadows, CA Duane Morris LLP, CA
Prior to joining Alterra Mountain Company A partner with Duane Morris, John Fagan
in 2017, Ron Cohen served as chief admin- is one of the ski industry’s preeminent
istrative officer and general counsel for defense attorneys and served as NSAA’s
Mammoth Resorts, Calif., where he oversaw special outside counsel for six years.
human resources, legal/risk, health and Fagan’s practice focuses on the defense of
safety, and government relations. Cohen serves on the executive serious and catastrophic injury cases involving premises liability
committee of the California Ski Industry Association, and was chair for California resorts, ski areas, and golf courses. He has also
from 2015 to 2016. He is also an owner of Tioga Pass Resort, Calif., represented a variety of sports product manufacturers, including
and operated the historic Yosemite high-country resort year-round helmet manufacturers. Going back to his work on the Alpine
from 2002 to 2007. Cohen lives in Mammoth with his wife, Stacy, Meadows avalanche lawsuits in 1982, Fagan has successfully
who serves as the Mono County supervisor for the 5th District, the defended California ski areas and developed a critical body of
office occupied by Andrea Mead Lawrence from 1982 to 1998. California case law on assumption of risk.

Brian Czarnecki Dave Fields
President & Chief Operating Officer President & General Manager
Camelback Resort, PA Snowbird, UT
Brian Czarnecki realized early on that Dave Fields is the president and general
working hard is the most important thing manager of Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort.
to a happy life, and resiliency runs a close He joined Snowbird in 2000 and has held
second. After losing everything he had to a variety of positions at the year-round
hurricanes, Czarnecki sailed to the Bahamas, mountain resort since then. After 10 years
where he developed a boutique resort, became a pilot, and built of working in the resort’s public relations, marketing, and ticketing
an airstrip. Eventually, he traded in beach sand for the winters of departments, he became vice president of resort operations in
Hunter Mountain to head the real estate agency, resort branding, 2010. Fields became Snowbird’s general manager in 2017, and in
and sales and marketing. Eight years ago he joined Camelback 2018, following the retirement of Bob Bonar, he became presi-
vice president of sales and marketing before becoming presi- dent and general manager of the resort. Fields is a graduate of
dent & COO, overseeing the country’s largest snowtubing park, the University of Utah and has two children, Charlie and Meredith,
Camelback Mountain, and the Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia with his wife, Melissa.
indoor waterpark.
Rusty Gregory
Richard Donahue, JD Chief Executive Officer
Senior Vice President – Director of Claims Alterra Mountain Company, CO
& Loss Control Rusty Gregory was appointed chief exec-
MountainGuard, NH utive officer of Alterra Mountain Company
Richard Donahue joined the in 2018. Forty years ago he started as
MountainGuard team in 2003 as a claims a lift operator at Mammoth Mountain,
specialist and in 2006 became senior vice Calif., rising through the ranks to become
president, now managing claims and loss an owner and chairman/CEO, a role he held for more than 20
control teams throughout North America. Donahue serves as years. He founded, owned, and operated Mammoth Heli-Ski,
the interface between MountainGuard and its insurance carrier then Mammoth Land and Development Company. He purchased
partner on claims and loss control issues. He has authored Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in 1996. Gregory has been chairman
several risk management articles and has spoken at numerous ski of NSAA, trustee of the US Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation,
industry seminars. He practiced law in Massachusetts for 15 years and trustee and vice chairman of the Yosemite Conservancy.
at his family’s firm, Donahue & Donahue Attorneys, PC, where he He also served as chief financial officer and vice chairman for
served as the managing partner. He received his JD from Suffolk California Travel and Tourism Commission.
University Law School in Boston and a BA in US history from the
University of Massachusetts – Amherst.

C22 | NSAA JOURNAL | CONVENTION 2019