The SnowSports Industries America announced Wednesday that Diane Boyer-Irwin, president of SKEA, will assume the role of Chairwoman of the Board of Directors at its annual meeting taking place in Las Vegas during the SIA.05 SnowSports Show. Boyer-Irwin was unanimously voted in by her peers and will retain the title for a one-year term. This marks the first time in SIA’s 51-year history that a woman has attained this title.
Serving as president of the family-owned business for 10 years, Boyer-Irwin looks forward to serving her newly-appointed role and is proud that “the boy’s club has finally gone co-ed”. “I am honored to be chosen to serve in this capacity for our members especially as a representative from a smaller company,” stated Boyer-Irwin. “I believe I am a great communicator and can help bring the industry together to continue working as a whole,” she added. During her acceptance speech at the annual meeting, Boyer-Irwin stated that her goals during her term were to continue improving the perception of SIA; continue building an effective and efficient SIA tradeshow; help to develop programs that will increase participation and awareness in snow sports; and leverage the overall synergy of our industry.
Boyer-Irwin was elected to the SIA Board of Directors in 1999 and has served six consecutive terms to date. She was elected Third Vice Chair during the 2000-01 term and has worked her way up the chain of command each term. She will replace Richard Leffler, president of Nils, Inc, who served a two-year consecutive term at the helm of SIA. “I believe Diane brings a vast amount of experience to this position and especially in the specialty market which is a vital market in our industry,” stated Leffler. “It is truly exciting to have Diane in this role and I think it speaks well for this industry to have a woman in this position.”
SKEA started in 1972 by her family importing skiwear from France. Boyer-Irwin knew she wanted to run her own business starting in 1977 while she was still at Dartmouth. Her mother still serves as a designer on staff for the company today and Boyer-Irwin relishes the opportunity to work with her on a daily basis. “My parents both played a HUGE role in my aspirations to work in the clothing industry and specifically in the winter sports industry.” An avid skier for over 45 years, she lives in Vail, Colorado, with her two daughters, Katharine and Jocelyn ages 10 and 13, respectively. She skis on average about 30 days a season; however, it is her goal this season to hit the slopes more. She even spent the Christmas break teaching private lessons at Vail.
