U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Vice President, Marketing Communications, Tom Kelly, was named chairman of the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) Committee for Public Relations and Mass Media. Kelly will serve along with vice-chairman Ignacio Valenzuela of Spain for a two-year term. The FIS Council decision was formally announced June 21 by the FIS.

“It’s a great honor to be named to this position by the FIS,” said Kelly, who has served on the committee for over a decade. “We have a really strong international committee with members from the highest levels of management from national associations. I plan to be a very pro-active chairman and to energize our national associations to help increase global awareness of competitive skiing and snowboarding. It’s an important role for us at USSA, but also for our sport globally.”

USSA has taken an increasingly more active role in FIS issues since Bill Marolt was named president and CEO in 1996; he is one of only four vice presidents of the FIS Council.

“Our work with the FIS and the national associations on global issues is very important to USSA and we are actively seeking stronger roles in FIS committees to help lead our sport worldwide,” Marolt said. “Tom Kelly has played a very active role in global public relations and marketing, and will be an asset for the sport in his new role.”

In other decisions from the FIS Council meeting last month in Portugal, Howard Peterson (Soldier Hollow, UT) was renamed chairman of the Committee for Advertising Matters, Bill Slattery (Buffalo Grove, IL) held onto his leadership role as chairman of the FIS Snowboard Committee. USSA Freestyle Program Director Polly-Jo Clark (Heber City, UT) was re-named chair of freestyle’s NorAm Cup SubCommittee while USSA Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner was chosen chairman of the Subcommittee for Popular Cross Country. Around two-dozen USSA officials serve on various FIS committees.

FIS, based in Oberhofen, Switzerland, conducts its Congress (convention) every two years. The organization, which met in Miami two years ago, held its 2006 Congress in Vilamoura, Portugal.