October 31, 2011 – Lakewood, Colo. – The Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI) are pleased to announce a realignment of national staff positions and departments. The retirement of veteran staff, continued growth in membership, and desire to improve and increase services to members are all contributing factors in this exciting opportunity.

As a result of this realignment, the PSIA-AASI Education Department evolves with a contemporary focus as the PSIA-AASI Professional Development Department lead by PSIA-AASI veteran and former AASI Snowboard Team member Earl Saline. In his role as professional development manager, Saline will continue to oversee the implementation of the association’s Strategic Education Plan, which includes education and credentialing initiatives, as well as establishing a foundation of resources to guide members through professional development opportunities.

Laurence Gration joins the organization as deputy executive director. In this role, Gration will provide operational oversight and leadership for the membership services, professional development, communications, and marketing departments. Gration has a proven track record of association management success, having served in a variety of association executive roles. He is recognized by the American Society of Association Executives as a Certified Association Executive, and has served ASAE as a speaker, panelist, and author.

“This is an exciting, yet crucial time for PSIA-AASI,” said Executive Director and CEO Mark Dorsey. “In addition to the increased demands of serving our growing membership base, we also realize that the needs of those members are evolving. The realignment of our staff structure provides the association with an incredible opportunity to provide better access and stronger connections for our members, truly allowing us to become the hub of snowsports instruction.”

For more information about PSIA-AASI and to read staff bios, visit TheSnowPros.org.

About PSIA and AASI

PSIA-AASI is an educational organization of the nonprofit American Snowsports Education Association (ASEA), with a combined membership of more than 31,000 men and women who are dedicated to promoting snowsports through instruction. The organization establishes certification standards for ski and snowboard instructors and develops education materials to be used as the core components of most ski and snowboard school training. PSIA-AASI supports the membership through research and development of instructional programs in alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, adaptive skiing and riding, and children’s skiing and riding. Visit TheSnowPros.org for more information.