Dale Atkins
A past president of the American Avalanche Association, Dale Atkins is a highly-respected snow safety professional with over four decades of experience. His career has included longtime work as a ski patrol, along with forecasting for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and as a technology leader for RECCO. He spent his entire career working in the mountains using his knowledge as a snow scientist and overseeing challenging mountain rescues.  His passion for saving lives served as important counsel in the early formation of BRASS, as the families sought a direction to bring education to others.

Ben Mirkin
Now in his third season as a BRASS Avalanche educator, Ben Mirkin is an associate professor of Outdoor Education, Leadership, and Tourism at Northern Vermont University – and an experienced snow safety educator. He is an avid backcountry skier, mountain biker and climber, guiding both on rock and ice, as well as snow. Ben has spent his career in outdoor education combining his personal passions with helping others enjoy adventures while mitigating risk. He has been an important educator for BRASS Avalanche to help highlight the importance of snow safety – especially in the eastern USA..

Cindy Berlack
When tragedy struck in 2015, the families of Bryce Astle and Ronnie Berlack were changed forever. Amidst their grief, they formed BRASS Avalanche to provide a message of snow safety to millions. Cindy Berlack, mother of Ronnie, has been a catalyst to engage BRASS with the international snow safety community. She was a pioneer of BRASS 101, presenting local clinics at first and now a global online program that remains free. A collegiate ski racer at Middlebury in the alpine and nordic, she remains an active masters racer. She serves as president of BRASS, and continues to be its guiding light, advocating for snow safety.

Lindsay Mann
A Massachusetts native, Lindsay Mann was a passionate ski racer, helping Dartmouth College win an NCAA title in 2007. She took that passion to the big mountains of the west, developing skills as a mountain guide and a snow safety professional. In 2018, as mountain awareness program coordinator for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, she pioneered an innovative program designed to build mountain and snow safety knowledge. Mann was an early advocate for BRASS, presenting safety presentations to U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff and helping BRASS build its educational programs.

Jess Shade
An avid high-altitude ski mountaineer, climber, and mental health therapist, Jess Shade knows the importance of decision-making. In her Utah-based clinical mental health practice, she works with high performance athletes as well as those suffering from trauma in the mountains. Jess has trained in snow safety at the National Outdoor Leadership School and the American Avalanche Institute. She has skied and climbed in the great ranges on three continents. In 2021, she became only the second woman to ski Mt. Manaslu in the Nepali Himalaya.

Tom Kelly
A professional communicator his entire career, Tom Kelly served as spokesperson for U.S. Ski & Snowboard for 30+ years, retiring in 2018. He was on the front line for the U.S. Ski Team at the time of the 2015 avalanche, helping tell the story of Bryce and Ronnie in a sensitive way. Now in a private communications counseling practice, Kelly continues to serve BRASS Avalanche, managing its communications and moderating BRASS 101 and other webinars to spread the message on the importance of snow safety. He remains an enthusiastic skier – both lift-served and backcountry – from his home in Park City, Utah.