Art Kahn

How long have you been a member of the Columbus Ski Club and why did you join?

I have been a member since 1983. I Joined to meet people and get involved in sports and other activities.

What trips or activities have you led or been involved in?

Long time activity leader for our great bowling league, social softball coach, social volleyball leader and coach, 6 years CSC board member over sports. In addition to the above, I have participated in: Tennis, soccer, euchre, cycling, ski trips, and football trips.

Why do you want to run for the Board?

Why do you want to run for the Board? Having enjoyed the plethora of activities over the years, it is great to be involved in decision-making with regards to future fun activities.

Alicia Shipley

Why do you want to run for the board?

I have been on the board for 2 years and I enjoy being involved in decision-making processes along with supporting the club that has given me many enjoyable experiences and friendships.  It also allows me to contribute and ensure the club's sustainability for future members.

How long have you been a member of the Columbus Ski Club and why did you join?

I joined in 2021 after retiring to make new friends and participate in our social leagues.

What trips or activities have you led or been involved in?

I went on the Vail trip in 2021 although I didn’t ski.  I have participated in euchre, bowling, softball, golf, billiards and have attended many of our social events.

Please tell us about yourself.

I retired as a Telecommunications Analyst from the state of Ohio in 2021.  I love watching the Columbus Crew and enjoy hiking, biking, billiards, euchre,  pickleball and live music along with spending time with my family and ski club friends.  I’m also hoping to become a decent bocce ball player with some other members over the summer.

Andrew Ottavio

How long have you been a member of theColumbus Ski Club and why

did you join?

I joined in March 2018 to participate in ski trips and become involved with others who have similar interests. 

What trips or activities have you led or been involved in?

I have been on many ski trips since I joined. In addition, I play in the Tuesday Night Gol.f League as well as serve as the TRACK newsletter editor

Please tell us about yourself.

I am a retired business owner who previously had careers in computer science and electronic engineering. I enjoy socializing with family and friends as well as staying active

by playing ice hockey bike riding and of course skiing. I am originally from Long Island, NY, but along with my wife and our two adult children have called Columbus our home for the past 30 years.

Why do you want to run for the board?

I had the pleasure of being an appointed member of the Board since July 2019. In that time, I have witnessed the dedication of the board members to provide its members a wide range of social, sport and trip activities. As I have always enjoyed being an active participant in the groups I belong to, I would be excited to assist this organization to continue in its mission to be a productive, exciting, and relevant organization.

Debbie Parris

How long have you been in the Club and why did you join?

I have been a member of the club for more than 35 years and on the board for a total of about 14 non-contiguous years, and 9 in the most current period.  I joined because I love to ski and party and after I was divorced, I needed new ski buddies and place to safely meet like-minded active people.  I can now say that I met most of my best and longest-term friends in ski club.

What trips or activities have you led?

I have been President of the Columbus Ski Club board for over 2 years and served as its secretary during the previous year.  I have been involved in mostly ski-related and social activities.  I have led too many ski trips to count (or remember), including to international locations such as Switzerland and Canada, national locations, including Lake Tahoe, Park City, Copper Mountain, Vail, Winter Park, and “local” ones including Seven Springs and Holiday Valley.  I was also on the race team for over 10 years and as a board member, I oversaw the race-team and its budget for that activity for many years prior to Covid-19.

Please tell us about yourself (personal/ business).

I was a Professor at the OSU medical school for 35 years, where I ran a research laboratory and taught graduate students.  I retired about 10 years ago and became a self-employed real estate agent affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty.  I have found a great deal of success in my real estate career because of my organizational and communication personal skills, ability to use new technology, strong work ethic, and lots of personal contacts.  My real estate career also allows me to be flexible and to ski more during the slower winter months!

Why do you want to run for the Board?

When I joined the board for the second time about 9 years ago, there was a need for additional leadership and I had the time and was happy to serve.  I have learned that if you want to make something better, it is important that you are willing to be part of the effort to do so.  A club like the CSC runs entirely on the effort of volunteers and I have been proud to help by being a board member, and now its President, supporting the club’s activities.  I want to continue to do my part in making sure that the CSC is able to offer a wide range of activities with responsible trip leaders and good fiscal leadership.  Although it was difficult to offer many activities during the COVID pandemic, I think the board has done a great job in bring old and new members to engage again after so much isolation.  As a board member, I have heard from members to have more ski trips (and we are doing that), more diverse activities (the board has strongly supported this), to keep costs down (we have cut the costs of membership and the amount of reserve required for activities) and to recruit more and younger members (we are trying).  I am happy to say that we are growing again after many years of declining membership. If elected, I will continue to devote my efforts to see that the CSC remains strong and committed to its membership.

Tom Glover

How long have you been in the Columbus Ski Club and why did you join?

I joined in 2000 for sports and social activities.

What trips or activities have you led and/or participated in?

I have been on several ski (Banff, Sun Valley, Tahoe, France, Italy) and non-ski (Costa Rica,

Australia/New Zealand, Ireland, New York, Utah) trips.  I have participated in many Ski Club sports

(softball, darts, tennis, golf, bowling) and social activities (dances, parties, etc.).  I have been in

Please tell us about yourself (personal/business):

I’m from Memphis and lived in Dallas before being transferred to Columbus in 1993.  I am

retired from Kubota Tractor Company.

Why do you want to run for the Board?

The time spent on the Board helps deter me from other, less healthy, activities and keeps me

out of trouble.  It has provided a welcome break from the endless monotony of naps, infomercials, and

Three Stooges/Marx Bros./W.C. Fields reruns.