Sarah Jones

Sarah and her family arrived in Steamboat Springs in 2010 and were impressed right away with the number of nonprofit organizations as well as the high level of community engagement.

“I have a history of community work,” says Sarah, “so finding a place like Steamboat where the rate of volunteerism was so high was amazing. It felt from the start like a place where it is really possible to make an impact.”

Sarah jumped right into the nonprofit world as Executive Director of the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, where she served for seven years.

Currently, Sarah serves as Director of Sustainability and Community Engagement at Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation (Ski Corp). At Ski Corp, she oversees operational sustainability, works with local municipalities to advance climate action, and partners with local government agencies and nonprofits on the preservation of local natural resources.

She has also worked as an environmental consultant, managing both the technical and administrative aspects of multi-site environmental clean-up programs. She received her B.A. in Biology, Environmental Studies from Colby College and her M.S. in Geology, Environmental Geochemistry from University of Colorado, Boulder.

Sarah also finds the vibrancy of Steamboat’s creative community amazing. “In spite of the focus here on athletic pursuits and the outdoors, the creative community is thriving! I am always blown away by the work that our nonprofits do. Opera Steamboat is a perfect example. Not only does the organization provide high quality music (opera+) to locals and visitors but also works with students to build a love for music as well as addressing global and local issues like mental illness.”

Sarah is married with two sons (“two boys means we frame a lot of family time around eating!”) and the family enjoys Steamboat’s active lifestyle. “I love to play outside no matter the weather,” says Sarah. “Trail running and mountain biking in the summer and fall, and alpine, backcountry, and Nordic skiing in the winter and spring.”

When asked to name one thing that most people didn’t know about her, Sarah shared that she has an identical twin sister! “And we’ve both chosen Sustainability as a professional pursuit!”