Vail Resorts announced a number of leadership changes Monday in its mountain division. Doug Lovell, vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain, will retire from his position on May 1 and Beth Howard, who had the same role at Beaver Creek, will succeed Lovell, the company stated in a news release.
Nadia Guerriero, vice president and general manager of Northstar California Resort, will be promoted to vice president and chief operating officer at Beaver Creek Resort to succeed Howard. All of the changes will go into effect May 1, and the search for Guerriero’s replacement at Northstar will begin immediately.
Lovell has led Vail Mountain since 2017. He joined Vail Resorts in 1994 where he held various positions in mountain operations at Beaver Creek and Keystone before taking the helm at Keystone Resort in 2009 as vice president and chief operating officer. He then moved over to Beaver Creek to accept the same role in 2010. In 2015, he oversaw the hosting of the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships at Beaver Creek. Among his innovations during his two years at Vail has been the grooming of sections of the Back Bowls, an instant hit with guests.
“Over his 25-year tenure with Vail Resorts, Doug’s well-respected leadership and experience across multiple resorts and facets of the business have been instrumental in shaping the guest and employee experience at Beaver Creek, Keystone and Vail,” Chris Jarnot, executive vice president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division, said in a statement. “On behalf of Vail Resorts, I want to thank Doug for his commitment and dedication to the company and to sharing his passion for the sport with our guests, year after year.”
Howard, an industry veteran like Lovell, joined Vail Resorts in 1985 as a college intern at Beaver Creek. Over the next three decades, she grew her leadership scope to oversee the entirety of Vail Resorts’ mountain dining and clubs. Howard was promoted to vice president and general manager of Northstar California Resort in 2014 and returned to Beaver Creek two years later. She has been instrumental in implementing signature Beaver Creek initiatives such as Red Buffalo Park and the Red Buffalo Express Lift (#5), extending the unique family-oriented culture with the Cookie Cabin and Ice Cream Parlour, and has focused on elevating guest service.
Guerriero, who will take over for Howard at Beaver Creek, began her career with Northstar in 2007 and, before taking the helm at the resort, served as senior director of base area operations, village, and events. In addition to her focus on improving the Northstar guest experience, she also successfully built and strengthened relationships with the resort’s extensive group of homeowners, community associations, developers and government stakeholders. Prior to Northstar, she spent more than a decade representing professional Olympic and action-sports athletes at two leading management agencies.
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Both Howard and Guerriero will report to Jarnot.
“It’s very exciting to provide these well-deserved opportunities to Beth and Nadia, both of whom have grown and proven their leadership within Vail Resorts over their careers,” Jarnot said in a statement. “We’re happy to see them take on these new roles to continue their impact at new resorts.”
