Pinkham Notch, NH - Wildcat Mountain ski area's Director of Mountain Operations, Alexa Bernotavicz, was recently named this year's sole female recipient of a SAMMY Future Leadership Award, presented by Ski Area Management Magazine. The awards honor four individuals whose strong, innovative leadership demonstrated at mid-career shows exciting promise for even more accomplishments and leadership in the future.

Last November, at the start of her eighth season at Wildcat Mountain, the 34-year-old Bernotavicz was promoted to Mountain Operations Manager, and became the first female Mountain Operations Director in Wildcat’s history. She took her first position at Wildcat in December 1998, as Director of the Children’s Ski School and Nursery Programs. The following season saw her join Wildcat Ski Patrol on a full-time basis through the ski season, with full-time summer employment with the White Mountain National Forest.

Bernotavicz has gradually taken on greater responsibility across mountain operations, so that she was the natural choice to fill the Mountain Operations Director position when it opened early last winter. Bernotavicz oversees a staff of managers in charge of Lift Maintenance, Lift Operations, Snowmaking, Grooming, Vehicle Maintenance, and Ski Patrol. Her style of management has continued to create an atmosphere of teamwork across the Mountain.

Originally from Litchfield, Maine, Bernotavicz graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology. Her experience ranges from geological field research in Iceland and the Canadian Arctic to extensive supervisory experience with the U.S. Forest Service, stretching out as far as Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. In connection with her roles with the Forest Service, Bernotavicz has a very high level of training and experience in emergency response and fire-fighting. An EMT and Wilderness EMT, Bernotavicz has received additional training in life support and avalanche rescue.