Sam Streletsky Joins Kelly Brush Foundation as Director of Ski Racing Safety and Development

July 13, 2026

New role expands the foundation’s commitment to ski racing safety

Burlington, Vermont (July 13, 2026) /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Ski Racing coach, safety professional, and race official Sam Streletsky has joined the Kelly Brush Foundation as the Vermont-based non-profit’s first Director of Ski Racing Safety and Development. This new role will expand the organization’s capacity to improve safety for all ski racers.

Ski Racing Safety has been a core mission of the Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) since the organization was established in 2006, after Kelly Brush crashed into an unprotected lift tower at an FIS-sanctioned collegiate ski race, causing a spinal cord injury and paraplegia. The KBF Ski Racing Safety program currently includes programs to educate ski racing teams, race promoters, and other organizations on best safety practices; a Clean Hill Initiative to remove hazards from race courses; a grant program that has helped organizations purchase hundreds of miles of b-netting and other safety equipment; Stop the Bleed training to ensure that all on-slope personnel know how to prevent a critical injury from becoming a death; and advocacy programs to promote safe racing around the world.

Streletsky, who is based in Summit County, Colorado, is a well-connected and well-respected member of the alpine racing community. As a coach at Team Summit, she has focused on youth development for nearly a decade. In that role, in addition to coaching, she also helped to ensure that ski slopes were safe for racing and training. Through her work with Team Summit, she became a US Ski and Snowboard official, receiving safety training, including methods and standards developed by KBF. During the 2026-2027 season, she will be a rookie US Ski and Snowboard Technical Delegate, building on her years of experience as a Chief of Race, a jury position that helps to ensure fair and safe competition. Thanks to these and other experiences, she brings a deep knowledge of racing and extensive experience to KBF. In her new role, she will be focusing on growing the foundation’s ski racing safety grant program, working with international and national organizations and teams to expand educational initiatives, and helping the foundation to build and share better educational programs and resources.

“Sam has a breadth of knowledge and experience that make her the perfect person to elevate our work in promoting ski racing safety,” said KBF Executive Director Wing Pepper. “In the last 20 years, KBF’s ski racing safety work has brought material change to the sport of ski racing. We’ve helped protect the safety of over 100,000 athletes. With Sam’s help, experience, and connections, we’ll be able to keep many more athletes safely racing for years to come. We’re grateful to have her at KBF!”

Streletsky attributes her passion to create safe and fun race events to her mentors in the Rocky Mountain Division of US Ski and Snowboard. “I’ve been fortunate to train with officials who support coaches, athletes, and parents in conversations about safety concerns. Through this work, I’ve learned how important it is for us to treat races and training events with the same rigorous approach to safety considerations. I’m grateful to use this experience and knowledge to help the KBF spread a message of safety more broadly and keep building a positive culture around safety at every level.”

In addition to working on ski racing safety, Streletsky will also contribute to fundraising efforts, working with KBF’s development staff to identify donors interested in supporting safety initiatives. Her previous fundraising experience includes roles as Executive Director of Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance, and at The Cycle Effect.

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Media Contact
Andrew Bernstein
Andrew.Bernstein@kellybrushfoundation.org
610.618.6272

About the Kelly Brush Foundation
The Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) is a dynamic and growing Burlington, Vermont-based non-profit whose mission is to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to be active. KBF also works closely with the alpine ski racing community to improve safety at events. The Kelly Brush Foundation was founded in 2006 by Kelly Brush and her family after she sustained a spinal cord injury while racing in an NCAA alpine ski race. To date, the Kelly Brush Foundation has awarded more than 2,000 adaptive equipment grants to people in 50 states.