Candidate Questions:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself

I am a Colorado fan boy, where I have lived and worked for the past 30 years. This is my family's sixth year living in Eagle Vail where we have (mostly) finished refurbishing our duplex. My son attends high school at Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy as an alpine racer. My daughter is a senior at Vail Mountain School and dances with the Vail Valley Academy of Dance.

2. Why do you want to join the EVMD Board of Directors?

I hope, with your support, to bring the leadership and financial skills learned working with business and community leaders and their boards to generate benefits for all the EVMD membership. Specifically, I believe the board needs to better represent our community. I believe as taxpayers, Eagle Vail residents should get preferred pricing on all our amenities. While I struggle to book a tee time, non-residents get the same pricing for golf memberships. I think we can continue to maintain and improve our amenities without taking steps like reducing the size of our par 3 golf course. I think we can work better with our surrounding community to, for example, continue to improve linkage with the Park Service's Eagle Vail and Evercrisp Trails. I believe my financial background will help ensure this community gets the most value from all tax dollars and ensure our property values and quality of life remain high and expand in the future.

3. What are some of your past leadership experiences?

I recently finished two years of service as Treasurer on the board of the Eagle Vail POA, leaving the association in a stronger financial position on my departure than when I started. I am currently the Treasurer of the VSSA PTO.
Over a 30+ year professional career, I have worked with local and global companies and partners across four continents helping them build better companies. Among other roles, I have served as the CFO and COO for local startups. I have delivered projects, led organizations and developed people in the army, at large companies, startups, boutique firms and as an independent advisor. I built my leadership and management skills in the Army Corps of Engineers while serving in the US and Korea. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from West Point and a MBA emphasizing Engineering Management. (more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonst/ )

4. What skills, resources, and expertise will you bring to the EVMD?

I am passionate about delivering results through goal setting, coaching and consensus building. Specific skills are implementing focused strategy, financial controls, and leadership. These skills, along with my past board experience will help the Metro District be more responsive to and deliver more benefit for the Eagle Vail community.

5. What are your interests and/or hobbies?

I love taking advantage of all the great outdoor amenities we have in and around Eagle Vail, especially hiking, biking and skiing. I am the defending USA Cycling downhill mountain biking national champion for my age group. I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, and Hapkido. I am a licensed private pilot and an Eagle Scout. I have volunteered time supporting the Vail Valley Friends of Dance for their winter Nutcracker performances (where my wife is president of their board) and working on crew for the Birds of Prey World Cup race series. I enjoy reading, playing an occasional game of chess and hanging with my family.