At the age of 18, Anouk Patty (MBA 1997) was in an enviable position, or so it seemed. In addition to gaining acceptance at Dartmouth College, Patty’s speed and grit had earned her a place on the US Alpine Ski Team since the age of 14. Now an incoming freshman at Dartmouth College, she saw no reason to choose between academics and competing in the sport she loved. At the time, however, few supports were in place to help athletes navigate the dual pressures of a rigorous course load and a demanding training and travel schedule.

Patty ultimately left the US team and went on to ski for Dartmouth, where she was a three-time All American and won the NCAA Skiing Championships in 1988. She never looked back, going on to HBS and a successful career in banking, consulting, and tech. And today, in Patty’s new role as chief of sport at US Ski & Snowboard, she can ensure other athletes feel supported, should they choose to attend college while also competing on the world’s stage.

With her children out of the house, Patty was already thinking about a new direction. “It wasn’t like I had to shift gears,” she says of the transition. “I was there and eager and ready to go.” As the national governing body for Alpine, cross-country, Nordic combined, freestyle, snowboarding, and freeski, US Ski & Snowboard supports grassroots development of those sports as well as the elite national teams. In her role, Patty intends to implement an OKR-driven approach to leadership, in addition to driving a high-performing culture focused on transparency, accountability, and engagement. Making an inclusive culture is another objective. “Some of the little things can create a shift,” says Patty, who identifies as gay. “On June 1, I sent out a ‘Happy Pride Month’ email with a little history about its connection to the Stonewall riots and the courage of the protesters and wrote, ‘We are an organization built on courage and inclusivity. Let’s celebrate that.’ I can’t tell you how many people responded to me. It was really cool.”

Let it go: Patty suffered three serious leg breaks at age 12. “When I came back after my accident, I was last in every race. A teammate said, ‘Maybe you need to accept you’re not as good as you used to be.’ I realized she might be right and that I was okay with that; it was the sport I’d always loved, not the winning.”

Gamechanger: “After I stopped being solely focused on my results, I started to climb back up the ladder and won the last, biggest race of the year. That got me an invitation to the US team camp. From there, I was back in it.”

Fundamentals: “When I was in tech, it was all about hitting our daily or quarterly number. You can’t take that approach in sports. Yes, we want to win the medal count in 2026. But you have to put that aside and, each day, focus on process, process, process and culture, culture, culture.”

Solid ground: “A common trait of high-performing organizations is that their employees have a sense of emotional safety and can bring their best selves to work. The same is true in sports, especially when you have younger athletes performing under immense pressure.”

Decision point: “I was cold called on a case where some mountain climbers come upon a person who is hypothermic and certain to die. Do you stay with this person or continue to the summit? Today I’d stay. But then, I’m pretty sure I said I’d go to the summit. We were young, and not everyone is at their best in business school.”

Home turf: Growing up, Patty attended the Green Mountain Valley School, where she trained at Vermont’s Sugarbush Resort. “Skiing and snowboarding are more lifestyles than they are sports. It’s everything from the sounds and smells of the snow and the winter weather to the adrenaline rush you get from accelerating out of a turn.”

Memory lane: “They haven’t had it in a while but I used to love the Women’s World Cup in Vail, Colorado. The course had a lot of jumps on it, a lot of air, and a great mix of speed and flats.”

Best slope-side amenity: “A big fireplace in the lodge is the best thing because I actually get really cold.”

Après ski: “I’m a bourbon gal.”

Downtime: “The mountain biking in Park City, Utah, is phenomenal. I also love to golf and play tennis. Doing any of those makes me happy.”

In the zone: “A common mental prep technique I’ve used is repeating three words over and over, to keep myself focused, like forward, aggressive, relax. Everyone has their own three words, and it doesn’t need to be for a skiing or snowboarding competition.”

Reading: Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization, by former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. “It’s been very helpful in framing my own leadership style in a sports environment.”

Heard: “I listen to a bazillion podcasts. One of my favorites is History That Doesn’t Suck.”

Competitive advantage: “As an athlete, you have to absorb constant feedback, some of it pretty harsh, and use that information to take your performance to the next level. That ability is a huge benefit in business.”

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