2025-2026 Dallas Ski Club Officers & Directors

Growing up in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York provided me with an opportunity to love and appreciate the outdoors. With that came snow skiing, or as some would call Eastern skiing, ICE SKIING. Since snow skiing was limited during my days at the University of Florida, the snow skis went into hibernation for many years to be replaced by water skis and scuba tanks.

After college I was very fortunate to begin my working career in Texas and ultimately settled in the Dallas area. The Metroplex has really matured and diversified over the years. This transformation allowed me first and foremost stay in Dallas, but to also build lifelong business and personal relationships across both the financial services industry and technology sectors.

When my boys were in elementary school the decision to get the family into the ski world began again. No more ice skiing as we discovered what real skiing in the west was all about.

That brings me to the Dallas Ski Club which I joined in 2016 by way of a friend who was a long time member. The organization, the functions, the non-skiing trips and of course the many ski trips have all far exceeded my expectations over the years. At the end of the day however, it’s the friends I have made and the wonderful memories I now have and continue to create, that will last me a lifetime that is most enduring.

president@dallasskiclub.org

I'm fortunate to have had many different careers which I have thoroughly enjoyed and had fun in. I retired from the Air Force where I was able to pilot many different airplanes and be Head of Contracting and also Program Manager for different large and small aerospace programs. This culminated with retiring as the head of the entire U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter program worldwide.

Afterwards, I joined industry where at a number of large aerospace corporations I was able to head their manufacturing operations or supply chains to build airplanes or many technically advanced military and civilian aerospace systems. Due to such diverse careers, I have lived too many places to mention. I moved to McKinney, Texas in 2003 from Hilton Head Island after retiring from General Dynamics - Gulfstream Aerospace as the VP of Supply Chain, to accept a corporate position that allowed me to become a real Texan and later retire here.

I have become a Texas A&M Aggie Dad due to my 22 year-old daughter graduating from there this next May. Also, one son is an engineer in Reston, Virginia, and another son works for American Airlines in Phoenix, Arizona. During retirement, I enjoy many adventures including working with charities, driving classic cars and Porsches, fitness, bicycling and of course skiing.

That brings me to why I joined the Dallas Ski Club 7 years ago. Overall, I enjoy engaging with a diversity of people. You are never too old to discover new ideas. A neighbor and friend suggested I join the DSC where not only I would be able to start skiing again, but in addition, meet interesting people. DSC has met all my expectations and then some. Hopefully I can help other skiers and those who do not ski discover DSC and gain the satisfaction I have had.

pastpresident@dallasskiclub.org

I was introduced to skiing at a young age, water skiing that is, as I was born and raised in Coral Gables, Florida. Miami was a great place to be a kid in the 50s and 60s, where sailing became my passion. My dad bought me a small racing boat and that led to crewing on many famous racing sailboats in the Southern Ocean Racing Conference, Antigua Race Week and even the Big Boat Series on San Francisco Bay. After getting married, my former wife and I lived on a sailboat for 4 years, spending weekends in the Keys rafted up with friends, diving for lobster, and doing an annual sail through the Bahamas.

It wasn’t until my 30s when I first put on a pair of snow skis after moving to Boulder, Colorado. After 8 years in Colorado, I moved to Silicon Valley to work in the semiconductor business, running a couple of semiconductor equipment companies. The engineering degree I received from the University of Florida stood me well in deciphering the complexities of the industry. The industry also provided me the opportunity to travel the globe, which was a great way to see the world on someone else’s nickel. Snow skiing was only 3 hours away at Lake Tahoe’s many great slopes. I finally ended up in Dallas after being recruited to run a division of L3 Communications and the rest is history.

I joined the Dallas Ski Club in 2020 and enjoy volunteering for the organization. Most days you can find me riding my bicycle or doing drives with my Porsche Club buddies. Am now trying to learn the sport of fly fishing, with the operative word being trying...

presidentelect@dallasskiclub.org

Irving was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and grew up in Louisiana and Mississippi. He graduated from Woodville High School in 1962, served in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1967, and graduated from Mississippi State University in 1970 with a degree in accounting. He moved to Texas to work for Price Waterhouse & Co. where he became a Certified Public Accountant. He has two grown sons and five grandchildren who all live in the DFW metroplex. He retired in 2013 and loves to travel and experience new adventures. He joined the Dallas Ski Club in 2013 and goes on as many ski trips as possible each year. Irving has previously served on the DSC Board as Secretary and President.

treasurer@dallasskiclub.org

More about Debbie coming soon!

secretary@dallasskiclub.org

More about Bob coming soon!

activities@dallasskiclub.org

Donna Garrett is a native of Dallas TX and a proud graduate of Southern Methodist University where she earned degrees in chemistry and biology and postgraduate studies in pulmonology.

Donna has a passion for travel, gourmet cuisine, dancing, jazz and attending local concerts. An avid gardener, she specializes in cultivating hybrid roses and fragrant plumerias from Hawaii. She also enjoys dedicating her time to animal rescue with the Dallas Animal Shelter.

After a 38-year career with Merck & Co. Inc, where she held various sales and management roles across 5 states, Donna retired and began devoting more time to her passions and community.

Deeply committed to community service, Donna is involved in several nonprofit organizations including Texas Kidney Foundation, The Salvation Army, AWARE, Friends of the Dallas Police, Women’s Council Dallas Arboretum and multiple women's groups. She currently holds board memberships in the Harmony Club and the Dallas Ski Club, VP of Marketing.

A member of the DSC since 2002, Donna has built many lasting relationships and enjoys participating in the DSC wide range of social events, travel experiences, and cherished traditions.

marketing@dallasskiclub.org

Dan is a native Texan and grew up in Plano, TX. He started skiing in 2012 and fell in love with the sport; he tries to get in as many days as he can on the slopes each season. Dan worked in the telecommunications field for a few years after college but decided to follow his passion of home renovation and furniture building which led him to return to graduate school and start his career in architecture and design. He earned a Master of Architecture degree from The University of Texas at Arlington and worked on many high profile projects for several Dallas-based firms that specialized in residential and commercial buildings and hospitality interiors. He is a licensed Architect, a LEED Accredited Professional and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Record Boards. He now runs his own architecture firm, Eckxstudio for Modern Architecture, which embraces modern and contemporary residential architecture.

Dan and his wife Angie live in Dallas and besides skiing, he enjoys bicycling, cooking, traveling and the arts. Fun fact - Dan took up competitive bicycling at the age of 13, became a U.S. national champion at 18, and still rides today nearly 35 years after getting started. In these 35 years, he has ridden over 230,000 miles which means he is getting close to covering the distance from Earth to the Moon. And he's gone through a lot of tires and bikes in the process!

publications@dallasskiclub.org

I was born in the small town of Carmel, New York. I was 1 of 6 siblings and learned to ski when I was 10 years old. In 1976, I joined the U.S. Army and served 3 years in various locations including Germany. While in Germany, every other weekend I was off to various locations in the Alps. After the Army, I utilized the GI Bill to attend Mount Saint Mary’s College and Jacksonville State University earning a double Major in Accounting and Finance. I passed the CPA exam on the first pass and received my license in the State of Georgia. I worked in a Public Accounting firm for 6 years until moving to Texas in 1988. I have two sons that live here in the North Dallas area and Sanger. I have an 18-month year old granddaughter by the name of Freya Catherine Walther.

After moving to Texas I began working for JCPenney, and retired in 2017 after 28 years in various positions. I was President of JCP Receivable, a $4.2 billion Receivables Trust fund. My other positions were not just in Accounting and Finance's traditional roles. During my 28 years, I was involved in major systems upgrades some of which included conversion of Financial Balance sheet and Income Statement from JCPenney home grown systems to Hyperion software. Integrating both the new Peoplesoft general ledger into our Consolidation System. I ran both systems simultaneously to incorporate prior year’s numbers into our new system. Also, I developed many ad hoc reports for our financial department. Years later, I moved to the Budget and Forecast department, responsible for not only the JCPenney monthly and annual Budgets and Forecasts but was heavily involved in several conversions. I worked with IT to test and implement Peoplesoft conversion to Oracle, including POS bridge to new systems. Last conversion was the stores forecast, integrating the JCP Home grown POS system with the Oracle Stores forecast.

I learned about the DSC from a fellow Porsche Club member, Vince Hrenak. Four months later, in June 2019, I joined the DSC. My first trip was to Chamonix, France in January 2020 and I have been hooked ever since. I have skied in 2020 through 2023, 4 years even during Covid. I also have participated in the yearly races at the club holds in Aspen each year. I was trip leader for Mammoth in 2022 and Jackson Hole in 2023, as well as assistant for Aspen in 2023.

trips@dallasskiclub.org

I was born and raised in Omaha, NE. I had various jobs growing up including X-Ray Tech for Orthopedic Surgeons, concrete construction worker in Vail, CO., ski bum in Vail and worked in accounting departing for the Union Pacific RR. I married and moved to Dallas, TX in 1979 where my daughter Jana was born. I have two granddaughters; Ava Grace, 10 years old and Savannah Hope, 8 years old.

I have an accounting degree and finished my career as an Internal Revenue Agent for the IRS, Bank Secrecy Division, which stood up after the 9/11 attacks. I worked with IRS Criminal Investigation, CIA, FBI and ICE hunting down terrorists and money launderers. I retired after 32 years of service working an amazing, interesting job that took me from the east to west coast of the U.S.

I’ve always loved all sports. I’ve been a runner since my 20s and have run numerous 10Ks, half marathons and full marathons. I love tennis, hand ball, snow and water skiing, running, bicycling, walking and gardening. I’ve been a member of the Dallas Ski Club since the early 90s and served on the board five times in different positions. These include VP of Membership, Happy Hours and Secretary. I love being active and having fun with people who love life and want to stay active.

membership@dallasskiclub.org