Ashley Walden appointed President and CEO of ORDA

LAKE PLACID | Ashley Walden has taken over as President and CEO of the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority. She succeeds Mike Pratt, who is retiring after more than 38 years with the organization. The Olympic Authority's directors voted to appoint Walden following a multi-month search. "Congratulations to Ashley Walden, who brings dedication, leadership and deep sports knowledge to the Olympic Regional Development Authority," Gov. Kathy Hochul said Aug. 21. "I want to thank Mike Pratt for his 38 years of dedication and leadership of the Olympic Authority, which have been among the best in the Olympic Authority's history. Building on the State's recent generational investments in our Olympic facilities and the successful FISU 2023 World University Games, the future of winter sports in New York State is bright." Walden was a successful athlete with USA Luge on the Olympic and World Cup levels before transitioning to recent sport leadership roles. She joins the Olympic Authority after serving as Executive Director of the Adirondack Sports Council, where she promoted sports and athletic development in the region. Walden organized the 2023 Winter World University Games, a multi-sport collegiate event that involved over 50 countries and approximately 600 universities, in Lake Placid. "The Town of North Elba warmly welcomes and congratulates Ashley Walden as she continues the legacy of success that the Town and the Olympic Authority share," North Elba Town Supervisor Derek Doty said. "We look forward to a long partnership that keeps the spotlight of winter sports on both New York State and the Adirondacks." Prior to that, as Director of Sport and Operations for USA Bobsled and Skeleton, Walden led a recruiting and development effort for both sports to support growth and top performance for the athletes. Mike Pratt has been the Olympic Authority's President and CEO since February 2017. During his tenure, New York has invested more than $600 million in the Olympic Authority facilities to help reposition the State of New York as a global winter sport destination. The major transformations and modernizations were executed with a focus on sustainability and financial responsibility. The venues include Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the Olympic Center, the Olympic Jumping Complex and the Olympic Authority's three ski areas, Belleayre Mountain, Gore Mountain and Whiteface Mountain. "Mike Pratt represented the Olympic Authority with distinction for 38 years and I congratulate him on his well-earned retirement," State Sen. Dan Stec said. "Following him requires a skilled, highly dedicated person, so I'm thrilled that Ashley Walden will be his successor. She did an excellent job as Executive Director of the Adirondack Sports Council and her experiences as an Olympic athlete make her uniquely qualified to be the new President and CEO of the Olympic Authority. I congratulate her on this appointment and look forward to working with her to ensure our region's Olympic facilities remain in use and an important part of our communities." In addition to its six venues in the Adirondacks and Catskills, the Olympic Authority manages the Lake Placid Olympic Museum and Lake Placid Conference Center. The organization also owns the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, the U.S. Luge Association facility, and the Olympic Authority's Corporate offices, all located in Lake Placid. "As we all just witnessed, one of Ashley's strengths is being able to work with others and form a team to get the job done, which the success of the World University Games has proven," Lake Placid Village Mayor Art Devlin said. "Using all the resources that the Olympic region has to offer, I look forward to seeing Ashley do the same thing at the Olympic Authority. While the village looks forward to working with Ashley, it is bittersweet as we will be losing Mike Pratt. Mike has done an excellent job of taking all of his experiences and listening to those under him to repurpose and rebuilding all of the Olympic venues to what are unarguably amongst the best in the world. On behalf of myself and the Village of Lake Placid, we wish all the best to Mike in his retirement and to Ashley in her new endeavor." Last winter, New York welcomed 68.5 million visitors, generating more than $16.1 billion in direct visitor spending. The Olympic Authority surpassed one million visits to the venues in the 2022/2023 fiscal; it included record-breaking growth in season passes and operational revenue as well as an expanded scope of the Olympic Authority's business segments and year-round activities. Tourism Economics reported that the Olympic Authority delivered a $341.8 million economic impact for New York State during the 2022/2023 fiscal year, a 119 percent increase from the $156 million reported in 2016/2017. "Congratulations to Ashley Walden for her new position as CEO and President of the Olympic Authority," Assemblymember Billy Jones said. "She was instrumental in bringing the FISU World University Games to the Adirondacks, and her years as an employee and as an American luger will be a great asset to the Olympic Authority, and I look forward to continuing to work together." The Olympic Authority Board of Directors found Walden to be a leader who will build on the Olympic Authority's economic successes and continue to leverage the venue investments that New York State has made. Governor Hochul's 2023/2024 Executive Budget includes $92.5 million in capital contributions to continue improving and maintaining the Olympic Authority's venues and facilities. "As Wilmington Town Supervisor, I look forward to working with Ashley Walden in her new role as CEO of the Olympic Authority and thank Mike Pratt for his extraordinary leadership and vision," Wilmington Town Supervisor Roy Holzer said.

Signup for our newsletter

Ashley Walden appointed President and CEO of ORDA

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS