DNSC Board Members
Shere Kuss
Shere Kuss Byrd is a Durango native who has been skiing since she was three years old. As a junior high and high school athlete, Shere competed in both cross-country and alpine events, skiing at venues throughout Colorado and the US. She was on the first women’s ski team at Western State College, where she specialized in Nordic events. Her daughter Mallory was a member of the Durango Nordic racing team, and the entire family still ski locally and regionally as often as life allows. Shere’s brings experience on several local boards and an understanding of cross-country skiing as a lifetime activity to the DNC board. She has an appreciation for the challenges that face an industry increasingly impacted by climate change and is excited to work with an organization that has a focus on serving the community.
Marc Basiliere
A product designer and project manager specializing in outdoor equipment, Marc Basiliere has successfully licensed designs to industry leaders in outdoor recreation, industrial safety, and aerospace. Following his early passion as a high school cross-country ski racer, he earned an undergraduate degree in Recreation Resource & Ski Resort Management and served as executive director of Vermont's Kingdom Trails. He later expanded his education with a Postgraduate Diploma in Product Design.
Before establishing his own product design firm in 2013, Marc managed several production projects in the aerospace industry. A lifelong lover of the mountains, Marc moved to Durango in 2001. He can regularly be found enjoying the high country on his mountain bike or, come winter, on his skis at the Durango Nordic Center.
Caley Fretz
Caley Fretz started nordic racing in high school in Burlington, Vermont and has had the bug ever since. He and his wife, Megan (a former Durango Nordic skier), and their two children have become Durango Nordic regulars since moving back to town in 2021. Caley has a passion for junior development and getting kids on skis. In his day job, he is a journalist and co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Escape Collective, a media company focused on cycling where he occasionally slides in a sneaky story about wax technique.
Mitch Dion
Recently re-located to Durango from the Lake Tahoe area in Northern California, Mitch looks forward to helping out at our very special Nordic center. As an active volunteer in the Northern California ski world, he was involved in youth development for Far West Nordic Ski Education Association and helped stage two Junior National events. In his day job-as executive director of PSIA/AASI Western Division, he oversaw the education and certification of ski and snowboard instructors.
He worked in numerous roles at his backyard Nordic center, Tahoe Donner Cross Country, from groomer to instructor to ski patrol. He relishes the chance to suffer as a middle of the pack ski racer.
Justin Jones
Justin Jones grew up in nearby Ridgway and is enjoying returning both to the Western Slope with a move to Durango in 2018, as well as a return to nordic skiing. He’s spent most of his career in management consulting and is glad to contribute his experience with introducing innovative products and services to Durango Nordic’s growing offerings. In addition to skate skiing, Justin and his husband Jeff enjoy mountain biking and adventuring in the San Juans.
Daniel Murray
Daniel Murray joined the board in 2019 and serves as the Board Secretary. His areas of interest are growing the Masters ski program and strategic planning with respect to land stewardship and conservation, and expanding the year round activities and amenities of the club. He and his wife have lived in Durango since 2012 and busy raising two high energy boys. By day he is a city planner and is invested in how the city grows while maintaining its small-town character and quality of life. By night, quite literally, he is known to ski with a group that goes out well before dawn to get their workout in!
