Board of Directors

Ernie Chappell brings decades of leadership experience and a deep commitment to community service to his role in Big Sky governance. Originally from Alberta, Canada, Ernie built a distinguished career as an accountant and software developer before founding an agricultural technology company in 1988, which he successfully operated for 35 years until his recent retirement. His professional background also includes financial positions in the oil industry, providing him with diverse business expertise. Since 1997, Ernie has demonstrated unwavering dedication to community service through leadership roles on multiple school boards, homeowners associations, and as a board of trustees member at Faulkner University for 21 years. His extensive volunteer portfolio includes directorships at Oak Hill School and Brentwood Academy, as well as service on the National Agricultural Retailers Association board and Tennessee ACH Association. Throughout these roles, he has contributed to finance, nominating, executive, and development committees. Currently serving on the Big Sky Owners Association Board of Directors and Architectural Committee, Ernie continues providing strategic guidance to large-scale agribusiness firms, private equity companies, and business startups. He and his wife Amanda, along with their three sons, have made their home in Upper Cascade, where they’ve embraced mountain living and integrated into the local community. Ernie’s motivation centers on maintaining Big Sky’s exceptional quality of life and protecting property values for all residents.Read More

Joe Swiatek has deep roots in Big Sky, with his family’s connection dating back to the 1980s. He and his wife began visiting regularly in 1992 when they started their family, building their home in Aspen Groves in 2005. Joe brings extensive leadership experience from his distinguished 20-year FBI career, spending 13 years in leadership positions where he developed a reputation as a collaborative problem solver who listens to experts and stakeholders while treating others with courtesy and respect. He holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Villanova (1985) and an MBA from the University of Denver (1993). His emergency services career began in 1987 as a Professional Ski Patroller at Keystone Resort, expanding to include fire, EMS, law enforcement, skipatrol, and search and rescue. From 1992-2000, he served as Executive Director of a nonprofit medical response organization in North Carolina, managing a million-dollar budget and emergency operations. Since retiring from the FBI in 2020, Joe has actively given back to the community through volunteering with Big Sky Search and Rescue, serving as a Big Sky Ski Patroller, and participating in the Big Sky Chamber’s Infrastructure and Advocacy Subcommittee. As a new grandparent who splits time between Big Sky and the family farm in Virginia, he’s committed to preserving the community’s character while thoughtfully managing inevitable growth.Read More

I’ve lived in Big Sky year-round for the past 34 years, most of that time in the two-bedroom, Meadow Village home we built as newlyweds that eventually expanded to a five-bedroom home where we raised our two daughters and still live. I met my husband, Taylor Middleton, on a magazine assignment 34 years ago and moved here almost immediately. In the three decades since then, I’ve continued to use my skills as a journalist to write books, magazine articles and more, as well as to advance community projects I’ve spearheaded, including small things like the first translator for NPR and the original BSOA POST committee, to bigger projects like creating Camp Big Sky, co-founding Big Sky Broadway, helping create and pass legislation in Helena and locally that allowed us to have a high school, leading the effort that won us the first community playground, and finding the federal funds for the trail on the highway. I’ve served on the BSCO, the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center and Chapel Boards, been an elected trustee in the school district, a founding member of FOBSE, the Ophir School Council’s now PTO president, and am currently the chair of Colorado Outdoor Education Center in Colorado. I am a graduate of Northwestern University (MS, Journalism) and Washington University (BA, Political Science and English Literature.Read More

Les Hopper and his family have been enjoying life in Big Sky for 25 years, and currently live on Little Coyote Road in the Meadow. Les is a registered engineer with an MBA and has over 40 years of hands-on experience in the management, planning, permitting, and design of both public and private projects from inception through construction. On the public side he has experience delivering state highway projects and interchanges, multi-use facilities, bridges, and both heavy and light rail improvements. On the private side Les has been a principal owner of several planning and engineering firms and is experienced in land development and entitlement processes from conceptual plans through final design of subdivision and commercial site work, including a five-star resort. Overall, he specializes in the coordination of owners, multiple agencies, and stakeholders on both small- and large-scale projects, with an emphasis on gaining approvals through each process milestone. He currently sits on a number of regional and state boards and committees. Les and his wife Susie have one son (Noa- 25 years old). They enjoy horseback riding, mountain biking, and paddling sports such as Hawaiian outrigger and Dragon Boat racing. Les has also started several 501-C-3 nonprofit organizations that foster community and raise money for charities.Read More

Vanessa has been coming to Big Sky since 2012, has been a BSOA homeowner since 2016, and moved to Big Sky full time with her family in 2019. She began her career in real estate finance with JP Morgan in New York City and advanced to a private real estate consultancy in London UK. She returned to the US to pursue a PhD in City Planning at UPenn, where she focused on Public Private Development. Vanessa graduated from Wellesley College, where she majored in Architecture and Economics, earned a Masters in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and also holds an MBA from Columbia University. She now spends as much time as she can with her three growing children, husband, dog and two cats, while trying to contribute as much as possible to the community that has been so welcoming to her family. She enjoys alpine and Nordic skiing, hiking, yoga, qigong, and reading.Read More

Sarah Turner-Malhotra brings a valuable dual perspective to the BSOA Board, having experienced Big Sky as both a tenant and homeowner over several years. Born and raised in rural Michigan, she relocated to Big Sky in 2015 and has since established herself as a committed long-term resident with deep community ties. With a decade of residency in Mountain Village, Sarah has a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing upper area residents who often feel disconnected from BSOA operations. She is particularly focused on strengthening the connection between Mountain Village/Madison County owners and the Gallatin County/Meadow Village community, while improving transparency and communication between the BSOA and all homeowners. Sarah’s ten-year career in Big Sky’s tourism industry, including five years as Group Reservations Manager at Big Sky Resort, has provided her with substantial experience in stakeholder relations and operational management. Her professional background in hospitality and guest services has given her comprehensive insight into balancing resident needs with the tourism economy that sustains the area, ensuring BSOA decisions support both local quality of life and the community’s continued success as a destination. Sarah offers a practical combination of community experience and professional background. Her understanding of both residential and commercial interests positions her well to make well informed board decisions that effectively serve all stakeholders throughout the Big Sky community.Read More

Gina Dee brings four decades of construction design and build experience to Big Sky, where she has lived and worked for eight years. As Director of Design & Special Projects for Provincial Architectural Millwork, she is an architectural technologist, designer, and interior fit-out builder with extensive knowledge of design, contract documents, building materials, and interior construction. Gina served on the Board of Directors for AWMAC Woodworking Institute Toronto Canada from 2015- 2017, where she was responsible for drawing vetting, specification changes and implementations, and factory inspections. Having worked with American clients for 27 years, she has completed projects in 48 states. She came to Big Sky to lead the Yellowstone Club Village Core Project, completing 47 condos and comprehensive amenity spaces including restaurants, bars, spa, and retail facilities. After falling in love with the community, she established a local office presence and built a thriving business that now contracts with over 15 clients, employs 50 carpenters, and is managing 10 active projects throughout Big Sky. Gina works in the Big Sky Town Center and is deeply invested in the visual appeal of all neighborhoods. She volunteers with the Andesite Creek Benevolent Society and is committed to responsible growth and design. Known for her strong communication skills, organization, and energy, she currently resides on Curley Bear with her husband Derek.Read More