When Maren Franciosi worked at the Steamboat Springs Chamber, one of her roles was facilitating the Young Professionals Network. Even after leaving the Chamber, she joined the board of the group, eventually becoming chair.

“We have such strong business people and leaders, and we want to prepare the next generation of those to make their voices heard,” Franciosi said of the groups mission.

But Franciosi, 32, may be part of that next class of leaders as well.

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When talking about Franciosi, people she has worked with at the chamber and in her current role as communications manager for Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp use words like steadfast, ambitious and inspirational.

For Loryn Duke, Steamboat Resort’s communications director, it is Franciosi’s passion for the Steamboat Springs community that makes her such an asset.

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“Her passion for Steamboat Springs in general, it exudes itself in everything she does,” Duke said. “I’m extremely grateful for her leadership.”

While Duke heads communications for the resort, she said Franciosi teaches her something new about the community or how to do her job everyday. While Franciosi was initially on maternity leave when the COVID-19 pandemic started, Duke said she quickly took a leadership role in the resort’s The Trail Forward campaign when she returned.

When Duke was on maternity leave, Franciosi led the charge on communication about the resort’s Full Steam Ahead capital improvements. Having someone who is constantly keeping an eye on the community and its needs have been very valuable, she said.

“In order to do what we do and share the Steamboat story, you have to be passionate about it,” Duke said. “Maren takes it to another level. … Her whole career has been dedicated to making others understand what makes Steamboat so special.”

Franciosi said the communications team was at the forefront of keeping the resort running during the pandemic simply because things were often changing quickly.

“And then on top of that we are undergoing this huge transformation at the resort, which included moving offices and a lot of change for our team,” Franciosi said. “It’s pretty powerful to feel the respect and buy in from the highest level of leadership at the resort because they do truly lean on the communications team.”

Trish Sullivan, vice president for human resources and risk management at the resort, said no task is too small for Franciosi.

“During busy times at the resort, you can find Maren jumping in to bus tables in the mountain lodges in between leading the Young Professionals Network and hosting major national and international media to bring exposure to Steamboat,” Sullivan said.

For Franciosi, it always comes back to Steamboat — where she learned to ski and snowboard.

“I grew up coming here as a kid,” Franciosi said. “Moving to town and becoming part of the community was a huge part of my heart. Now to really step into the fun part and get to represent that, has been really great.”

To reach Dylan Anderson, call 970-871-4247 or email danderson@SteamboatPilot.com.