Mitch Varnes is the principal of Board Sports Management, Inc. Widely known in the surfing world, Varnes has been active in the industry since signing on as the first East Coast Editor of Surfing Magazine in 1983, a position he held for more than ten years.

While covering East Coast action for Surfing, Varnes worked full-time in marketing and public affairs for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center from 1983 to 1994. During this time, he wrote several books and video scripts, and hundreds of articles detailing the history and activities of the U.S. space program. Varnes also served as a key member of NASA’s special events operation and organized logistical and protocol activities at many sites including the Kennedy Space Center, the Johnson Space Center, the Super Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the National Air & Space Museum and The White House. Varnes acted as an agency spokesman and regularly appeared on national newscasts. He was the live “Voice of NASA” for many unmanned rocket launches and manned launches and landings of the Space Shuttle. Varnes is one of only eleven people to have served in this capacity since the beginning of the U.S. manned space program.

Varnes left NASA in 1994 and put his business skills to practical use outside of the government as a financial consultant for a major Wall Street firm in Melbourne, Fla. Within four years, he had achieved the title of
Vice-President and eventually amassed more than $40 million under management. It was during this time that he came to assist several professional action sports athletes with both their investments and career management.; a role that led to the creation of Board Sports Management, Inc.

Varnes is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and has long been involved with the university. The school has recognized him as a distinguished alumnus. He is a two-time past president of the UCF Alumni Association and has served on the board of directors of the athletic department’s Golden Knights Club. He is a charter founder and past president of the UCF surf team.

Active in his community, Varnes has served as an officer and on the board
of directors of several non-profit organizations including the National Space Club, Junior Achievement, the Brevard Schools Foundation and the Space Coast Early Intervention Center. He has been recognized as a lifetime member of the Rotary Club of Indialantic, Fla. He recently served on the National Board of Directors of the Surfrider Foundation.

Varnes began surfing at age 12 and has dedicated nearly every vacation
and much of his spare time since pursuing his passion.

He and his wife, Kathryn, live in Indialantic with their children, Charlotte
and Robert.