VTC Board

The Vertical Training Commission (VTC) board manages the overall affairs of the organization. The board, which consists of three officers and eight regional coordinators, also develops master-trainer and trainer qualification and evaluation criteria, facilitates training opportunities, and reviews and approves course curricula.

Please refer to the VTC Documents Page to see the most recent VTC board minutes and a regional map.

Officers

Ron Miller

National Coordinator

Charged with overseeing VTC, coordinating its activities, and liaising with the National Speleological Society (NSS). Ron has been a vertical caver for 38 years with 13 years of professional experience as an instructor and consultant in vertical rope techniques, technical rope rescue, and industrial rope access (currently certified as a Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) Level III Rope Access Technician). He has served as an active member of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County cave/cliff rescue team since 2007 (and as a director since 2020), and is a former director, chair, and secretary of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy.

Jenny Tison

Secretary-Treasurer

Charged with building the VTC budget in accordance with NSS policy, and maintaining all organizational records, including meeting minutes. Jenny began caving in 2011 and has served as a Course Leader for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Caving program, the Safety Chair for the Nashville Grotto, and an Expedition Leader for the Cave Research Foundation. She is a former Boston Consulting Group project leader and has an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Harvard Business School.

Hazel Barton

Education Coordinator

Charged with overseeing the curriculum committee and coordinating with the VTC board. Hazel has over 30 years of caving experience, including many international expeditions, and more than 20 years in education, including several courses in teaching techniques. Hazel is currently the Education Coordinator for the NSS Vertical Section and past Chair of the NSS Safety and Techniques Committee.

Regional Coordinators

Will Test

North Eastern (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT)

Finding caving as a youth in Central PA and then rediscovering it several years ago, Will now spends most of his time teaching others vertical caving, introducing new cavers to the sport, and working on projects. In addition to leading VTC Level 1 courses, he has completed NCRC Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, SPAR and IQ, and is deeply committed to the rescue and caving community. Will currently serves as Deputy Chief of his local municipal SAR team, West Milford Search and Rescue, and as Assistant Chief of New Jersey Initial Response Team, specializing in cave and abandoned mine rescue. He also uses his vertical skills to help NJ Fish and Wildlife with banding of Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons.

Kyle Mills

Eastern (VA, WV, PA, MD, NC, DE, DC)

Kyle started caving in 2007 in his home state of West Virginia. Major projects he has been involved in have been the Great Savannah, Hellhole, and Friars Hole systems. When not ridge-walking or caving, he works as a climbing instructor for Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides and teaches canoeing and kayaking courses through the American Canoe Association.

Greg Whittaker

South Eastern (FL, GA, SC, TN, AL, MS, PR, VI)

Greg, a caver since the mid-1980s, is an active member of the Clock Tower Grotto in Rome, GA serving in various officer positions. With support and mentorship of his fellow grotto members, he grew his vertical, project, and leadership skills. Greg has furthered his development by completing NCRC Levels 1, 2, and 3, SPAR, and VTC Trainer courses, demonstrating his commitment to knowledge, safety, and the caving community.

Stephanie Stoops

Central (IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI)

Stephanie has been caving since 2010 and joined the Louisville Grotto in 2011. She now spends most of her caving time projecting in Kentucky. Prior to becoming a VTC Level 1 trainer in 2025, she helped form the vertical section of the Kentucky Karst Conservancy in 2013, which included instructing a biannual basic vertical caving class. She has also completed NCRC Level 3 and has served as a specialist at several NCRC events. She is certified as a SPRAT Level I Rope Access Technician and trains coworkers in rope access techniques at her job as a bridge inspector.

Geary Schindel

South Central (AR, LA, NM, KS, OK, TX)

Geary has been caving for almost 50 years and is an active vertical caver and vertical skills instructor. Geary has written papers on vertical caving, co-edited the Nylon Highway, co- authored a chapter for the NCRC training manual, and has completed Levels I, II, III of NCRC and SPAR. He previously served as the NSS President.

Georgia Schneider

Rocky Mountain (CO, WY, MT, SD, NE, ND, UT)

Georgia started caving in Indiana in 2016. She quickly became a vertical enthusiast and visited deep pits throughout Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (TAG). She has contributed to caving expeditions in the United States, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and New Zealand. Currently living in Denver, she is the secretary of the Front Range Grotto and participates in as many local projects as possible. Georgia has completed an NCRC Small Party Assisted Rescue (SPAR) training and is a graduate student studying Geographic Information Systems at the University of Denver.

Annelisa (EC) Moe

Western (AZ, CA, HI, NV, GU, AS, MP)

EC started caving in 2015, and quickly began to mentor new cavers in knots and single rope technique (SRT) through the Southern California Grotto in 2016. With a master's degree in geological sciences, project caving (mainly inventory and mapping) have been a big part of her caving career. She has contributed to expedition caving in Sequoia National Park and Klamath National Forest in California, as well as in Belize. She currently lives in Los Angeles County, and many of her trips have been for recreational caving in the Western Region, with return trips to help guide new cavers. EC took NCRC Level 1 during the 2017 weeklong national seminar.

Eddy Cartaya

Pacific Northwest (AK, ID, OR, WA)

Eddy has been caving internationally since 1987. He has been teaching cave rescue since 1994 and developed the NCRC certification program launched in 2018. Eddy is a national coordinator for the National Parks Service (NPS) technical rescue academy, the NCRC delegate for international programs, a board member & Rope level 3 certified tech for the International Technical Rescue Association.