Executive Board & Legal Information

An Annual Vertical Section meeting at Convention Bruce Smith, Bill Cuddington, Dick Mitchell
The Vertical Section of the NSS, Inc. was chartered by the NSS in 1972. It is incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in the state of North Carolina. The Articles of Incorporation were filed in 1994.
The operation of the Section is established by the Constitution and By-Laws.
As required by our non-profit corporate rules, the Minutes of all Meetings, both General and Executive Committee (Board) are posted.
The Section is governed by an Executive Board consisting of nine (9) members. Elections are held at the annual business meeting, normally conducted at each year's NSS Convention. Of the 9 Board members, five (5) are directly elected by the general membership:
- Secretary/Treasurer (1 year term)
- Four (4) Members-At-Large (2 year terms)
The At-Large members' Terms of Office are staggered, so two (2) are elected each year.
After each annual election, the newly elected Board members vote for the Section Chair and the Section Vice-Chair from the four At-Large members. At that time, they also elect four (4) additional Board members, from the Section membership, to fill 4 special coordinator positions: Contest Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Discover Vertical Caving Coordinator (was Vertical Techniques Workshop Coordinator), and Website Coordinator. These four Board-appointed offices have 1 year terms.
The current Executive Board Members are:
Office
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Name & Location
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Term Expires
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Section Chair
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Carl Heitmeyer
Iselin, New Jersey
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2027
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Vice-Chair
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Amy Mechel Bern
Golden, Colorado
|
2026
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Secretary/Treasurer
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John Bowling
Clovis, California
|
2026
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At-Large
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Peter Welles
Jersey City, New Jersey
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2026
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At-Large
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Emily Hannigan
San Francisco, California
|
2027
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Contest Coordinator
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Mark Skove
Clinton, Tennesee
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2026
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Education Coordinator
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Jessica Van Ord
Franklin, New York
|
2026
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Discover Vertical Caving Coordinator
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Mark Chai
Elizabeth, New Jersey
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2026
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Website Coordinator
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Gary Bush
Canal Winchester, Ohio
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2026
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These Officers are working hard to make the Section better.
Please let them know you appreciate their efforts.

List of Previous Board Members
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caver07@wgbush.com |
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