The Board of NCC

Bob Simmons Biography

Bob has served on the Board of Trustees for several years and has served as Nominating Committee chairman. Bob is has served multiple stints as Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer since joining Central Connecticut Grotto in the mid-1970s. Bob has also been a member of the Cascade Grotto (WA) and Parkersburg Area Grotto (WV) while serving in the Army in the late 1970s and while in Grad School in the mid 1980s. Bob serves as the NCC's agent in Connecticut and also chairs the ad hoc committee on the management of Surprise (Mystery) Cave. Bob, a Fellow of the NSS, is also co-Chair of the James Gage Karst Preserve in Schoharie, Bob's early exposure to caves and caving resulted in his studying Geology and Hydrogeology in college, resulting in a career of over twenty-five years in environmental consulting; investigating and remediating contaminated industrial properties across the globe..

Thom Engel Biography

Email: vicepresident@necaveconservancy.org

I started caving in October 1969. My first wild cave was Clarksville though I had "dabbled" in some of the Thacher Park caves earily. I was co-editor of the Northeastern Caver with Doug Hauser for a few years starting in 1976 and then editor on my own in the late 1980s. I am preserve manager for Onesquethaw and for the NSS at Barton Hill. I am co-manager of Clarksville. I am past manager of McFails Cave. I have written many of the management plans for the NSS and NCC preserves in New York.

I worked for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for over 30 years and retired in 2009.

My caving interests include management, surveying and cartography, and geology.

Bill Folsom Biography

Email: treasurer@necaveconservancy.org

Treasurer for the Northeastern Cave Conservancy since 2006, Vice President from 2000-2006, Chairman of Met Grotto from 1998-1999, Treasurer of Met Grotto from 1996-1997, Organizer of the Spring 1998, 2003 and 2010 NROs. Bill is actively engaged in digging, exploration and conservation of caves and karst in the Northeast so that current and future generations can appreciate the unique beauty of the natural resources that lie hidden underground. Above ground, Bill can frequently be found in front of a computer, having worked in multiple capacities in publishing (book, magazine, online, videogame), finance and education. Full bio click here.

Mitch Berger Biography

Email: secretary@necaveconservancy.org

Mitch started caving in 2005, when he first visited Clarksville with the MIT Caving Club. He spent several years leading trips for that club, training new leaders, and occasionally serving as Secretary. He became involved with the NCC in 2012 shortly after being disappointed when his group was denied permission to visit a cave - this sparked his interest in landowner relationships and what's involved in caring for and maintaining a cave preserve for the community to enjoy (the NCC now owns this cave). He's currently manager of the Knox Cave Preserve. A life member of the NSS, he's active in the Boston Grotto, a member of the Helderberg-Hudson Grotto, and has served as Vice Chair and then Chair of the NRO. He caves and digs in the northeast, and occasionally West Virginia.

Ramon Armen Biography

Ramon started caving and digging in the northeast in 2012. He served as Trip Chair for Boston Grotto from 2013-2016, is active with the Berkshire Area Digger's Association, and has helped discover, explore, and survey several of the longest caves in New England. He enjoys project caving, exploration, cave photography, and introducing new people to the world of caving.

Riley Drake Biography

Riley has been caving in the Northeast for 7 years. Riley is a vertical caving leader with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Caving Club (3 years), a leader with the MIT Outing Club (6 years), an active trip-leader with the Boston Grotto (3 years) and serves as a Director on the Board of Governors of the National Speleological Society (1 year). Professionally, she is an infectious disease researcher at MIT who has collaborated with the lab of Dr. Hazel Barton to profile microbial diversity in a variety of cave environments. In her free time she enjoys being a volunteer tutor, cave photography, and of course-- being underground teaching new cavers how to sustainably appreciate and conserve our local cave environments.

Kevin Dumont Biography

Kevin started caving in 1986 and has served either as a trustee or preserve manager for the NCC since 2010. He has two graduate degrees in the geological sciences and enjoys promoting science education, particularly related to karst. He currently works as an Earth Science teacher in the city of Newburgh.

Leslie Hatfield

Leslie’s foray into caving was somewhat accidental, occurring after she purchased land with a cave entrance and a cave running beneath it. She is a retired earth science teacher who introduced many students, as well as family and friends, to their first caving experience with a visit to the NCC’s Clarksville Cave. Leslie’s interest in the NCC, as a landowner, is to assist the NCC with its efforts in the areas of conservation and study of caves and karst areas.