Jon Wehse
Team Chief. Jon has been skiing, snow shoeing, biking, kayaking, hiking and trail running throughout Stowe since 2007.
Nicholas Chegwidden
Deputy Chief. Nick is a humble man who, when pressed for a bio, allows only that he loves Stowe, wants to serve the community and hopes one day to build a ship in a bottle. The fact that he was elected Deputy Chief tells you there’s more to him than this. He’s an enormously skilled, trusted and valuable member of our team.
Greg Speer
Lieutenant. Greg grew up in Vermont and spent much of his time hiking climbing and skiing the backcountry of the Green Mountains. After spending 10 years in Seattle and exploring the Pacific Northwest, Greg returned to Vermont and is co-owner of Stowe based Sunrise Mountain Guides.
Todd Westervelt
Lieutenant. Todd is an avid back-country skier, hiker, and cyclist. He knows the trails and woods around Mount Mansfield well as he spends much of his spare time exploring the Stowe backcountry during the four seasons. Todd enjoys a career with Marvell Semiconductors.
Drew Clymer
Lieutenant. Drew is the Search and Rescue Coordinator for the State of Vermont Department of Public Safety. He originally moved to Vermont in 2008 with his wife and 2 daughters. An avid outdoorsman, he spends as much time as he can exploring the backcountry surrounding Stowe. When not working you will find him hunting, fishing, hiking, snowboarding, mountain biking, backcountry skiing or volunteering on a variety boards in the community.
Doug Veliko
Director of Training and Technical Systems. Doug is an accomplished technical rock and ice climber, climbing throughout the Northeast, Rockies, Sierras, Bugaboos and Cascades. Doug was the Team Chief for about 8 years, served as Deputy Chief and Training Officer for about 15 years and has been on the team for 30 years.
Ed Miller
Ed is no stranger to SAR or the Stowe backcountry. He is an avid backcountry skier, hiker, trail runner and biker. Ed serves as VP of the Stowe Nordic Outing Club and is the Trail Chief for the Stowe section of the Catamount Trail. Many years ago he worked with an air scent dog on a SAR team in New Jersey. Ed telecommutes from Vermont working in the telecommunications industry.
Tracey Eykelhoff
Tracey has lived in Stowe for more than two decades. During most of those years he served with the Mt Mansfield Ski Patrol as a professional ski patroller and field supervisor. He has a penchant for climbing rock, ice & backcountry snow. Some of his other interests are gear testing, terrain mapping, sailing, canoeing & sweep-oar rowing.
Tom Rogers
Tom is an avid whitewater boater, backcountry skier, and mountain biker. He has worked as a guide and instructor across North America, and has run whitewater on five continents. Tom works in conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont.
Richard Choularton
Richard and his family moved to Stowe in 2015 where he runs trials, hikes, skis and explores the backcountry whenever he can. Richard works as a disaster management, climate change and food security consultant around the world for the US Government, United Nations and other organizations, and is always rushing home to play in the mountains with his family.
Andy Millick
Originally from Pennsylvania, Andy moved to Stowe in 2014. He is a climbing guide, Technical Rescue Instructor with Corvus Professional and Ski Patrol specialist at Jay Peak Ski Resort. Andy spends his free time with his wife and daughter exploring the mountains and tributaries throughout Vermont.
Alex Sargent
Alex spent 22 years in the Army serving as chief instructor at The Army Mountain Warfare School (where he went by ‘Master Sergeant Sargent’). He has climbed all over the world and is responsible for several first ascents on both rock and ice here in Stowe. He is the chief guide at the locally based Sunrise Mountain Guides.
Stella Richards
Originally from the UK, Stella and her family have lived in Stowe since 2013. Outside of Stowe Mountain Rescue, Stella is a member of New England K9 Search and Rescue together with her German Shepherd, Mookie. New England K9 operates in Vermont and New Hampshire searching for lost or missing people using dogs trained in wilderness air scent. Stella is also an EMT and a Ski Patroller at Jay Peak.
Michael Harger
Michael is a native Vermonter (Proctor) and is a PGA Professional managing a golf and alpine club in Stowe. Although his job has taken him all over the world, he is thrilled to be living in Vermont once again and has called Stowe home since 2018. Michael is an avid outdoorsman and in his free time loves to fish, hunt, and explore the backcountry on his splitboard.
Neil Van Dyke, Member Emeritus
Member Emeritus. Neil is one of the team’s founders and served as team leader for more than 30 years. From 2010-2012 he served as President of the Mountain Rescue Association. He also served for ten years as Search and Rescue Coordinator for State of Vermont Dept. of Public Safety. Neil was voted in to MEMBER EMERITUS in February, 2021 after over 40 years on the team; Neil will continue to support the team on an ad hoc basis.
Ed Stewart, Member Emeritus
Member Emeritus. Ed is a founding member of the team and very active in SAR. He is a search team leader for the FEMA USAR Team from Beverly, Mass. Ed is a recently retired Detective Sergeant for the Stowe Police Dept and is the Emergency Management Director for the Town of Stowe.
Dennis Reinhart, Retired
Retired. Dennis retired in the fall of 2018 after supporting the team for more than 18 years. We thank Dennis for all his contributions.
Graham Govoni, Retired
Retired. Graham retired towards the end of 2021. He served on the team for approximately 20 years, during which time he spent 5 years as Deputy Chief and served as Chief for one year. We’re very grateful for his years of service.