The diverse SNI corporate management team, SNI Board of Directors and youth mentors are deeply committed to the mission of SCUBAnauts International. The team is comprised of professional and inspirational volunteer leaders from major universities, government agencies, associations and military organizations.

Chief Executive Officer

David R. Olson,CAPT, USN, is the founder of SNI. He is currently assigned to U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB, Florida. Earning a B.S. in Physical Science from the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland, he received his commission before becoming a Naval Aviator and is currently a Navy Captain in the Navy reserves. Dave serves on both Florida Senator Bill Nelson’s and Congressman Gus Bilirakis’ Naval Academy nomination screening boards and is a Naval Academy Blue and Gold officer providing admissions guidance to high school candidates interested in pursuing a degree from the U.S. Naval Academy with a commission in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps. He serves the community as an Assistant Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 422 and Venturing Crew 422 Advisor in Dunedin, Florida. He lives in Palm Harbor, Florida, with his wife of 23 years, Teresa, son Andrew (USF, Junior), daughter Brynn (The College of Holy Cross, Sophmore), sons Collin (Palm Harbor University High School, Junior) and Evan (Coachman Fundamental Middle School, 8th Grade).

Dive Safety Officer/Dive Training

Walter C. Jaap has worked for 35 years in coral reef research projects with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. He has also been the Diving Safety Officer at FWRI for over 30 years. He is an active marine biologist and was appointed emeritus Professor by the College of Marine Science, University of South Florida. Walter’s research interests include coral reef monitoring and community dynamics of Scleractinia corals. Walter is a technical expert in coral reef restoration and evaluating restoration efforts at various sites in the Caribbean and Florida. Walter’s monitoring work pioneered the use of underwater video transects and video image analysis. Walter’s professional affiliations include American Academy of Underwater Sciences, Board of Directors, Past President; American Institute of Biological Sciences; Association of Island Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean; Atlantic Reef Committee; Florida Academy of Science; International Society for Reef Studies; and Paleontological Research Institute. Walter is a member of the following committees: Chairman, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s special subcommittee on corals and reefs; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Technical Advisory Committee, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Water Quality Protection Plan; Diving Control Board for the University of South Florida; Acropora Endangered Species Status Evaluation Committee.

Walter has conducted diving saturation missions in Hydrolab in the Bahamas, Aquarius and participated in submarine lockout diving from the Johnson Sea Link, qualified as a pilot in Deepworker 2000, a one-man submersible vehicle, and led or participated in many coral reef research expeditions in Florida, Caribbean, and the Pacific. Walter has published numerous scientific publications about coral reefs, including early studies on coral bleaching.

Additionally, Walter has testified before congress about coral bleaching and establishing the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Walter serves on the organizing committee of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium scheduled to take place in June, 2008, which will attract over 3,000 coral reef scientists and students from all over the world.

Operations

Ben J. Hayes is an attorney and a shareholder of the Carlton Fields law firm. Ben’s law practice focuses on matters involving sports and entertainment organizations, mergers and acquisitions, complex business transactions, and intellectual property matters. Ben was selected by his peers as a Florida Super Lawyer (2006) and for The Best Lawyers in America (2007 and 2008). Ben is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Internet & Mobile Gaming Subcommittee (2007-2008). Ben is also the President of the New York – Penn League, the oldest and continuously-operated Class A league in Minor League Baseball, a position he has held since 2001 and is Vice-Chairman of Minor League Baseball’s Council of League Presidents. From 1993 to 2000, Ben was Secretary & General Counsel of Minor League Baseball. Ben earned a Juris Doctorate with honors from University of Florida’s College of Law (1992), studied political-economics at University of Florida’s Graduate School (1988-1989), and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from University of South Florida (1987). While attending Graduate School, Ben helped coach the Florida Gator baseball team to its first NCAA College World Series in 1988. Ben pitched professionally (from 1978 to 1986) with the Cincinnati Reds’ and St. Louis Cardinals’ organizations, and led the Reds’ pitching staff with a 1.97 ERA in 1982. Ben is a certified NAUI Advanced Open Water and NITROX (EANx) Diver.

Marine Sciences and Education Programs

Dr. Chris Moses received his Ph.D. in Marine Geology and Geophysics at the University of Miami, RSMAS, in 2005. He received his B.A. in Earth Science and M.S. in Geology from Baylor University (Waco, TX). He has been working on reefs since 1996, and has performed research on more than 22 islands in the Caribbean, plus the Cape Verde Islands off Africa. In addition to his academic qualifications, Dr. Moses is an American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) qualified research diver and certified as a NAUI scuba instructor, and a Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) Oxygen First Aid Instructor. He is also certified for nitrox, trimix, Technical Diver (TDI), and Full Cave (NACD and NSS-CDS). He has conducted numerous cruises aboard several research vessels lasting as long as 32 days at sea, and has extensive experience with various shipboard scientific equipment and numerous marine science field techniques.

At present, he is a contractor with Jacobs Technology and the U.S. Geological Survey developing a protocol to map benthic habitats for the National Parks Service. He serves as Chief Scientist for SCUBAnauts International, and is the principal investigator (PI) on a grant from NASA supporting the SCUBAnauts.

Director, Media & Community Relations

Jennifer Dupont is currently a Doctoral cadidate at the University of South Florida – College of Marine Science. She received her B.S., Magna cum laude, University of Richmond, Virginia, in Biology. As a graduate assistant in the Reef Indicators Lab, at the University of South Florida, Jen is preparing her PhD dissertation, “Effects of the 2005 Red Tide on Epibenthic Macroinvertebrate and Fish Communities in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico”. She is also working on a collaborative Biscayne National Park coral reef survey funded by the Florida Hurricane Alliance. Jen has been the scientific advisor to the SCUBAnauts since 2004 and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee at USF. She is very active in the community providing volunteer support for Meals on Wheels and the Ronald McDonald House in St. Petersburg.

Director, Marketing & Webdevelopment

Agustin Salvat, Animator, Graphic Designer, and Illustrator, PADI Resque Diver and SSI Advance Diver, SCUBAnaut active member since 2001. Currently living in Tampa and working in MacDill AFB as the Senior Graphics Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton.

Throughout my academic career I have always been inclined towards the area of Visual Communication, Initially the focus of my attention was directed and solely towards Animation; however, my specialties in design include corporate and business communications, image manipulation and creation, typography as well as illustration and animation.

With nearly 20 years of practice, I have been able to assemble a broad base of creative, technical knowledge and experience in the field of graphic design. I have been able to consistently exhibit solid design and production skills that have helped my clients achieve their specific audience’s communication needs. I have developed a level of expertise necessary to meet the many individual communication demands of a wide variety of clients and specific projects.

Controller

Sean Wall, received his Bachelors degree in Accounting from the
University of South Florida in 1990. He also received his Masters
degree in Accounting from the University of South Florida in 1996. Sean
worked in public accounting for six years after graduation with his most
recent experience coming with the firm Arthur Andersen. He received his
CPA certification in 1994. He was an auditor with experience in many
different industries including several not-for-profit clients. Sean
then worked in various financial positions with publicly held companies
such as General Electric and Tampa Bay based Tech Data. His most recent
experience has been as the Chief Financial Officer of the ophthalmology
practice of Lazenby & Heath M.D.'s P.A. for the past 5 years. Sean
lives in Tarpon Springs, Florida, with his wife Nicolle and two sons
Ryan (10 yrs) and Jack (10 months).

The Tampa Bay Chapter was the original start-up location in 2001. Since then, it has grown considerably and is now considered the SNI flagship chapter. SNI is in process of co-locating the Tampa Bay chapter with the corporate headquarters.

President

Mark Stephens, MSgt, U.S. Army, (Ret.), enlisted in the United States Army on July 31st, 1984, where he spent almost 22 years in Special Operations; retiring in 2005 as a Master Sergeant. He served with Special Forces (Green Berets) on Operational Detachment Alphas (ODAs) with 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Okinawa, Japan and 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC. In 1991, MSG Stephens joined the Nation’s Counter Terrorism Special Mission Unit, spending almost 14 years as a Special Operations Operator.

Mark Stephens’ combat deployments include 3 rotations to Iraq for OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, 3 rotations to Afghanistan for OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (to include beginning first boots on the ground), to Somalia as part of TASK FORCE RANGER, other significant real world classified operational deployments include Honduras (OPERATION GOLDEN PHEASANT, 1988), in Panama (1989), counter-narcotics operations with the USCG (OPERATION HAT TRICK II, 1991), in the Balkans / Bosnia and Columbia. Numerous other contingency operations around the world.

Mark Stephens’ awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, 5 Bronze Stars for Valor and Combat, 4 Purple Hearts, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, 4 Joint Service Commendation Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, 4 Army Achievement Medals, the NATO Medal, the United States Coast Guard Commandant’s Letter of Commendation with “O” device, the United States Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbon, 2 Armed Forces Expeditionary medals, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with Arrowhead, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Ribbon, the Valorous Unit Award, the Army Superior Unit Award, the Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge 2nd Award, the Military Freefall Jumpmaster Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Scuba Diver’s Badge, the Guatamalan Parachutist Badge and the Polish Parachutist Badge.

Mark Flory joined The SCUBAnauts in the fall of 2006. He is a native Floridian and has been diving since1992. His diving certifications include PADI-Adventure Diver (Navigation, Wreck, Deep Diver), NSS/CDS-Cavern Diver, NAUI-Nitrox, and YMCA-SLAM.
He has been married 20 years to Rebecca and has three children, Christen-19, Gage-13, and Coral-7.
He is a certified Cadillac Master Technician and has been a local small business owner for over 12 years.
His hobbies include being a private pilot, hunting, and diving.

Dr. David Palandro received his M.S. (2000) and Ph.D. (2006) in Marine Science from the University of South Florida and his B.S. in Biology and History from the State University of New York – College at Brockport (1993). While a PhD student he was awarded a NASA Earth System Science Fellowship and a USGS Scholarship.  He has performed research on coral reef environments in a number of geographic locations, ranging from Florida and the Caribbean to Australia. Dr. Palandro is an experienced research diver, being an American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) qualified science diver since 1998. He is currently a PADI DiveMaster working towards his Scuba, First Aid, CPR and Oxygen Provider instructor certifications. Dr. Palandro has extensive education and outreach experience.  He has worked as a high school science teacher, taught at the undergraduate and graduate college level and has produced a number of education training materials.
Dr. Palandro is currently an Assistant Research Scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in St. Petersburg, Florida where his duties include coral reef ecology and benthic habitat mapping, primarily from remote sensing data.  He serves as the Chief Scientist for the SCUBAnauts Tampa Bay Chapter and is a Co-Investigator on the NASA grant supporting the SCUBAnauts.

David Ciliberti Dave’s spent the past 25 years in Television News. After graduating from Glassboro State in New Jersey, he started his career in Houston, Texas. He worked his way through the production end learning lighting, audio, directing and studio camera. He quickly moved into news photography and worked for the FOX station in Houston. From there, he moved to the FOX station in Washington D.C. as a news photographer.  8 months later he was asked to run the news operations for the FOX station in New York City. Two years later he jumped over to the NBC station, working out of 30 Rockefeller Center. He stayed there another 6 years when his wife had enough of the city and wanted to go back to her hometown of Clearwater, Florida. He accepted a job at the ABC station and has been there for the past 10 years. He currently holds the position of Assistant News Director. His station holds many awards for news coverage including an Emmy for breaking news on the riots in St. Petersburg in 1996 to a Dupont for the Cross town building flaws.
Dave also is an  Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 422 where his son is on the verge of  completing the requirements for his Eagle.
Dave’s been diving since 1986, and is an Assistant Instructor/Divemaster. He first met  Dave Olson through scouts and his first contribution to SCUBAnauts was when he moved the dive gear from Dave Olson’s garage to his.

Marc Blouin is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Scuba Dive Program Manager and is a member of the USGS dive-safety board, where he serves as the dive-safety officer. As a biologist, he studies sturgeon in the cold, murky waters of the Great Lakes. He also shares his technical expertise with other scientists by advancing inplace data-collection methods for other disciplines of study via scuba diving. Most recently, Marc has been helping develop methods to mount and deploy instrumentation that is used to study water quality and circulation for beach-health projects. Marc also teaches water-related safety courses for USGS employees. He coordinates open-water checkout dives for research teams, teaches specialized scuba training, serves as an instructor for the Department of the Interior's Motorboat Operations Certification Course (MOCC), and teaches the USGS "Over-the-Water" safety training class. Through his efforts, he helps spread the word about technical methods and safety near and in the water, both within and outside the USGS. Marc is currently serving on the board of directors for the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), an organization of diving scientists and safety officers committed to the advancement of underwater science and dive safety. He also is a member of the Watercraft Safety Committee for USGS.

CAPT Stephen J. Payne, USN, is a NASA Test Director responsible for planning and execution of Space Shuttle launch operations at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He has volunteered his time to help integrate SCUBAnaut coral reef monitoring activities with outreach and education programs sponsored by NASA’s Earth Observation System. Steve also participated in the Operation Deep Climb expedition, Phase 3, by providing the SCUBAnauts an official VIP tour of the space shuttle launch facility as part of their televised documentary.

Steve is also a Captain in the Navy Reserve who is currently serving on active duty with US Central Command’s Intelligence Directorate as a strategic planner. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University and Engineering Management from the University of Central Florida. He is former fighter pilot, an Eagle Scout and a NAUI-certified diver.

Dr Paula Coble is an Associate Professor of Chemical Oceanography at the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, where she has been on the faculty since 1992. She received a B.S. degree in Biology/Geology from Mt. Holyoke College, an M.S. in Marine Studies from the University of Delaware and a PhD in Chemical Oceanography from MIT/WHOI Joint Program. Before joining USF, Paula was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Science at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Paula has authored or co-authored over forty research and science education papers and has received nearly $9 million in research and education awards. Paula is an active member of the American Geophysical Union and is a past secretary for Marine Geochemistry in the Ocean Science Section. Paula is also a former Associate Editor for Marine Chemistry and a member of the American Society of Limnologists and Oceanographers, The Oceanography Society, the National Marine Educators Association, and the National Science Teachers Association. Paula is also actively involved in Science Education, and spent two years at NASA HQ as a Program Scientist in Earth System Science Education. She has also been involved in numerous education and outreach programs at the College of Marine Science, including Project Oceanography (http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean), COSEE-FL, Oceanography Camp for Girls, the Teacher Oceanography Workshop and an NSF GK-12 project.

Julie Galkiewicz graduated from College of William and Mary, Virginia, in 2006 with a B.S. in Biology. She is currently conducting her Ph.D. research at the University of South Florida. As part of her research, she is cataloguing and categorizing the bacterial communities associated with several Pacific corals. Her research provides a general idea of the common bacteria present on corals throughout different seasons and in different areas of the Pacific, ranging from American Samoa to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Julie is an inspiring mentor for the SCUBAnauts.

Selena Kupfner graduated from Coastal Carolina University, South Carolina, in 2000 with aB.S. in Biology. She is currently a Marine Science and Biology teacher at Northeast High School in Pinellas County, Florida. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked for several years as a marine biologist studying coral reefs for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Instituture (FWRI). Her research at FWRI provided her with extensive knowledge of the Florida coral reef systems. Even though her primary area of focus has always been coral reefs, she also has a strong background in wetland studies from her short stint as an environmental biologist at a small consulting firm. Whether she is out in the water, covered in swamp mud, or handing out detentions she loves anything that has to do with learning science.

Sennai Habtes was born and raised on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. While receiving an elementary and high school education there, he became acquainted with fishing, diving, and surfing. After leaving the Virgin Islands, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received a B.S. in Environmental Sciences. Since his departure from UNC, he has worked as a research assistant in the fisheries and europhysiology lab and as an environmental specialist for the government of the Virgin Islands. Sennai is currently working on his masters degree in biological oceanography at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. His research includes the validation of the Shadowed Image Particle Profiler and Evaluation Recorder (SIPPER), a high resolution zooplankton imaging system. Sennai is the recipient of the SCUBAnauts International Graduate Fellowship for 2007-2008. The fellowship is made possible by funding from NASA.

LT. Marcus Wong, U.S. Coast Guard, originally served as an enlisted aircraft crewman on AH-1/UH-1 aircraft from 1990-1993. He graduated from St. John’s University in New York City and was commissioned through Army ROTC as an Aviation Officer in 1993. For the next ten years, he held a variety of leadership and staff positions serving throughout Asia, Central/South America, Carribbean, the Middle East and United States.

In 2003, Marcus turned a chapter in his life when he was accepted to the U.S. Coast Guard through the Direct Commission Aviator program. He currently serves as an HH-60J aviator at Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater at St. Petersburg/Clearwater airport.

Marcus was actively involved in various youth activity/church groups during his many tours. While stationed in the Republic of Panama, he became interested in many maritime activities. He earned his sailing/boating qualifications and PADI Divemaster/NITROX certifications in 1999. Marcus is in process of receiving his SCUBA Instructor rating at this time through SCUBAnauts.

Marcus became active with SCUBAnauts International in 2005. He combines his experiences of working with youth and SCUBA diving through his involvement in the SCUBAnauts. He volunteered to be the U.S. Coast Guard liaison officer to coordinate the annual SCUBAnaut Lifesaving and Accident Management (SLAM) exercise with the U.S. Coast Guard Clearwater Air Station. Additionally, Marcus actively participates as a valued mentor to the SCUBAnauts during their many other activities throughout the year.

SSgt Duane Gregory, USAF, is a military Survival, Escape, Resistance & Evasion (SERE) instructor stationed at MacDill AFB, Florida. SSGT Gregory has been providing the SCUBAnauts orienteering and survival skills and has conducted their annual wilderness survival training at the Avon Park Air Force Range since 2005. SSGT Gregory was recognized as the top Air Force instructor in 2006.

The diverse young men and women who make up the SCUBAnauts symbolize America’s youthful spirit for exploration. They are the heart, soul and purpose of the SNI organization and they are growing in numbers due to the attractiveness of combining underwater marine science research activities with adventurous exploration through teamwork and mentorship. Their successes and accomplishments both in the field and in the classroom are an inspiration for our mentors.

The Diving Control Board (DCB) consists of a majority of active scientific divers whom oversee the SNI diving program to ensure that safe diving practices are followed. The DCB is comprised of volunteer diving safety experts from government, educational and private agencies and institutions. The DCB has autonomous and absolute authority over the scientific diving program’s operation.

Walter Jaap, SNI Diving Safety Officer (DSO)
Dr. Chris Moses, Chairman
Marc Blouin, DAN instructor
William Dent, University of South Florida DSO
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic Society
Casey Coy, DSO Florida Aquarium
Jennifer Dupont, USF College of Marine Science
Dr. David Palandro, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

The SCUBAnaut International Board of Directors is presently comprised of 3 distinguished members and is the final authority in the management SNI. The board meets bi-annually at the headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.