Advisory Council
Lou Brown
Lou is a West Texas rancher, political advisor, critter keeper, and organist for the local monastery. She has lots of divers in the family, but much prefers to sit on the beach and listen to the surf. She brings terrific experience in organization and fund raising. Since the beginning of Dive Pirates, she has been involved in creating the organization and has continued to support the foundation with her talent and treasure!
Janice Byth
Janice is a student, a master diver and has been diving since she was nine. She comes from a family of divers and is an adaptive buddy. She dances, writes, and volunteers at the Edith L. Moore Sanctuary.  She wants to attend college to study Creative Writing or Biology.
Martin Cortez
Martin is a seasoned videographer that got his start on local Television in his hometown of Midland, TX and worked his way to the Fox affiliate in San Antonio, specializing in sports and action videography.  He is now a free-lance outdoor sports videographer and part time rancher in West Texas.  He has been involved in both videography and video editing for Dive Pirates since its beginning in 2005.  His diving career started with Dive Pirates and continues today!
Russell DeGidio
Russ has been diving since 2000 when he certified PADI in Guam, USA. He currently manages  the Veterans Health Administration's South Central Polytrauma and Traumatic Brain Injury program from the Houston, Texas Veterans Hospital.  Currently he assists the Dive Pirates with fund raising events and in seeing adaptive divers from the returning Veteran population within the South Central U.S.A join the mainstream diving world.
Lance Derks
Lance began his diving career in 1999.  He is a Master and Rescue Diver, as well as a SSI Adaptive Dive Buddy.  In 2008, he completed his Century Diver certification.  Since the summer of 2008 when Lance learned about Dive Pirates, he has worked to facilitate resources for the foundation, including learning about becoming an adaptive dive buddy.  You can count on Scuba Lance to be there for you when you need him!
Pete Gamble
In 2008, Pete reached his 100th dive milestone, after five years and the support of many patient people who have always been there to help him.  Pete enjoys diving wrecks, learning about NITROX, honing his bouyancy and navigation skills and using his underwater scooter, while sharing his love of diving with other people. Grant writing and speaking to other groups about Dive Pirates is how Pete has contributed to the foundation. He hopes to continue diving for many years to come!
Edie Guess
Edie has been diving since 2005 and loving every single minute of it!  She is very passionate about what Dive Pirates is doing, especially since she is an adaptive diver who was certified through the New Mexico Chapter of the Dive Pirates Foundation. She is currently helping raise funds for the New Mexico Chapter of Dive Pirates, while planning her next diving adventure!
Gardiner Henderson
Gardiner has been diving for 3 years and has already passed 100 dives.  He has become an accomplished UW photographer, along with his SSI Adaptive Diver Buddy rating, and now has the duties of taking UW photos on our Pirate Trips to Cayman Brac.  Gardiner is a Group Vice President with ABB and took time last year while circling the globe to get a large grant from ABB.  He continues his grant writing pursuits as well as other funding raising activities. 
Phil Henderson
Phil has been diving since 1988 when he certified by SSI in Fort Worth, Texas. He owns and manages a two-office private medical practice in northeastern Atlanta providing Urgent Care services seven days a week. He is board certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine from the Harvard School of Public Health. Currently he assists the Dive Pirates with medically relevant information. Phil is keenly interested in seeing adaptive divers from many different backgrounds join the mainstream diving world.
Chris Johnson
Chris has been diving since 1996 and is currently a PADI Open Water Instructor and SSI Adaptive Instructor.  She is a physical therapist at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.  Her vision for the foundation is to support our military wounded through scuba diving, and she is actively involved in the training and instruction of students in the San Antonio, TX chapter of Dive Pirates.
Kelley Knight
June 2008 was Kelley's first diving experience in Cayman Brac with Dive Pirates. The Dive Pirates Foundation has provided Kelley the opportunity to be a part of something that she longed for her entire injured life. It has been life changing experience for her that has provided freedom that she did not know existed from being in a wheelchair. "I can't thank them enough for allowing me to be a part of this new life underwater."
Nigel Lakey
With a pirate’s soul as long as he can remember, and diving since 1985, Nigel is an SSI AOWI and SSI Adaptive Instructor. Since becoming involved with Dive Pirates in 2004, Nigel has been on a mission to work less and dive more and has made the first step by retiring from the Oil & Gas business and starting his own hedge fund. Nigel will assist in the essential elements of all things Pirate: Education, Training and Pillaging…Sorry, meant to say Fundraising…..
Sergio Marquez
 With over 20 years experience and 5000+ open water dives, Sergio is one of a handful divers in the world to be presented with both the SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Diver card and the SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Instructor card.  Sergio holds the rating of Instructor Trainer, and is considered by many as one of the finest instructors in the US.  His store, Scuba Houston, was our founding chapter store for Dive Pirates, and we are honored to have Sergio as one of our advisors.
Rodney Marshall
Rodney has been diving since the 1960's, and certified as an instructor in 1990.  He is an IDC Staff PADI Instructor, SSI and HSA Adaptive Instructor, SDI/TDI and Emergency First Responder Instructor.  His vision for the foundation is for us to continue growing and prospering.  He loves seeing the smiles on divers faces after their first dive!  Rodney has been a huge supporter of the foundation, and he has been involved with Dive Pirates since 2008 teaching and fundraising for Dive Pirates in the Dallas, TX region.
Stacey Minton
Stacey has been diving since 1991, and is an Instructor Certifier, as well as the author for the Adaptive Diving Specialty with SSI  She owns New Mexico Scuba Center, in Albuquerque, NM, which was our second chapter to join the organization.  Since the beginning of Dive Pirates, Stacey has been an integral part of the foundation through her teaching and leadership qualities. 
Joe Pazos
 Joe has been diving since the 1970's, and today, he is a PADI Master Instructor, SSI and HSA Course Director, TDI Instructor and an Emergency First Responder Instructor Trainer.  He loves teaching scuba diving because he wants to share his love of the sea with others, especially persons with disabilities who would normally not consider diving as an opportunity for themselves to enjoy.  Since 2008, Joe has been involved in teaching and fundraising for Dive Pirates in the Dallas, TX region.   
Ginnie Pulliam
Ginnie has been diving since 1997, and she is an advance open water diver, as well as a SSI Adaptive Dive Buddy.  Ginnie is the Director of the Perioperative Services at the Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital in San Antonio, TX.  She has been active in the Dive Pirates since the beginning, and she continues to support our adaptive divers by attending our annual trip.
Stacey Smith
Stacey started diving in 2005, and she is a Master Diver, as well as a Rescue Diver and SSI Adaptive Dive Buddy.  She logged her 100th dive in Honduras October 2008 on a SHARK dive!  She learned of Dive Pirates through Scuba Lance's activities to support the foundation with gear in 2008, and since then, she finds every opportunity to promote and solicit donations from friends, family and business associates. 
Byrdie Thompson
Byrdie lives in Tulsa, OK which is not considered a diving mecca, but she stays close to our organization by giving great advice on how we raise funds and generously giving herself. She does not dive, but thinks the program is terrific. She has worked in charitable giving for 30 years in Tulsa and is a great resource for us.
Trudy Viers
Trudy has been diving since 1978, SSI certified, advanced open water diver. She has been supportive of Dive Pirates since the beginning of the foundation. Trudy and her staff look forward to the annual Dive Pirates' week at Brac Reef Beach Resort, as it is an honor to be able to share Cayman Brac with us; they are behind our annual diving event in June 100 percent!