Meet the Team at SDI/TDI/ERDI/PFI
We want to be sure that you feel like you are getting the attention and customer service you deserve. At International Training, it is our job to make sure you not only receive the support, but feel that you are a valued member of our team as well.
Please take the time and get to know your team members in the scuba diving business.
Brian Carney
The best way to describe what Brian does at International Training is whatever needs to be done, he does it. His passion for the sport of Diving started at a very young age with the fascination of fish. Always loved snorkeling for hours where ever his parents would allow; sometimes that meant a murky river in New England where he grew up. Now Brian feels fortunate enough to be sharing his love for the ocean with Jack, his son who is just as passionate as he was at that age. Enjoying time exploring with Jack and wife Steph are what he likes to do during down time but he is also a little (a lot) addicted to exercise these days, regularly competing in Cross fit competitions when time will allow.
Sean Harrison
As a long time scuba diver and an avid outdoorsman, Sean enjoys a lot of activities nearly all of which involve being outdoors. At the office, Sean deals with almost everything from training, RSTC, Insurance, and everything else that involves company relations with other agencies, manufactures and the industry as a whole. During most of his off days when not at the beach with his sons, you can find Sean enjoying kayak fishing, canoeing, cycling and walks through local parks introducing his kids to the outdoors and helping them identify the flora and fauna. “I have been fortunate enough to live and travel around the world and one day will be able to take my sons to some exotic destinations.”
Kirk Krack
Kirk.Krack@performancefreediving.com
A pioneer in the freediving world, Kirk Krack has been on a quest to make the sport as safe as possible for over two decades. He developed the educational philosophy, standards, procedures, and manuals that PFI is built on. To this day, Kirk continues to improve and perfect the PFI system with the newest and most innovative techniques. After training more than 10,000 students, coaching seven athletes to 23 different world records, and setting up world class events, Kirk shares everything he learns with his students in his never-ending journey for more knowledge. The PFI educational system was the first in North America to offer a complete course that included not only ways to improve in depth and time, but also (and most importantly) the safety aspects of the sport. In Kirk’s program, you learn the theory behind breath-hold diving, practice the techniques in the pool, and perfect the skills in open water. The PFI system of freediver education is one of the most comprehensive freediving educational systems worldwide.
Shipping/Inventory and Accounting
Sally Camm
Sally is responsible for maintaining our wide variety of inventory items, making sure orders get to the customer on time, and keeping our vendors in line. Sally’s diving “career” started in Lake Champlain, VT. Outside of diving, Sally enjoys road cycling, strength training, and spending time with her family.
Phil Knight
As a natural born Floridian, Phil has always enjoyed the Florida outdoors despite his fair complexion and red hair. After receiving a degree from the University of Central Florida, he moved to Pennsylvania in 2015 for a change of scenery. After 3 years of experiencing mild summers and battling cold winters and frozen waters, Phil decided to move back to Florida, brave the Sun, and start his career with International Training. Phil has experience in Shipping and Receiving from prior employment at Barnes and Noble, FedEx, and Amazon.
Product Development and Technology
James Councill
A North Carolina native, James graduated from Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. With a passion for travel, he studied international entrepreneurship at The University of Alicante in Spain and lived as a ski bum in Steamboat Springs, CO for a brief period of time. James started in the Marketing Department before moving over to manage the Product & Web Development Department.
Aaron Lazar
A Northeast Ohio native, Aaron graduated with a major in Digital Media Production from Ashland University in spring 2016. Aaron obtained his open water scuba certification in 2012 and has been hooked on diving ever since. His duties at International Training primarily involve the creation of promotional and instructional videos. In his free time, Aaron enjoys diving wrecks off Florida’s east coast and the caves of North Florida.
Richard Carlson
Rick.Carlson@tdisdi.com
Describing Rick as creative would be an understatement.
This is why he prides himself of being International Training’s Multimedia Artist. With responsibilities ranging from photography, advertisement design, brand enforcement, and educational material layout, Rick has the opportunity to work on almost any task. It looks like all those years of “Art School” jokes finally paid off!
Outside of the office, when he’s not painting, carving, sculpting, or building, Rick can be found with his wife. Together they explore Florida’s outdoors through hiking or diving and enjoy taking care of and spending time with their pets.
John Bentley
John worked as an instructor at a small mountain dive shop in VA and shared his love of diving with the community through teaching as an Instructor Trainer, running trips, and equipping divers. He now projects this passion by working for International Training. His favorite class to teach is still SDI Open Water, helping to introduce people to the underwater world for the first time. In his spare time John loves diving in North Florida caves and Florida Keys shipwrecks.
Rob Goodenow
Initially hired as a customer service representative in 2004, when the office was located in Maine, Rob quickly proved his value beyond customer service, displaying an ability to transform data and build systems to help streamline processes throughout the company. Rob created the first in-store system for printing c-cards and continues to work on refining and optimizing all our web systems today. Rob still lives with his favorite companions in Maine (Wife and pets), where he enjoys cooking delicious food, landscaping the yard and all manner of technical toys and distractions.
Gregory Toscano
Greg grew up in Jensen Beach Florida right near HQ. He has a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Florida Atlantic University. He is a member of the web development team here at International Training. In his free time, Greg enjoys scuba diving, fishing, and coding/programming.
Austin Overton
In Memory… 10/06/1989-09/09/2017
Austin was one of the web developers at International Training. Programming was a long time passion and hobby of his and he spent a good bit of time outside of work learning new tech and coding side projects. When he wasn’t programming he enjoyed SCUBA diving with the office crew and spending time with family. While his work was flawless his addition to the team will always be remembered for an ability to unify and his contagious laugh. Along with the skill to unite, Austin kept the office on its toes with quick and clever comebacks. Never making any mistakes, blame for coincidences and random errors were always, and are still, attributed to Austin. Austin routinely stopped his whole world to put others first with his genuine ability to listen and give out the best advice. Always remembered, loved, and part of our family.
International Business Development
Paul Montgomery
Hailing from Maine, Paul started diving recreationally while a Firefighter/EMT-I and then became an instructor as well as owning and operating a retail dive center. “Like many of my generation, we were influenced and driven to explore the oceans by Cousteau and his teams as well as the television show, Sea Hunt.” Paul is responsible for our 24 global regional offices that serve our members and divers in over 100 countries and territories as well as new business development. “While I enjoyed my time as a dive center owner and instructor, working with our global partners is truly rewarding”. During down time, Paul enjoys the beauty of Maine with activities that include camping, hiking and kayaking.
Jordan Greene
Jordan Greene originally went to school for EMT/Firefighting but quickly found his passion for scuba diving. He works in our International Business Development Dept assisting and training our global offices. In his free time, he can be found with his adorable lab Dexter, diving Florida’s wrecks or looking for ways to explore and travel the world – again.
Mark Powell
Mark had his first experience of diving at the age of 10 when he did a try-dive in a local pool. He was hooked from that point onwards. He learnt to dive in 1987 and has been diving ever since. He has dived all around the world, however he is most at home in the waters around the UK and Europe where there is some of the best wreck diving in the world. Mark became an instructor in 1994 and has been actively instructing since then. He is an SDI/TDI Instructor Trainer and is a regular contributor to a number of diving magazines as well as being a regular speaker at Diving conferences around the world.
In 2008 Mark published Deco for Divers, a widely acclaimed overview of the theory and physiology of decompression. In 2010 Deco for divers was awarded “Publication of the Conference” at the EuroTEK.10 technical diving conference and in 2014 it won the Media Award at TekDive USA. Mark’s passion is wreck diving and spends all his spare time diving the wrecks around the coastline of the UK and abroad and has led expeditions to a wide range of locations around the world.
Marketing
Darren Pace
Darren gives 2 thumbs up for Wes Anderson movies, remarkable people, entrepreneurship, technology, long weekends, a great laugh, the outdoors, tacos, ice coffee and white hat SEO. He frowns when he has a lack of sleep, burnt popcorn, car maintenance, lame memes, cold showers and black hat SEO. His wife and daughter are amazing! Darren is the director of Marketing and if you asked, he’d tell you that quality content is king. Questions?
Brittany Bozik
Brittany is from a lot of places but moved to Florida from Pennsylvania in the Spring of 2015 just after graduating from East Stroudsburg University. She studied Art and Design and even took a semester in South Africa while in school. She has a football-obsessed husband (go Steelers!), two little kids to keep her busy. She and her family are beach bums when the weather is good and love getting out on the boat whenever they get the chance. Coffee, kitchen dance parties and technology are the highlights of her interests.
Michael Villafranco
Michael.Villafranco@tdisdi.com
Michael strives to always go “Above and Beyond.” His passions include his amazing family and friends, marketing, technology, A/V, A/C, superheroes, peace, and happiness for all. He celebrates diversity and firmly believes that variety is the spice of life. You’ll find him listening to everything from Pink Floyd to Willie Nelson, John Williams to Eric Prydz. On his TV, you’ll catch Brooklyn 99, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Children of Men, and a slew of random YouTube shows. His current hobbies include gaming and photography, and he is taking the first steps into mastering videography as well. If you need anything from Michael, just ask!
Training and Membership Services
Stephanie Miele
Stephanie has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years and seen firsthand the explosive growth of International Training. In the beginning, her focus was primarily international business resulting in broadening the scope of International Training’s worldwide expansion. Nowadays, her focus is closer to home with inside sales working directly with our members. When not at work, Stephanie enjoys spending quality time with her family and an occasional Cross fit competition.
Jesse Iacono
Jesse comes from Rhode Island, spending the majority of his diving career in the waters of the Northeast. After his involvement with the University of Rhode Island Scuba Program, he spent a year instructing for United Divers Inc in Somerville, MA before moving to Florida to join the International Training family. Jesse spends his weekdays working in membership services to provide our customers with the unparalleled customer service relationships they have come to know and love from International Training. When outside of the office, he tries to spend as much time as possible in the aquatic world enjoying the beauty of the local dive sites, instructing students, or training for new personal certifications.
Brian Shreve
Born and raised in Wyoming, Brian has been an instructor since 2002 and an SDI/TDI Instructor Trainer since 2008. Brian operated a successful SDI/TDI 5 Star Professional Development Center in Nebraska for over 13 years, and still enjoys sharing his passion for diving with others. Brian now brings that experience to the Training and Membership Services team at HQ. When not at work, he enjoys diving (especially deep wrecks and caves), playing guitar, working on projects around the house, and playing on the beach with his chocolate lab Zada.
Kate Heller
I’m originally from the Chicago area in Illinois and graduated from Western Illinois University with a degree in Spanish and a minor in Scuba diving. I earned my Open Water certification in 2013 and my passion for diving has grown ever since. Once I graduated college I started working at DJ’s Scuba Locker Inc. where my career took off and I was able to explore areas of diving that initially I didn’t know were a possibility. I am excited to be here and hoping to grow my passion for diving. When I’m not diving, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
Alan Cale
Alan is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a bachelor’s in general studies and a minor in Scuba Diving and is working on his masters in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration. He became a Divemaster through the WIU Scuba program and has assisted many students learning to dive and how to improve on skills as they progressed through the program. Alan has been diving since 2007 and started diving for the McDonough County Sheriff’s Department Dive Rescue Team shortly after completing his Open Water Certification. The team would later reform as the Western Illinois Dive Rescue and Underwater Recovery Team and Alan would become one of the Assistant Commanders for the team. Alan has served in the Army National Guard as a Military Police Officer since 2005, but since moving to Florida has switched to an Infantry Fireteam Leader.
Allison Van Sickle
My work as a rider and groom in equestrian show jumping brought me from my hometown in California to sunny South Florida. I couldn’t resist the abundance of beautiful dive sites and favorable conditions and decided to move from the horse industry to the dive world. My academic background in archaeology and anthropology fueled an interest in our relationship with the underwater world, and I look forward to furthering my education with International Training! When not working or in the water, I can be found reading, manatee watching, or practicing photography.
Rick Peck
Rick was born in Newport Beach California and has been in, on, and around water his entire life racing sailboats, body surfing, and diving. After 30 years in frozen Upstate NY, Rick and his wife relocated to Florida so they can dive year round. Rick received his open water SCUBA certification in 2006, SDI Assistant Instructor in 2013, and his SDI Open Water Scuba Diving Instructor certification in 2016. He and his wife both love diving in the Caribbean and are running out of new islands to visit. Rick will be working in Customer Service and Training and plans on continuing his training.
Chris Bustad
Chris was born and raised in Washington State, spending a lot of his life in or on the water. He spent 4 years serving in the US Coast Guard. In 2004, he began scuba diving and ran with it. He was class president and graduated first in his class from the Diver’s Institute of Technology. Chris has worked in both commercial and recreational settings. In 2008, he began freediving and found a passion for it. He went on to become an Instructor Trainer and served as the Director of Training for Performance Freediving International. Chris has been the lead safety and Chief Organizer for Deja Blue, one of the safest freediving competitions in the world. Chris is excited to continue his training and sharing his experiences through SDI/TDI/ERDI/PFI.
Kim Russo
Kim recently moved to South Florida from upstate New York to be near her daughter, son-in-law, and grandbabies. She has two daughters, one here locally in Jupiter, and one in San Francisco. She loves the beach and has never enjoyed the winter months in New York, so the big move to Florida was long overdue. Living in Florida not only allows her more time with her grandchildren, but also makes traveling to California to see her younger daughter much easier. When she is not playing with her grandbabies, she enjoys reading, especially on the beach, listening to all kinds of music and going to concerts. Her favorite and most attended concerts are Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge in accounting and is excited to learn about the diving industry, and provide support to the TDI/SDI family in any way she can!
Sales, Business Development, and Support- Americas
Cris Merz
Cris joined International Training in 2006 and currently conducts the team of Regional Managers in North America dedicated to ensuring our members are kept up to date, introduced to our new products, changes and advances with the company and expanding new business. While not managing the sales team, Cris’ department overviews business development in the Caribbean, Central and most of South America. Cris still gets underwater as much as he can now that the office moved to Florida and splits his time cycling when he is not diving around the coast of Florida or wherever life takes him.
Joey Brown
Southeast
Joey represents the Florida / South East / Mid-Atlantic Regions. Joey has been fortunate enough to grow up around the dive business his whole life and has been active in the water since he can remember. He is an SDI instructor and enjoys teaching but also likes to spear or catch his dinner when he is in the ocean. Joey has been representing water sport companies since 2007 and is always looking for new opportunities to grow the industry and help his dealers. His favorite places to dive are the Cay Sal Banks and Dominica.
Ed Moggio
Southeast
Ed began his professional diving career circa 1979 as the Owner, Operations Manager and head Sanitation Engineer of Choo-Choo Dive Center in Chattanooga, Tn. During the next ten years grew and expanded the business thru the training of new divers, implementing an extensive dive travel program and successful retail sales growth each year.
Dillon Waters
Southeast
Dillon’s dive career started in North Carolina where he discovered his passion for wreck diving, spearfishing, and eventually teaching. Dillon crewed on boats and taught scuba with the local university while managing one of the area’s most successful dive centers. His passion lead him to Florida where he enjoys wrecks and caves while servicing the dive industry. You can find Dillon on his paddleboard, playing with his dog Jameson or at a beach cleanup if not diving.
Darrin Davis
South Central
Caring for the South Central territory, Darrin comes with over 20 years of public safety experience with cross training as paramedic fire-fighter for 17 of those years. While still being active in public safety and as an emergency responder, Darrin became a Dive Master and fell in love with scuba focusing on wrecks and spear fishing. He currently volunteers for his local dive team when he’s not out free-diving.
Shawn Harrison
Midwest
In his early industry career years Shawn Harrison has worked in retail dive facilities in the greater Seattle region where his experience included retail sales, repair, dive training and store management. In early 2003 took a position with SDI/TDI/ERDI for Midwest Regional Sales Representative and over the years has progressed within the agency working in various positions including overseeing ERDI. When on his free time Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, shooting and of course scuba diving.
Joe Stellini
Northeast
In 2006, Joe left Dive Retail and moved from the Midwest to take a position as Northeast Representative working with Dive Equipment Manufacturers. By 2011 he and Mike Williams partnered to expand business and were offered the position from International Training. In addition to Sales and Consulting, Joe is an Instructor Trainer and working to expand into technical diving instructor as well. Of course scuba diving is a passion, but on top of that Joe spends time hiking the outdoors and traveling as much as the world as possible.
Craig Willemsen
Northwest
Managing the Northwest and Southwest regions, Craig comes from a long history on the retail side of the Dive Industry, having earned his first Instructor rating in the late ‘70’s, and as a dive store owner since the late ‘80’s. In the late ‘90’s, Craig got involved with rebreathers, and continues with this passion to this day. Craig spends as much of his spare time as he can with his wife and two kids, hiking and (of course) diving.
David Jensen
Southwest and Hawaii
David first thought about SCUBA at a young age as he grew up watching James Bond films. His Certification Dive was done at Blue Lake on the Utah/Nevada border. This is a geothermal lake that stays relatively warm year-round. He recalls that it was snowing when he was beginning his last dive. “It was cool getting into geothermal waters; the cold air and snow on your face and the warm water on the rest of your body.”
Certified in 1992, David has loved diving and learning everything possible to make him a better Instructor. He also enjoys rock climbing, skydiving, photography, the outdoors, and traveling.
David worked for several dive operations since becoming an Instructor in 2002. In 2012 David became a manufacturer sales representative in 2012, for various SCUBA brands and is excited with his position as the Regional Sales Manager for the Southwest and Hawaii.
Scott Evans
South Florida
Scott Evans began diving in 1982 and literally grew up in the dive business. Scott started in the in the family’s dive store and eventually took over and built it up to become one of the largest dive centers in the mid-Atlantic area. After selling the business he shifted his focus to the training side of the industry. Over the last 13 years, Scott has been active in all levels of professional instructor development and also served in both leadership and consulting roles for several training agencies.
Currently, Scott is an industry representative in the southeast and works closely with retailers to help them grow and succeed.
Alejandra Iniguez
Mexico and Central America
Ale is from Guadalajara, Mexico where she qualified as a public accountant. As a sportswoman since a young age and high performance tennis player Ale looked for something new and started in the world of diving in 2007 and quickly acquired a special taste for caverns, caves and rebreathers. In 2012 she started her own distribution company for different brands of sport/recreational and technical diving equipment in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. When she is not working, she is with her children, her family or finding the time to do any diving, even participating occasionally in some tennis tournaments.
In 2017 she joined the SDI / TDI / ERDI team as representative of Mexico and Central America.
Mike Ehly
Canada
A Canadian from the Vancouver area, Mike has been diving the waters of the Pacific Northwest for over 25 years.
For the past 10 years Mike has served as an independent sales representative in Western Canada for several diving brands. Mike also works as a Paramedic for the British Columbia Ambulance Service, and in his spare time enjoys traveling, and training for triathlons.
Buddy Brown
In Memory… 11/23/1951-3/31/2017
Southeast/South Florida
Buddy was the territory manager for the Southeast and Florida region. Buddy loved all things “water”. Needless to say, he loved diving, spear fishing, fishing, and most any kind of boating. Years ago, Buddy, along with his wife and daughter, lived and cruised on a 35 foot ketch rigged Morgan sailboat for an extended time. He was in the business of SCUBA ever since. Buddy was an avid reader and enjoyed jogging and biking, and of course, spending time with grandkids. Buddy developed many friendships with his customers over the years, and received great satisfaction from helping them be successful in their businesses. He was very proud to have his son, Joey, and daughter, Jennifer working with him in this business.