Staff
By uniting the community of Special Operations veterans with the world of marine science and conservation in one, mission-focused program, FORCE BLUE has created a model of caring, cooperation and positive change with the power to restore lives and restore the planet. This OUR TEAM that is making it happen every day.
Executive Director, Co-Founder
Working as a professional writer for over 25 years, Jim has penned and directed award-winning advertising campaigns, screenplays, teleplays and documentaries. As Founder and Creative Director of NYC-based advertising and content production company Chowder, Inc., Jim wrote and produced the theatrically released feature film, Cayman Went and the children’s book, Tuke the Specialist Turtle. An avid SCUBA diver and lifelong environmentalist, Jim previously served on the Board of Directors of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) on Little Cayman.
Program Director, Co-Founder
For over the last 20 years, Keith has been in a managerial role of Sunset House in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. He is an accomplished diver, strategist, hotelier & marketer. Offering a rare blend of creative and operational strengths, he is a former board member of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) and Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA). Keith was one of the first to install coral farms in the Cayman Islands and co-founder of the island’s NGO “Save Cayman”. He has been a guest speaker at numerous DEMA events and was named “Diver of the Year” in 2015 by Beneath the Sea for his role in promoting SCUBA recreation, training, safety and advocate for the seas.
Co-Founder
A veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, Rudy served with distinction as a member of the United States Marine Corps illustrious 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and played himself in HBO’s Generation Kill, a miniseries based on the bestselling book by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright. A graduate of the Marine Corps Combatant Diving, Scout/Sniper and Search, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) schools, Rudy has worked as a counter-terror contractor for the Department of Defense, trained African wildlife preserver rangers in anti-poaching techniques and, most recently, appeared in National Geographic Channel’s Ultimate Survival Alaska. Rudy is the author of Hero Living, which chronicles his warrior philosophy and teaches others how to follow it.
Operations Director
A Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Nicole is currently serving in her 12th year as an airman in the Air National Guard. She has received several awards and medals of distinction throughout her illustrious military career, including being named Airman of the Year in 2007. Nicole has years of experience overseeing the financial management and planning of multi-million dollar DOD mission budgets and is particularly skilled in the areas of strategy development, budgeting, data entry, CRM utilization and HR management. In her role with FORCE BLUE, Nicole is tasked with managing and increasing the effectiveness of the foundation’s support services, in addition to improving FORCE BLUE’s operational systems, processes and policies. Nicole received her BA from the University of Minnesota and her MBA from AMU.
Training Director
A 10-year Honorably Discharged Veteran of the U.S. Navy Elite Special Operations Community, Angelo is both a seasoned executive and experienced entrepreneur. He is the founder of The Fiore Service Group, an independent company that represents some of the largest sporting goods and sporting apparel manufacturers in the world. His skill in conducting small business analysis and developing growth, together with his long tenure of working inside the SCUBA industry, make him a valuable addition to the FORCE BLUE team.
Recruitment Director
Master Sgt. Roger Sparks has served within the military as both a Recon Marine and an Air Force Pararescueman for over 25 years. Sparks was the recipient of the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for valor, in a ceremony on July 11, 2014 for his actions during a fierce firefight with insurgents in Afghanistan’s Watapur Valley on Nov. 14, 2010. His citation reads: “Despite continued enemy fire and with no concern for his personal safety, Sergeant Sparks immediately performed lifesaving measures for nine wounded soldiers.” Roger struggled with post-traumatic stress in the year after that five-month deployment, during which he turned to tattooing. “I couldn’t shake the catharsis of it, like how healing the experience was to be serendipitously tattooed right after that,” he said. “It’s a metaphysical thing of attempting to master yourself through experiencing the pain of tattooing but through virtuous symbols. The pastime took on greater meaning as he began tattooing fellow veterans. Sparks is currently transitioning from a career of special operations into the civilian world as an artist, author and speaker.
Strategy & Advancement Director
Michael is a seasoned and mission-focused professional with 20 years of experience at international and U.S. domestic organizations. He manages a private consultancy practice working with start-up initiatives and organizations experiencing managed change/growth situations. Michael recently served as the founding Director of the Art of Dying Institute and Director, Institutional Advancement at the New York Open Center. Prior to the Open Center and the Art of Dying Institute, Michael worked with Village Health Works, Peace Direct, Geneva Global, HIV Law Project, and Human Rights Watch among others.
Fundraising Consultant
Elise has over 24 years experience in public relations for many of the most recognizable names in the ocean media industry. Her past clients include Google Earth, WildAid, FMCN: The Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, Mission Blue, the Sylvia Earle Alliance, Ocean Geographic Society, and Jean Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures. Elise brings broad experience crafting international messaging and coordinated outreach to her team. Elise has chosen to strive, through action to manage the slow change that needs to take place to make a difference in the world. To the best of her abilities she uses all the facilities available to her to create partnerships, awareness, advocacy and education through a variety of applications, introductions, projects, events and programs.
Dive Safety Officer
Les’ professional diving career spans 37 years. From the time he first stood up, in a U.S. Navy Mk V, in 1981 to the present, he has taken part in salvage operations, ordnance clearance and force protection missions around the world. Les is a decorated combat veteran, having coolly operated under fire “outside the wire” while serving in Iraq. Les served as an instructor at the famed Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, the home of Navy diving. He has trained over 2,500 divers at all levels from Marine Recon to Deep Sea Salvors to 13-year-old, “Jr Scientists in Sea.” After spending 33 years in the U.S. Navy, he turned his expertise to science diving. Les is an AAUS Science Diver Instructor and was the Diving Safety Officer for the University of Maryland. Les currently holds instructor ratings from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), Technical Diving International /SCUBA Diving International (TDI/SD), International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD) and Divers Alert Network (DAN).