President
Mark Stephens served with United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets) in Okinawa, Japan and Fort Bragg, NC. Later Mark joined and spent 3/4 of his time in the military with the Nation’s Counter Terrorism Special Mission Unit, as a Special Operations Operator in numerous positions. Mark Stephens’ combat deployments include 3 deployments to Iraq for OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, 3 deployments 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), in Panama, counter-narcotics operations with the USCG (OPERATION HAT TRICK II), in the Balkans / Bosnia and Columbia as well as numerous other contingency operations around the world.
Mark Stephens’ awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, 5 Bronze Stars for Valor and/or 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 Combat Diver’s Badge, the Guatemalan Parachutist Badge and the Polish Parachutist Badge.
Currently Mark is the Director of the SCOM division in ADS Inc.
Chief Operations Officer
Dr. David Palandro is a founding member of TRUE. He 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, which includes extensive field operations experience. He has been an American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) qualified science diver since 1998 and is a full voting member. He is a US Coast Guard licensed boat Captain and qualified Department of Interior Motorboat Operator. He has been SCUBA certified since 1991 and is a NAUI Technical Diver and a NAUI Instructor, which includes being a CPR/First Aid/O2 instructor. Dr. Palandro’s education and outreach experience ranges from working as a high school science teacher to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate college levels and producing education training materials.
Dr. Palandro is currently working for ExxonMobil as an Environmental Engineer and is a former Research Scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in St. Petersburg, Florida. His duties included coral reef ecology and benthic habitat mapping, primarily from remote sensing data. He was the Florida Scientific Support Coordinator for Oil Spill Response. He also serves on TRUE Diving Control Board.
Chief Financial Officer
Mark Flory is a founding member of TRUE. He is a native Floridian and a avid outdoorsman. He has been Scuba Diving since 1992. His diving certifications include NSS/CDS-Cavern Diver, NAUI Technical Diver, NAUI Dive Instructor and NAUI CPR/First Aid/O2 Instructor, IANTD Supervisor / CCR rEvo Diver. He has been an American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) qualified science diver since 2006. He also serves on TRUE Diving Control Board. He is a US Coast Guard licensed boat Captain and is also a Private Pilot. He is a certified Cadillac Master Craftsman and has been a local small business owner for over 14 years. He has been married 22 years to Rebecca and has three children, Christen, Gage, and Coral. He has recently become a proud Grandfather. His hobbies include hunting, and diving.
Tampa Bay Chapter President
Kevin Merschdorf, a founding member of T.R.U.E., has been a certified NAUI diver since 1974. He is CPR/First Aid & O2 certified, and is a NAUI Rescue Diver. Kevin met and married his wife Joy of 19 years in Naples, FL where he owned and operated a decorative concrete restoration company for 15 years. Together they have one son, Zachariah who is an active T.R.U.E. diver. Kevin has been a local business owner in the Tampa Bay area for the past 10 years. Hobbies: diving, fishing, boating, hunting & dirt track racing.
Tampa Bay Chapter Vice President
Libby Carnahan was drawn to Florida to teach marine science at Newfound Harbor Marine Institute (NHMI) at Seacamp on Big Pine Key in 1999 after completing her Bachelors of Science in Biology at Truman State University in Missouri. At NHMI, she worked with school groups as a science teacher, snorkel instructor, boat captain, and lifeguard. Libby then enjoyed educating tourists about the Florida Keys reef system aboard the Pride of Key West, Glassbottom Boat. She then moved to St. Petersburg to continue her education at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science. Her graduate research analyzed the relationship between foraminiferal assemblages and heavy metal concentrations in Biscayne Bay, Florida (2005). Libby has worked as an environmental scientist for the past 4 years for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves. Libby is a NAUI Divemaster and has been an AAUS scientific research diver for 8 years.
Libby currently serves as the Chapter Vice President for the Tampa Bay Chapter of Teen Research Underwater Explorer (TRUE) Dive Team. TRUE gives Libby the opportunity to combine her two passions of scientific research and educating today’s youth.
Tampa Bay Chapter Chief Scientist
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 fisheries and neurophysiology labs in NC and the USVI, and as an environmental specialist for the government of the Virgin Islands. Sennai is currently working on his Ph.D. in biological oceanography at the University of South Florida College Of Marine Science.
Tampa Bay Chapter Environmental Education and Outreach Officer
Lindsay Cross grew up in Michigan and first experienced the underwater world during a high school ecology trip to Belize. She was hooked! She received her Open Water Diver certification in 1998 while studying at Colorado State University. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health, she moved to Florida and worked at Mac’s Sports dive shop in Clearwater. During her time there, she earned her Scuba Schools International (SSI) Dive Control Specialist (Dive Master) certification and taught 7-12 year olds SCUBA and snorkeling skills as part of the Scuba Rangers program, as well as assisting with adult open water courses.
Lindsay began working at the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (www.tbep.org) in 2002, first as a public outreach assistant and then as a technical assistant. She has been working full-time as an Environmental Scientist since 2005, following completion of her Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida. Lindsay’s current duties include managing environmental restoration projects, writing public documents summarizing environmental research in Tampa Bay and serving as the environmental policy liaison.
Lindsay became involved with TRUE in 2009, receiving her NAUI Dive Master certification in early 2010. She enjoys diving with and educating the Explorers about marine science and conservation issues. In addition to TRUE, Lindsay serves as the President of the Friends of Weedon Island, Inc. and is active in triathlons, yoga and Ultimate Frisbee.
Tampa Bay Chapter Diving Safety Officer
Don Hickey received a B.S. in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina in 1996. During his undergraduate work he served as an academic tutor for the Athletics Department in all math and science courses. He also held leadership roles as Vice President, President, and Executive Advisor for the University’s SCUBA Club. Don was offered a position as a top-side and under-water driller working with the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 1995. In 1997, as a federal employee, he was tasked to be the Field Diving Safety Officer for the St. Petersburg office of the USGS over-seeing up to 30 divers. He, then, became trained as a Hyperbaric Chamber Technician to assist in remote projects involving SCUBA diving research projects. 2004 offered Don new opportunities with completing a Master’s in Science degree focusing on Carbonate Geology in Marine Science at the University of South Florida, as well as, being promoted to the Florida Integrated Science Center’s Diving Safety Officer position, which is responsible for all USGS SCUBA diving activities in the state of Florida. Several years later in 2007, Don accepted the responsibilities of the Eastern Region Diving Safety Officer for the USGS encompassing all SCUBA diving activities within the USGS east of the Mississippi River. Don has an extensive background in SCUBA diving experience due to the various scientific projects he assists, plans, and approves within the USGS scientific community. He has participated in over 1500 SCUBA dives and has spent over 2200 hours below the sea surface. Don has been awarded several awards and honors during his career for his dedication and performance as Diving Safety Officer for the USGS. He also has been a member of the US Geological Diving Safety Board, which is responsible for all SCUBA diving related activities within the agency, since 1997.
Tampa Bay Chapter Fundraising Officer
Carli Segelson grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but always had a strong desire to be close to the ocean. She graduated from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Broadcast Communications. After college, Carli moved to the Tampa Bay area to begin a career in mass media. She worked in the broadcast television and radio industry for several years before she started her current position with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in St. Petersburg. As the media relations coordinator for FWRI, Carli combines her experience working in media with her passion for the environment and conservation. In her current position Carli acts as the liaison for FWRI scientists and reporters, helping generate public interest in fish and wildlife research in Florida.
Tampa Bay Chapter Director of Administration
Joy Merschdorf, a founding member of T.R.U.E., brings 20+ years of administrative experience to the T.R.U.E. organization. A native Floridian, she met and married Kevin in Naples, Florida. Together they have one son, Zachariah, who has been actively diving and participating in T.R.U.E. since 2007.
Diving Control Board
The TRUE Diving Control Board includes:
David Palandro PhD, Mark Flory, Scott Mclean, Bill Dent, Don Hickey, Marc Blouin, Casey Coy
Marc Blouin
Marc Blouin is the Dive Safety Program Manager for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is a member of the USGS dive-safety board, where he serves as the bureau dive-safety officer. Marc has served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), in addition to serving on dive safety boards for the National Biological Service and the Florida Airboat Search and Rescue Team. Since 1983, he has been a Fishery Research Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Biological Service and the USGS. Marc currently works with diving scientists around the country in developing safety protocols and assists researchers with experimental design. He trains with underwater scientists, helping them prepare for their studies in hydrology, animal migration, coral disease and ecology and climate change.
Marc is a dive instructor, Divers Alert Network (DAN) Instructor and Instructor Trainer for the Department of the Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC).
William Dent
My ties to the Tampa Bay area started early when I became a student of the University of South Florida in 1969, Four years later I returned to my home state of New Jersey to take a position as a Civil Engineer, After working as a Civil Engineer my family decided to return to Florida to raise our family. In 1983 I returned to my Alma Mata to oversee the Scientific Diving Program.
My diving started early in 1963 at the age of 12 my father, a Navy diver during WWII, made the mistake of asking me if I wanted to learn how to dive. I spent my summers at the Jersey shore in the Barnegat Light area where my grandparents had a home and a boat. I first became a YMCA Scuba instructor in 1970 to teach the newly created Union County Scuba Club. I continued diving through my college time and finally made it a profession in 1982 when I took a position managing World of Water, Inc. in Tampa. At the same time I took over the non-credit scuba program at the USF. In 1988 I took a position at USF teaching the credit scuba program. In 1990 I took a position as the Diving Safety Officer overseeing the underwater research program for the Office of Research, Division of Research Integrity and Compliance. Eventually I became the Assistant Director for Safety for the Division.
I currently oversee the following; Scientific Diving, Boating Safety, Animal Safety – animals in research, BioSafety, Radiation Safety, Occupational medicine for research, Laser safety.
Diving – a few Notable Accomplishments, Dive the Andrea Doria a few times, Dove on the NOAA project The Monitor – the iron clad civil war ship, Dove Palmer Station – the Antarctic, Developed the Scientific Diving protocol for diving in or around an oil spill.
Diving Certifications include, NAUI Course Director, PADI Master Instructor, IANTD Instructor, Divers Alert Network (DAN) Instructor trainer, Trimix diver, Cave Diver, Rebreather Diver.
Administrative positions; Currently the Assistant Director for Safety, Division of Research Integrity and Compliance, Office of Research, University of South Florida, Two term President of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), Teen Researchers in Underwater Exploration (TRUE) – member of their Diving Control Board, SCUBANauts – member of their Diving Control Board.