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Donna Marie Uguccioni, 2006
Donna Uggicioni is a diving physiologist and the Research Coordinator for the Divers Alert Network. Her research interests focus on dive safety and education in recreational scuba diving and she has been an important member of the DAN research and medical staff for 12 years. Donna collects and coordinates data on a number of major studies such as diabetes research, recreational dive professionals and technical diving. Donna is also a prolific writer, an EMT, CHT, and DMT, and a research technician who assists at the Duke University Hyperbaric Chamber and participates in chamber studies as a Doppler or TEE technician. |
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Valerie Van Heest, 2006
Valerie began diving in 1978, while in high school. With limited travel opportunities, she focused on Great Lake shipwrecks, which became her life-long passion. She co-founded Chicago’s Underwater Archaeological Society, was instrumental in establishing Southwest Michigan’s Underwater Preserve and co-founded Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates (MSRA). With each non-profit, she uses her professional architectural, management, and marketing talents to lead the fundraising, research and documentation efforts on over 40 shipwrecks, producing drawings, articles, films, and lectures. She spearheaded MSRA’s shipwreck search program, discovering four new wrecks, and is working with Clive Cussler’s NUMA team in search of Northwest Flight 2501. Preserving shipwrecks and contributing to the wealth of Great Lakes Maritime knowledge is her hallmark. Contact Valerie at www.valerieolsonvanheest.com |
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Dr. Karen Van Hoesen, 2000
Karen has been a diver for 20 years and a NAUI instructor for 17 years. She attended Duke University where she conducted research with DAN and their hyperbaric center. Karen is the recipient of the 1988 Our World Underwater Scholarship, and has been secretary of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society and president of its Pacific Chapter. She publishes and lectures internationally on diving medicine. Karen is director of UCSD Diving Medicine Center in San Diego, California. |
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Eveline Verdier, 2001
Eveline is a very experienced French and Swiss instructor trainer. For 15 years she has been actively involved with training dive instructors in Europe for various agencies (PADI, TDI, CMAS & DAN). Amongst other qualifications, Eveline is one of the few female trimix instructor trainers worldwide. In 2000, she became the deepest female closed circuit rebreather diver in Europe while diving on the Protee, a French WWII submarine wreck that lies in 130 meters of water. Eveline is also the regional manager for DAN Europe in France. |
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Hillary Viders, Ph.D., 2000
Hillary Viders is an internationally acclaimed speaker, educator and author, with an unusually extensive range of interests and expertise. She has been diving in a variety of undersea environments since 1975 and she has published over 500 articles (in 44 magazines and journals), academic papers, and video scripts, and she has contributed to numerous diving books and training materials, such as the NOAA Manual, focusing on undersea and hyperbaric physiology and medicine, marine science and conservation, dive training and safety, and historic shipwreck exploration.
Hillary Viders is a Founder of the Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF. Inc.) and has served as the WDHOF Chairman of the Board of Trustees since it’s inception. Dr. Viders is also the President of the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences (AUAS), a Member of the Explorers Club, a Fellow of the American Society of Oceanographers and a Member of the Undersea Hyperbaric and Medical Society. She founded NAUI’s Environmental Program (one of the first in the diving industry) and the NAUI Environmental Enrichment Award and she has served on the PADI Project Aware Board of Governors and Honorary Board of Governors for the last 10 years. She is a member of over 20 BODs and consults to numerous NGOs and government organizations.
In addition to Dr. Viders’ many dive industry awards, which include a 2001 NOGI Award for Distinguished Service, the 2002 SEASPACE/Project AWARE Environmental Award, two National Association of Instructors Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Diving, the Beneath the Sea Medal of Excellence, the Underwater Society of America’s Diver of the Year Award in 1997, the DAN / Rolex Diver of the Year Award in 1999, she was honored in by President Clinton and the U.S. Department of the Interior with the prestigious Take Pride In America Award (1993). In 2002, she was cited in Skin Diver Magazine (“Milestones Column”) as one of the most influential women in diving. |
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Sally A. Wahrmann, 2002
Certified in 1978, Sally soon became an avid Northeast wreck diver. She attained seven specialty certifications, in addition to divemaster and master diver. As crew on the R/V Wahoo, she has logged 60 dives on the famed wreck of the Andrea Doria (all using air); often sets and pulls the hook; and is always willing to introduce a new diver to the mysteries of Northeast wreck diving. Her love of diving has taken Sally to dozens of globally challenging dive sites from the East River of NYC to Scapa Flow to Truk Lagoon and the Great Barrier Reef. |
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Kay Walten, 2000
Kay explores underwater caves with her husband Gary. From 1993 - present their efforts have been focused on the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. In addition to being an explorer for many new caves, she was inducted into the Explorers Club. Kay has been published in the NACD Journal. She has also been included in articles on cave exploration and explorers in Smithsonian and many other magazines. Most receintly she acted as IMAX stunt double in Journey to Amazing Caves. Currently Kay is co-founder and owner of LocoGringo.com a vacation reservation service for the Riviera Maya. |
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Scarlett D. Watts, 2001
Scarlett has been diving for 26 years. She received her open water certification at the age of 12 and became a diving instructor by the age of 18. Scarlett is a world record holding, expert, veteran, and specialty diver. In March 1999, she set the world record for women’s deep air diving, to the depth of 425 feet in Cozumel, Mexico. Scarlett holds expert training credentials from Scuba Schools International and the Professional Scuba Association Deep Air Institute; these include nitrox and cave diving. At present she is the manager of Mr. Scuba in Orlando, Florida. |
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Renee Westerfield, 2000
Renee worked in the editorial department at Underwater USA, a monthly newspaper serving the dive industry, from 1989-1993. While there she learned to dive, receiving her open water certification in 1990. Westerfield joined DAN in 1993. Currently the DAN communications director, she continues to dive, snorkel and hike. Westerfield is active in her local Rails-to-Trails organization and explores caves topside as a member of the National Speleological Society. |
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Michele Westmorland, 2011
Michele has been a true pioneer as a visual artist, nature photographer, expedition leader and photo instructor with conservation as her underlying message. Michele’s work shows the beauty, mystery, function and vulnerability of our world both topside and underwater. Michele has contributed to magazines such as Sport Diver, Scuba Diving, Ocean Geographic and Australasia Scuba Diver. As a member of the North American Nature Photography Association, her work has been featured in preeminent magazines like Outside Magazine, National Geographic Traveler, and National Geographic Adventure. Her status in the International League of Conservation Photographers is one of Michele’s proudest achievements. |
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Kathy A. Weydig, 2000
Captain Kathy A. Weydig is an original founder of the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame. She has been a scuba instructor since 1989, as well as holding Instructor Trainer and Course Director ratings with NAUI and SDI/TDI. She holds a 100 ton USCG Master captain’s license sailing the Atlantic, Caribbean and now, the Pacific. She was Training Director of the City Island Hyperbaric Chamber during the mid 1990s, is an EMT, DMT and Certified Hyperbaric Technician. Kathy served as the NAUI North Atlantic Branch Manager and Chairman of the NAUI Elections Committee. With more than 2,750 dives completed she has explored some of our more notable shipwrecks including the Andrea Doria, USS Wilkes Barre and as an Expedition Leader on the 2004 and 2006 USS Monitor projects, and is a member of the prestigious Explorers Club. A noted photographer and sought after speaker. Today Kathy serves on the Board of Directors of the Divers Alert Network and is President of Scuba Training and Technology Inc. a dive equipment and training company in Lake Havasu City Arizona. Contact: Kathy@trimixdiver.com |
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Jennifer Wheaton, 2007
Jennifer Wheaton is a nationally recognized expert on octocorals and underwater survey and monitoring. She has conducted underwater surveys for Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) and Key Largo NMS, precursors to the Florida Keys (FK) NMS. Her surveys were instrumental in the legal settlement for a major ship grounding at Dry Tortugas. Jennifer conducted the first surveys of submerged State lands for potential leases for live-rock aquaculture. She served on advisory panels for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (FMC) and the South Atlantic FMC that produced the first Coral Fishery Management plans for both regions. Jennifer managed and participated in underwater monitoring for the FKNMS Coral Reef Monitoring project, now in its 10th year. She was an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences representing her organization until her promotion to leadership of the Ecosystem Assessment and Restoration Section at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in 2002. |
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Deborah Whitcraft, 2011
First certified in 1971, Deb became a diving instructor in 1974. She established two shops,Triton Divers and Inner Space Divers, and operated charter boats “Deborah C.” and “Black Whale”. Through her maritime history columns for newspapers and boating magazines, as well as countless public presentations, Deb has stressed the importance of preserving this unique part of our nation’s heritage. In 1982, Deb partnered with Mel Fisher to lobby in Washington, D.C. against legislation H.R. 132, created to ban the recovery of artifacts by divers from historic shipwreck sites. She lives her dream as President and Curator of the non-profit “Museum of New Jersey Maritime History”, housing an extraordinary collection and offering year-round presentations to visitors from all over the world. . |
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Edie Widder, Ph.D., 2005
Edie is a deep-sea biologist and certified submersible pilot. Her passion is bioluminescence and she is a world authority in the field. She has developed an array of innovative tools for studying marine bioluminescence and has participated in over 60 research expeditions, 39 as chief scientist. Besides authoring over 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications, she has written two children’s books and an award-winning educational video. She is President of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association and holds adjunct appointments at Johns Hopkins University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Florida Atlantic University and Florida Institute of Technology. |
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Birgitte Wilms, 2002
Birgitte was born in Denmark, and began her diving career after moving to the United States in 1987. She started underwater photography after meeting her future husband, Chris Newbert. They founded Rainbowed Sea Tours, Inc., and have been leading divers around the world ever since. Birgitte co-authored In a Sea of Dreams, winner of the World Grand Prize for underwater photography books. Her photos have appeared in dozens of magazines internationally. Presently, Birgitte is working on a series of childrens’ undersea books. |
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Laurie J. Wilson, 2001
With over 25 years of hospitality & tourism experience, Laurie Wilson is co-Founder of the Dive Travel Resource Group (1993) whose mission is to spearhead professional development in the dive travel industry and attract "fresh fins" to scuba diving and snorkeling. Laurie has designed much of DTRG's unique learning tools, created the DEMA Dive Travel Conference and presented numerous business seminars at international and regional dive shows and travel events, bringing training to more than 12,000 dive travel professionals. Laurie's latest endeavour, www.DiveTravelBusiness.com, serves to take professional development to the next level, providing Dive Travel Sellers and Suppliers with 24/7 access to a vast online resevoir of valuable resources that support a profitable, eco-friendly dive travel business. |
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Frankie Wingert, 2000
Frankie started her career with the YMCA National Scuba Program in 1976 as a part-time employee. She soon worked her way up through the ranks of Office Manager and Assistant National Director. By 1986 Frankie attained the position of National Director, which she held until her retirement in 1994. She was certified as a diver in 1978 and holds the status of an Assistant Instructor. Frankie is a member of the YMCA National Scuba Committee and is the recipient of several awards. |
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Jill Yager, Ph.D., 2000
Jill has been cave diving since the mid 1970s. She is certified as a full cave diver with NACD and NSS-CDS. While exploring Bahamian caves, Jill collected and named the Remipedia, an unusual animal that represented a new class of crustacean. Since her biological discovery she has explored caves throughout the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Mexico & Cuba, and discovered many new species of cave adapted animals. Jill is currently is a Professor of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Antioch College. |
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CDR Lori Yost, 2003
Lori is a Diving and Salvage Officer for the US Naval Reserve. Highlights of her military diving career include the recovery mission for the Titan Rocket and Satellite and the USS Monitor Expedition (2001, 2002). |
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Andrea Zaferes, 2000
Andrea teaches over 1000 police, fire, EMS and sport divers worldwide on an annual basis in everything from underwater vehicle extrication, sport diving rescue, and field neurological evaluations, to homicidal drowning investigations. She is Vice President of Lifeguard Systems and RIPTIDE, a course director, instructor trainer, well-published author, noted public speaker, award winner, magazine editor, on-line discussion group manager and one of the leading trainers in the water rescue and recovery industry today. |
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Cristina Zenato, 2011
Cristina started diving in 1994, made the Bahamas home and diving her life. She lives her passion, ocean conservation. With sharks and caves part of her daily work, she uses them to address issues of ocean management, water conservation and garbage disposal. As a full cave instructor, Cristina, volunteers her time to map and explore cave systems, providing vital information to extend their protection and conservation. She helps in the creation of marine parks with an emphasis on protecting sharks in the Bahamas and around the world. Cristina believes there is great power in education and teaches local school children to dive as part of sharing her vision. |
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Julianne Ziefle, 2002
Certified in 1985, Julianne is an award-winning speaker, photographer and media professional. She first appeared in dive magazines in the late ‘80s when she met Stephen Frink. She worked on Cousteau’s Campaign on Rights of Future Generations in 1994. She co-chaired the Hans Hass Film Festival and was co-creator of the Dive Industry Awards Gala in 2000. She has been helping schools in the South Pacific since 1992 and teaches in her local school district. In 1999, she was recognized by D.A.N. with the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. |
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JoAnn Zigahn, 2001
JoAnn began diving in 1981 in the Northeast and many destinations abroad. For the past 20 years she has played a major role in the Beneath The Sea underwater exposition and is currently their vice president of administration. JoAnn has worked endlessly to promote the sport of scuba diving and ocean awareness and conservation to the general public, young and old alike. She is a director of BTS’s national Ocean Pals Project, which for 15 years has encouraged young people to become aware of and share their concerns for the marine environment. |
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