Farewell

PERSPECTIVES

After 26 years at DAN, I am moving on to the next chapter of my career. I’ve served as president and CEO of DAN for 16 years, but my involvement with the organization started even earlier. In 1998 my wife Julianne and I were avid divers, and we thought it would be fun to help DAN by representing the organization at the Houston Dive Show. We genuinely enjoyed volunteering for DAN and built some valuable connections with staff and board members.

At the time I was practicing corporate law and working toward an MBA from Duke. I was invited to join the board of directors in 1999 and have worked ever since to expand the services and resources available to DAN members and recreational divers in general. My legal background made me uniquely qualified to oversee DAN’s insurance operations, and we took steps to develop closer collaborations with the carriers to improve benefits for members.

I look back on my time at DAN with fondness, gratitude, and pride in our accomplishments. I want to sincerely thank the staff and board for their unwavering support and dedication.

In 2009, at the beginning of my tenure as CEO, we launched DAN World to provide DAN benefits to divers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Soon after, DAN World combined its operations with DAN Asia-Pacific to better serve members and divers in the Eastern Hemisphere. Today, growth continues in all three regions: the Americas, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific.

In 2011 we introduced DAN’s annual travel insurance program. This popular product provides a low-cost, low-maintenance yearlong solution for frequent travelers so they don’t have to buy insurance for each trip. The program plays a significant role in DAN’s financial stability.

One of the most important developments during my 16 years as CEO was creating DAN Safety Services. We brought in experts to lead DAN’s risk management efforts, including our Recompression Chamber Assistance Program (RCAP), as well as our training and education initiatives.

While DAN’s traditional role has been to assist divers in medical emergencies, incident prevention and safety promotion through education are also central to our mission, and the Safety Services department advances those goals. We excel in education, and programs such as Powered By DAN, Continuing Education for Dive Professionals, the Academies of Dive Medicine, and continuing medical education (CME) courses for physicians are helping promote safer diving worldwide.

When NAUI needed liability insurance for its dive professionals and business owners and approached DAN in 2016, we accepted the challenge. DAN responded by establishing a new division and two insurance companies to launch a program that has been relied on ever since. Ten years later, the DAN liability program is accessible to all training agencies and offers coverage for dive professionals in the U.S. and some foreign territories.

When the pandemic hit, recreational diving suffered greatly. Once again DAN stepped up to support the industry by waiving premiums on various insurance programs during the peak of the disruption. As the pandemic eased, we responded to the rise in emergency call volumes by creating guidance for a safe return to diving. Additionally, we introduced Enhanced Membership, which added travel assistance and medical transportation benefits in response to rising evacuation and medical costs.

Over 45 years DAN has accumulated a wealth of experience, knowledge, and connections — invaluable resources for assisting injured divers in need of emergency evacuation. Drawing on this expertise, we believed DAN could offer in-house travel assistance services for our members that match or exceed those provided by larger assistance companies. This idea led to the creation of our newest department, DAN Claims and Assistance services. With this team, DAN anticipates a promising future of supporting divers when they need help the most.

It is my honor to transfer leadership of the organization to DAN’s next CEO, Cliff Richardson. Cliff brings more than 20 years of leadership experience, having led organizations in both the public and private sectors, most recently as CEO and executive director of NAUI Worldwide. He started his career in the dive industry as an instructor.

A U.S. Army veteran, Cliff is known for his strategic thinking, innovative problem-solving, and strengthening organizational capabilities. His industry knowledge and vision make him the ideal leader to guide DAN into its next chapter of service to our members and the global dive community.

What began as a simple effort to support a sport I loved has grown into a lifelong mission and privilege. I have been fortunate to work alongside dedicated educators, medics, scientists, and other professionals who, like me, believe divers deserve the best in safety, research, and emergency support. Together, we have broadened DAN’s reach, improved our emergency response, and advanced research that benefits divers worldwide.

First and foremost, I thank you, our members, for your commitment to dive safety. Your support has allowed DAN to grow from a small medical hotline in a Duke University basement in 1980 to the most trusted dive safety organization worldwide. None of this progress would be possible without your faith in our mission.

Take care, and safe diving.