Meet Our team
A great experience across all water activities
Our scuba instructors are SSI certified and hold the highest level of recreational dive training. With tens of thousands of hours of diving experience and more than 50,000 logged dives at locations all around the world, they have the experience and knowledge to educate you to be a safe and confident diver.
Our retail staff and service team members are certified scuba divers with extensive knowledge about scuba and diving equipment.
Our swim teachers are certified Swim Schools International teachers. They use the latest swim curriculum and teaching techniques. More importantly, they LOVE kids! With a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, your child will get to know his or her teacher and become comfortable learning new skills in water.
Meet the management team
Dean Hollis
Founder
Advanced Open Water Diver Instructor
Dean has been diving since he was 16 and still loves it as much as when he started. Dean is a level 10 diver and teaches several specialties, including spearfishing and scuba rangers. He leads a few trips each year, usually in the Caribbean, because they are close and easy to get to and he prefers the more authentic islands. Dean founded Diventures to help as many people as possible enjoy spending time in and around the water.
Phone: 402.933.6251
Email: [email protected]
DeAnn Olsen
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
DeAnn has over 35 years of experience in accounting and finance. She enjoys helping others and any activities that involve being outside.
Phone: 531.999.3843
Email: [email protected]
Jessica Jarosh
Chief Marketing Officer
Divemaster
Jessica started diving with her family when she was 13 and loves being in the water. She is a former swimmer, lifeguard, and swim coach. She brings extensive marketing experience to the team, including brand development and strategy, communications planning, campaign management, team building, and business leadership to Diventures. Jessica champions our marketing efforts to reach new swimmers and divers across the country.
Phone: 531.600.8841
Email: [email protected]
Will Munroe
General Manager
Divemaster
With a deep passion for both the outdoors and customer service, Will brings nearly two decades of business leadership experience to the Diventures team. Will has grown up in and on the water and is energized by sharing his love of the outdoors with others. Believing firmly in the transformational power of the outside world to positively impact lives, Will leads our team in delivering and expanding our unparalleled customer experience and commitment to safety and fun in the water.
Phone: 531.999.8425
Email: [email protected]
Kim Infield
Senior Director of Store Support
Master Instructor
Kim has been a scuba diver for 19 years and a dive professional for 13. She brings extensive experience in recreational, technical, and adaptive instruction as well as expertise in dive center logistics. She strives to create safe, comfortable, and confident divers through guiding the world-class scuba instruction and service offered at Diventures. In her opinion, there’s no feeling above the surface that quite matches a perfect dive.
Phone: 515.599.6610
Email: [email protected]
Ben Snyder
Swim Program Director
Swim Teacher Instructor Trainer
Ben has over 15 years of aquatics experience including teaching swim lessons and training lifeguards. He specializes in working with those with special considerations and loves sharing his passion and helping everyone reach their desired goals in the water!
Phone: 402.933.6251
Email: [email protected]
Pat Dunn
Scuba Program Director
Instructor Certifier
Pat Dunn’s scuba experience dates well before he opened Thunder Island Divers in 1979, a Multi-store chain he successfully ran until 1992. Having tried scuba at the age of 10 in a pond in a city park he was hooked. After certifying in 1977, he moved to Hawaii to become a Scuba Instructor. Through his years of diving and instruction, Pat has been a PADI Instructor, Course Instructor. Since joining SSI in 1997, he has achieved the levels of SSI Platinum Pro 50000 Instructor, Instructor Certifier, and most recently, SSI International Training Director.
Email: [email protected]
Megan Oswald
Travel Program Director
Open Water Diver Instructor
Megan fell in love with the underwater world the first time she went diving and she loves helping people discover its beauty. As a level 5 diver, she appreciates her career focused on her passion for diving and the water. And she is always excited to talk about diving and traveling.
Phone: 402.614.9232
Email: [email protected]
David Hollis
Training Program Director
Assistant Instructor
David’s passion for scuba started before he turned ten while doing Try Scubas with his dad. His passion for the ocean and all outdoor activities has only grown since. A progressing Dive Professional, David’s favorite place to dive (so far) is Grand Turk but he continues to explore all dive destinations.
Phone: 402.502.3785
Email: [email protected]
Nolan Hardison
Director of Customer Experience
Instructor Trainer
Nolan has been diving since 1985 and an instructor since 1989. He has taught all levels of diving, wide range of specialties and been certified as an Instructor Trainer and Certifier. Nolan was recognized for his dedication to the highest standards of teaching by being awarded the NASDS Instructor of the Year in 1998.
Phone: 417.849.9455
Email: [email protected]
Emily Burgess
Director of Merchandising
Emily leads with a hands-on, roll-up-the-sleeves work ethic, and has a passion for adventure, learning and growing. Emily’s priority focus is to build Diventures product assortment and make a positive programmatic impact at each store. When Emily is not merchandising, she loves ascending mountains and descending underwater to different parts of our beautiful planet.
Phone: 402.979.2963
Email: [email protected]
Erin White
New Store Integration Lead
Open Water Diver Instructor
Erin was a competitive swimmer growing up and has always had a love for the water. Her background in retail and her experience as a level 5 diver makes her a valuable resource for our customers. Erin’s favorite thing to do is to help others become passionate about the underwater world.
Phone: 417.883.5151
Email: [email protected]
Ryan Oestreich
Store Director, Springfield
Open Water Diver Instructor
As a level 5 diver, Ryan enjoys teaching students about the awesome sport of diving. Diventures is the reason he is a dive professional, has developed skills and gained experience diving. He loves being able to share what he learns with our customers.
Phone: 417.883.5151
Email: [email protected]
Patrick Sharp
Store Director, Omaha
Open Water Diver
Patrick started his Diventures journey as a customer and after getting a taste for diving, Patrick and his wife quickly got certified in Cozumel and discovered a NEW PASSION for scuba and ocean conservation. Patrick loves to share what he has learned with others and is excited about the opportunity to help new and existing customers.
“As a customer of Diventures, I saw that the people here are honest, genuine, and really love what they do. I had to be a part of that. I jumped at the opportunity to be involved with a company whose mission is to improve the world and enrich people’s lives through knowledge and skillset.”
Phone: 402.933.6251
Email: [email protected]
Sara Holley
Store Director, Fitchburg and Sun Prairie
Open Water Diver
Swimming has been Sara’s passion since her first lesson at age 4. She was a competitive swimmer for over 10 years, traveling all over the United States and Canada for competitions. She comes from a family of avid water skiers and enjoys spending time at the lake.
Phone: 608.630.9800
Email: [email protected]
Chelsea Foster
Store Director, Alpharetta
Divemaster Instructor
Bio coming soon.
Phone: 770.992.3772
Email: [email protected]
Beth VanPelt
Store Director, Lexington
Open Water Instructor
Beth knew she wanted to be a scuba diver when she was just four years old after seeing the diver down flags at her local lake growing up. As she got older, she didn’t know if it would ever be a possibility, but her life absolutely changed in 2017 when she met the owners of New Horizons Diving. she took her first breath underwater at the pool she managed and she was absolutely hooked. Since then, she’s completed almost 300 dives, become an Open Water Instructor, and has made life-long bonds with her dive buddies. her favorite type of diving is anything involving sharks, wrecks, or caverns!
Phone: 859.277.1234
Email: [email protected]
Dallin Marx
Store Director, Phoenix
Dallin has years of experience in hobby and specialty retail and recently began his journey in the world of scuba. His favorite thing about scuba is the passion, enthusiasm, and inclusivity within the community. He says, “My first time diving was a surreal experience, and I was hooked with my first breath through a regulator. I love sharing this amazing sport with new people and seeing the excitement and wonder in their eyes that I felt and want to share that with as many people possible.”
Email: [email protected]
Steve Knickerbocker
Store Director, Kansas City
Master Diver Trainer
Steve’s love of all things underwater started in his early years as a junior diver. He grew up in the midwest which meant much of his diving took place in quarries, inland lakes, and reservoirs. Family vacations, sailing tips, and a home in the Florida Keys provided him years of opportunity to dive throughout much of the Caribbean waters. Having thousands of dives logged, Steve’s happy place is teaching and sharing his love for the water with others. After spending the past two years in Puerto Rico guiding and teaching full time, his wife and himself moved to Kansas City to be closer to the family and grandchildren. Steve is an Independent Master Diver Trainer. He takes the responsibility of instruction very seriously and wants to make sure that all students have fun learning in a safe and comfortable environment. Not on the water, Steve likes looking for new equipment, riding his bicycle, and watching the Chiefs in action.
Phone: 215.264.8985
Email: [email protected]
Troy Miller
Store Director, North Liberty
Open Water Diver
Troy is a former college swim captain as well as a lover of SCUBA, receiving his certification in 2012. As a North Liberty business owner since 2004 (Naomi’s Kitchen), he has served Johnson and Linn County clients for nearly two decades. Whether it’s swimming laps, or spearing invasive Lionfish while diving Roatan, Troy’s happy place is underwater.
Phone: 319.665.2741
Email: [email protected]
Dan Stalder
Store Director, Lincoln
Born and raised in Nebraska with no thoughts, dreams or bucket lists including scuba diving or the underwater world, Dan became a certified Open Water Scuba Diver in August 2006. His only regret is that he did not start much earlier in life!! Dan instantly had a new passion in life, and now consideres himself blessed to have the privilege of introducing others to the incredible world of scuba diving. He has been a Scuba Store manager since February of 2012 and is currently an SSI Instructor Trainer with the Platinum Pro 1000 recognition.
Phone: 402.420.6338
Email: [email protected]
Stephanie Maciejewski
Store Director, Battle Creek
Originally born and raised in Grand Rapids, Stephanie moved to Kalamazoo in 2017 for MPI Research (now Charles River Laboratories). When she found Sub-Aquatic Sports she started on a professional pathway. Before she became an instructor with SASS, she was an instructor for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Her next challenge is to become cave and freediving certified.
Phone: 269.968.8551
Email: [email protected]
Jessy Robinson
Willie Wellington
Store Director, Sterling and Vienna
Willie began his journey as a scuba student at Iowa State University in 2000. He is currently a PADI MSDT working on a crossover to SSI Advanced Open Water Instructor. Prior to joining Diventures, he managed a PADI Five Star IDC store in St Petersburg, FL, and owned a dive center in Ames, IA. Willie has experienced diving in Iowa, Florida, Australia, Hawaii, and many islands in the Caribbean. One of his favorite classes was teaching scuba as part of the Spaceflight Operations course at Iowa State University for six years. Willie takes great pride in customer service and satisfaction. He chose to work at Diventures because it aligns with his core values, which include being friendly and providing high customer service and satisfaction.
Phone: 703.263.0427
Email: [email protected]
Dustin Doroh
Business Analyst
With a passion for scuba diving and technology, Dustin brings years of technological experience to the Diventures team. He believes that technology holds the key to enhancing the way in which we conduct business. It is his passion to utilize technology to create positive change. When Dustin is not behind the keyboard you can find him diving the Great Lakes and discovering the history that each shipwreck has left behind. He enjoys sharing this underwater world with others and helping new divers experience wreck diving for the first time. Dustin is always excited to talk about the latest in dive technology.
Phone: 269.501.7273
Email: [email protected]
Sabrina Severin
Ocean Health Education and Conservation Coordinator
Divemaster
Sabrina is a level 5 diver and started diving in 2020. She became passionate about the ocean by watching documentaries with her dad and on family vacations to tropical places. Sabrina received her Master’s degree in Marine Conservation from the University of Miami in 2021. She loves to travel, dive and educate others about the underwater world.
Email: [email protected]
Autumn Wood
Content Producer and Social Media Specialist
Swim Teacher & Open Water Diver
Whether it’s working on land or in the water, Autumn is always having fun! She started at Diventures as a swim teacher and shortly after, she joined our Marketing Team! Autumn is a former Omaha Zoo Academy student who values education about ocean conservation in addition to swim safety. She was also a collegiate athlete with a passion for coaching and leadership, which she applies to all her swim lessons!
Email: [email protected]
Corinne Saliga
Lead Travel Coordinator
Open Water Diver
Corinne’s love for travel and her passion for helping people brought her to Diventures. She is excited to guide customers through the travel process and to build the trip of a lifetime!
Phone: 402.933.6251
Email: [email protected]
Matt Creighton
Travel Coordinator
Master Diver
Matt is a level 4 diver and started diving in 2013. After years of Midwest dives, he was able to experience Caribbean diving in 2020. Matt is currently an SSI master diver and am working towards furthering my certifications. Being a safe and educated diver makes the sport more enjoyable for everyone. The camaraderie he found in the scuba community is phenomenal, and he is looking forward to bringing people together to beautiful destinations around the world.
Phone: 402.933.6251
Email: [email protected]
Nicholas Wees
Travel Coordinator
Divemaster
Nick loves talking with customers about their travel and diving experiences. As our previous Scuba Experience Manager in Omaha, he has extensive knowledge of all things diving and travel. Customers will appreciate the attention to detail and caring attitude Nick brings to the table.
Email: [email protected]