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Stepping Up
Earlier this year Jeff Myers was appointed the new Chief Operating Officer at DAN. (For that announcement, click here).
It isn't surprising that this industry veteran would be tapped for such an important position, given his diverse and expansive diving history. But the Ohio native didn't necessarily set out for a career in the dive industry.
"Diving came into my life at a good time," Jeff recalls. "I had grown up watching Jacques Cousteau specials and 'Sea Hunt,' and the idea of underwater escape and adventure was very appealing to me."
So one day back in the late 1970s while working at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and taking classes at Ohio State University, Myers called and inquired about taking a dive class. That call put into motion a string of events that resulted in a 25-plus-year career in the dive industry.
Myers spent time building his diving experience in Midwestern lakes and quarries, even logging many ice dives. After making more than 100 dives in just the first year after becoming certified, he decided to take the next step: He became a dive instructor.
"I wanted to give something back," he recalls. "Diving can be a life-changing experience, and to be able to help someone take their first breath underwater is something that has been very rewarding to me."
Myers, who today holds nearly two dozen professional ratings, including the prestigious PADI Course Director and Instructor Examiner titles, learned something valuable once he began teaching new divers. "In Ohio, dive instructors were viewed as heroes. I discovered that I'd much rather be a role model than a hero."
One fortunate diver who benefited from Myers' passion for the sport received a little extra attention than most students. As he recalls, it took 17 pool sessions for this one special student, and while it may have taken a little longer than most classes, this young woman finally met the standards.
"She didn't give up, and I wasn't about to, either," says Myers.
Scuba diving also played a key role in Myers' personal life. While working at a local event in Ohio for ASK Water Sports in Dublin, Ohio, Myers met his future wife, Nancy.
"She was testing a new wetsuit, and decided to join me in the demonstration tank. I didn't think that first meeting was a big deal at the time, but it didn't take long before Nancy and I were dating and getting serious about each other." The two took the marital plunge shortly thereafter.
After several years as the training director at ASK Water Sports, Myers and his family headed west in 1990, where he spent 13 years working at PADI Headquarters. While at PADI, he worked as an educational consultant, supervised the Training, Education and Membership departments and managed the membership department for the world's largest scuba diver training organization.
"It was a privilege to work alongside some of the best and brightest minds in the dive industry while I was at PADI," he recalls. As part of his duties at PADI, Myers was able to travel all around the world teaching, evaluating and leading diving events and programs - something he could have scarcely imagined growing up in the chilly Midwest.
"I graduated in a high school class of just 124 students," he recalls. "If someone had told me that my career would include traveling to different countries and experiencing so many interesting cultures, I would have thought I'd be in the military. I'm humbled to have been able to experience so many different things through recreational diving."
In 2003, Myers made the difficult decision to leave his friends and colleagues at PADI to become vice president of Training at Divers Alert Network. As part of his new responsibilities, Myers oversaw DAN's educational programs, directed the development of new diving emergency programs, supervised revisions to many of DAN's mainstay educational tools and much more. All of this had the direct result of DAN solidifying its position as the dive industry's "Dive Safety Association."
In October, DAN President and CEO Dan Orr made the announcement that Myers had been named DAN's Chief Operating Officer.
"It's a well-deserved and important role for one of the industry's most recognized leaders," notes Orr. "Jeff has been an invaluable asset to DAN since his arrival. He brings valuable experience to this important position, and he will help guide DAN into the future."
"Diving has been very good to me," Myers adds. "It's my responsibility to make sure that everything I do and everything that DAN will do under my supervision will help make diving a safer and more enjoyable sport.
"People have many choices available for their leisure time. It's our job to make sure we service those needs and provide an activity that they will enjoy above any other."
Myers points to many exciting plans for the future at DAN. Recently DAN launched the "DAN IS MY BUDDY" website (www.danismybuddy.com – click here, a new strategic alliance with PADI, and exciting new programs for divers and professionals, with the promise of more to come.
For more details about how DAN embodies the "Divers Helping Divers" spirit, be sure to keep visiting this website.
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