Meet Our Staff
Wayne Brown
Owner & CEO
SSI INSTRUCTOR TRAINER
PADI STAFF INSTRUCTORAir Force veteran Wayne Brown and his family are passionate adventurers and explorers. Wayne is a hands on owner and is committed to providing personalized, exceptional customer service on every Aggressor adventure. From every department and every location around the world, you will experience first class service and adventure. Wayne is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Sea of Change Foundation and a Director of the Oceans For Youth Foundation. Wayne is also a member of the Explorers Club and a winner of 5 Telly awards. He is an avid photographer/videographer and spends much of his time on the many Aggressor destinations. He and his family reside in Augusta, Georgia.
Larry Speaker
Vice President
OperationsSSI Instructor Trainer and PADI Instructor
Growing up as a competitive swimmer was only a matter of time until the "scuba bug" bit Larry. After landing his first real job, it was an easy decision that his first vacation was a scuba certification trip. Twelve months after that first trip, Larry became an instructor, and soon scuba and adventure travel became his full-time career. Larry has certified more divers during his career than he can remember, managed and trained instructional and retail staff, was a professional travel agent and group leader. He also launched a software company for retail dive stores and worked in marketing, advertising, and IT for a large land-based dive resort. Larry earned his MBA specializing in International Business, where he met his wife, Cari. Larry is Vice President of Operations for Aggressor Adventures® and lives in Miami with his wife and two Jack Russel terriers.
Anne Hasson
Vice President - Reservations, Advertising & Marketing
NAUI Divemaster
Anne manages the Reservation Office, Marketing & Advertising Department & Reseller Program at Aggressor Adventures®. She is an inductee into the Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) and the SSI Platinum Pro5000 Diver Program, and is on the Board of Directors for the Sea of Change Foundation. She is an avid photographer and spends her free time photographing and loves gardening, boating, and traveling. She resides in Naples, Florida.
Natalie Risley
Administrative Assistant
Natalie was born in Wisconsin but grew up in Colorado where she met and married her husband. A huge NFL football fan she grew up attending Denver Bronco games, but having Wisconsin roots she is also a fan of the Green Bay Packers. Natalie started in Mortgage Banking then started with Aggressor Fleet® when she and her husband relocated to the Augusta, Georgia area in 2006 for her husbands career. With Aggressor Fleet® since January of 2007, Natalie is the Administrative Assistant to the CEO. On her bucket list is a trip with Aggressor Liveaboards to experience the Hump Back Whales in the Dominican Republic.
Capt. Tom Gebhardt
Groups & Agents Sales Manager
Adventure Liveaboard SalesMCA Captain (200 ton)
NAUI, SDI, TDI, SSI InstructorTom holds a 200 ton Yacht Master License, worked as a Captain for 20 years, 9 of them on the Cayman Aggressor. He is a certified Scuba Instructor for four national certification agencies and is fluent in English, German, Spanish, Swedish and Portuguese. Tom originated from Norrtalje, Sweden where he graduated from Rodenskolan College then went on to spend 8 years in sales in Spain and Portugal. He is responsible for managing the reseller program for USA and International tour operators, dive stores and travel agents, leading fam trips, managing trade and consumer dive shows as well as contributing to the fleet's social media. He spends much of the year traveling and working dive travel shows in Germany, France, Canada, USA, Spain, Asia and leading familiarization trips on Aggressor Liveaboards yachts.
- +1-305-677-0695 | 800-348-2628
Bob Thompson
Aggressor Travel Agent Airlines, Tours & Excursions
Bob Thompson was born and raised in Cincinnati Ohio and moved to the warmer climates of the south in 1993. Bob has been in the travel industry for 35 years. In 1997 he earned his Certified Travel Counselor designation from the Institute of Certified Travel Agents in Wellesley Massachusetts. Bob has worked both with the Airlines and in travel agencies doing corporate and leisure travel. When not at work he is a golf enthusiast and loves riding his Harley Davidson. He is also a huge Ohio State Buckeye fan!
Bob Thompson specialized in travel to BVI, Galapagos, Egypt, and Indonesia.
Taylor Bradley
Aggressor Travel Agent Airlines, Tours & Excursions
Taylor was born and raised in Michigan. Her dad introduced her to the underwater world early on, filling her grandparents pool with fish to snorkel with. She earned her SCUBA certification at the age of 12 with her older brother and has loved diving ever since. She worked at a local Michigan dive shop where she was taught all about dive travel and her love for diving only increased. Outside of dive and travel, she enjoys gardening, hiking, beach bumming, and playing with her dogs.
Taylor Bradley specializes in travel to Bahamas, Belize Cayman Islands, Cocos Island, Roatan, Maldives, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Turks & Caicos.
Capt. Jay Roberts
Operations Manager
USCG Captain (500 ton)
PADI & SSI Instructor, EFR, React Right Instructor, Equipment Repair Technician
DAN Oxygen Provider InstructorCaptain Jay Roberts was born in Clearwater, Florida and grew up working in his father's diesel mechanic business after school. He has always loved being around the ocean. A certified instructor since 1996, he has enjoyed teaching and showing others the underwater world he loves so much. He is a graduate of Southern Arkansas University Tech in Computer Information Technology and practiced Architecture for eight years as an AIA member. He began working as the photo pro on board the Okeanos Aggressor in Cocos Island in 2002 and then went on to become Captain of the Belize Aggressor III. Jay holds a USCG 500-ton international captain’s license and resides in Augusta, Georgia with his family.
- +1-706-550-6677 | 800-348-2628
Jeff McNutt
Assistant Operations Manager
SSI Instructor Certifier, React Right Instructor & Trainer, PADI IDC Staff Instructor
Jeff grew up in Texas and became a Dive Pro while attending Stephen F. Austin State University. He moved to Dallas after college and managed a dive center there before moving down to work as an Instructor in the British Virgin Islands with his wife, Casey. They worked their way up to Managers, then spent two years as General Managers before becoming partners in Dive BVI on Virgin Gorda. After 14 years in the BVI, Jeff and Casey moved back to the USA in 2017 to travel the Caribbean as a Sales Manager for SSI. Jeff loves being outdoors, boating and photography. He's excited to be working with the team at Aggressor Adventures and looks forward to being on an adventure with you soon!
- 706-408-7128
Justin Brown
Justin was born in Wiesbaden, Germany on a US Air Force base and grew up in Augusta, Georgia. He has a bachelors degree in Business Administration from Georgia College & State University. Justin works in business development and manages the apparel department for Aggressor Adventures. He began his SCUBA hobby when he was 15 with his father; he has expanded his love of SCUBA to his wife and now 1st born son. He is an extremely devoted family man, with a wife and 2 sons. His other hobbies include swimming, biking, and running, in that order.
Cole Watkins
Director of Content Strategy & Social Media
SSI Advanced Open Water & Nitrox
Cole has spent his entire life in his beloved Augusta, Georgia. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Augusta State University in 2012. During his time in Business School, Cole turned a college assignment into a reality when he opened Cole Watkins Kayak Tours in 2011. The small business operates on the weekends and is very popular with locals and tourists and has even been featured on three TV shows. The company continues to be a feel-good story for the University and led Cole to receiving the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2022. Cole also meet his now-wife, Ashley, while attending ASU who introduced him to the world of scuba diving with Aggressor Adventures. He joined the company in 2014 and the couple wed in 2015. They now have two children named Cash & Caylee. Cole is an advanced open water scuba diver and has gotten to travel to places he never dreamed of with the company including the Maldives, Red Sea/Egypt, and many destinations in the Caribbean. He strives to receive an Iron Diver Award on every trip he does. He loves spending time with his family and friends, playing sports, coaching youth sports, and watching his Atlanta Braves & Atlanta Falcons. Cole also was one of three employees who received an Aggressor MVP Award for helping pull the company through the pandemic.
Ashley Watkins
Adventures Clubs Coordinator
SSI Dive Master
Ashley was born in Orange Park, Florida and shortly after, her family moved to Augusta, Georgia where she still resides today. She graduated from Augusta State University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. She was scuba certified at age 15 and fell in love with diving; there after she went on to get her SSI Dive Master certification. Ashley's hobbies include embroidery, scuba diving, and spending time with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs. She is manager of the Aggressor Adventures Club Programs and Aggressors’ social media for all three brands.
Richard Shurling
Director of IT & Programming
Born in the small kaolin mining town of Sandersville, Georgia, Richard began his IT career as a web design contractor, before moving into the health education sector at The Medical College of Georgia’s Department of Family Medicine, where he developed patient logging software. While in Family Medicine, he sharpened his data analysis, and database design skills working with faculty preparing publications for various journals. He joined the Aggressor team in 2016, and looks forward to new challenges in this exciting field. While he has never tried it, he also anticipates giving scuba Adventures® diving a try in the near future. When not tinkering with his various electronics projects, Richard spends his time canoeing, motorcycling and playing the guitar.
Ina Strickland
Web Design/Development
Ina has been a web designer for over 20 years. Her graphics career began as an illustrator for computer game companies on the West Coast. When the first internet company came to her city, she offered her graphic services as a volunteer and began learning how to apply her talent to the emerging technology. Ina ran her own successful web design business for 12 years with a large clientele before joining the Aggressor Adventures® team full time. She is responsible for web design, branding, social media, and graphic design for the company. Ina recently spent a week on the Cayman Aggressor V and loved her diving experience.
Samantha Whitcraft
Director Conservation & Outreach
PADI Dive Master
NAUI Scuba InstructorSamantha Whitcraft is Director of Conservation & Outreach for Aggressor Adventures® and for the Sea of Change Foundation with the mission to create positive change for our natural world. Samantha’s work includes developing Green the Fleet® sustainability initiatives for the company and educational programs for the M/V Oceans for Youth operating in Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen National Park. Over the past twenty years, researching biodiversity conservation, citizen science applications, and sustainable ecotourism has taken her to the Amazon with National Geographic, to the Mesoamerican reef with NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, and to the remote Pacific with Shark Savers to promote education through adventure.
Samantha graduated Cum Laude from Harvard University with her Bachelor of Natural Science degree concentrating in conservation biology; she earned her Master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy at the University of Miami, Florida. She taught both formally at Miami Dade College and the University of Hawaii and informally in the field on the subjects of environmental ethics, traditional ecological knowledge, and coral reef ecosystems. After the Gulf oil spill, she was recognized by NOAA Fisheries with a national award for exceptional service in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Whitcraft was also one of twenty women selected for the Women’s Environmental Leaders Forum with the White House Council on Environmental Quality and principal environmental advisor to the President of the United States. She has produced award-winning short environmental films, researched the global, illegal wildlife trade, and is an avid photographer and published nature writer. Whitcraft is a Platinum Pro 5000 Diver, recognized by the scuba diving industry as an “elite water explorer”.
Sabine Camacho
Yacht, River Cruise & Safari Lodge Reservations
SSI Open Water, Advanced
Sabine was born and raised in Munich, Germany where she lived half her life before moving to Augusta, Georgia. She joined the Aggressor Adventures® family ten years ago as a travel planner. She learned to scuba dive through a local dive shop in Augusta then completed her certification aboard the Turks & Caicos Aggressor II. She fell in love with diving and was immediately hooked. Her son took interest by doing his senior project on ocean pollution, got scuba certified and started his career in the Navy. He also loves to scuba dive and joins her when he can. Sabine enjoys gardening, cooking, loves the outdoors and the ocean. She has traveled with the Bahamas Aggressor, Okeanos Aggressor II in Costa Rica, Jardines Aggressor I in Cuba, Maldives Aggressor II, and to the Aggressor Safari Lodge in Sri Lanka and can’t wait for her next Aggressor adventure.
Amy Garrow
Yacht, River Cruise & Safari Lodge Reservations
Amy is originally from Appleton, Wisconsin. She graduated from McConnell Travel School in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1988. She has worked in many areas of the travel business during her career which included airlines, travel agencies, and car rental companies, however, she found her true passion working in scuba and adventure travel. She is happy to have joined the Aggressor Family and resides in Clermont, Florida.
Suzanne Liverett
Yacht, River Cruise & Safari Lodge Reservations
Suzanne has lived most of her life in Augusta, Georgia. Prior to becoming an Aggressor Travel Planner, Suzanne worked in the newspaper advertising business for 20 years. She loves to spend time with her family and friends, read, do puzzles, boating and spending time in the mountains. She looks forward to traveling to Aggressor destinations and becoming a certified scuba diver.
Marisa Harris
Yacht, River Cruise & Safari Lodge Reservations
Marisa was born in Peru, Indiana and grew up in Carrolton, Georgia. She moved to Augusta for college and earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 2011. She is excited to be a part of the Aggressor family and plans to receive her Open Water scuba certification in 2023. She loves traveling with her family, being outdoors, and cheering for the Atlanta Braves. She looks forward to her first Aggressor Adventure.
Megan White
Yacht, River Cruise & Safari Lodge Reservations
Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Megan loves her Georgia roots. She resides in Martinez, Georgia with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. She received her Associate’s Degree in General Studies at East Georgia College in 2010. Megan got her first taste for adventure while in Cancun, Mexico on her honeymoon. She is looking forward to expanding her travel (adventure) horizons and one day becoming scuba certified with Aggressor Adventures. Other interests include family time, food, music, boating, obstacle races, and frequent trips to Savannah, GA.
Zoe El Beialy
Yacht, River Cruise & Safari Lodge Reservations
Zoe is originally from the United Kingdom and spent the last 6 years living in Egypt. Prior to becoming an Aggressor Travel Planner, Zoe worked on an Aggressor liveaboard in the Red Sea as a dive professional for 5 years with her husband. Her passion is scuba diving and travel and she loves to share that with others. In Zoe's spare time she loves to dive around the world with her husband and spend time with her family. She looks forward to her next Aggressor Adventure.
Ben Lowe
Yacht, River Cruise & Safari Lodge Reservations
Benjamin has spent his entire life in Augusta, Georgia. He has worked in marketing and customer service for over 15 years. His career started while working in Media Services for Augusta University and from there worked for Apple in sales, M3 Agency in the digital marketing department, Recteq Grills in video marketing and joined Aggressor Adventures in January 2023. He enjoys playing the guitar, watching football, playing video games, and spending time with friends and family. He loves being an Aggressor Adventure Planner and is looking forward to learning how to scuba dive.
Cheryl McGowen
Accounting
Cheryl was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. She has worked in the accounting field for 30 years. Her career started while working in the billing department for Augusta University Hospital and from there to the Augusta Harley Davidson Accounting department, Columbia County Sheriff's office in the warrants Division and joined Aggressor Adventures in March 2007. She enjoys spending her free time with her family at the lake and loves the outdoors, especially fishing. She recently visited the Cayman Aggressor V and hopes to learn to scuba dive.
Beth Murrian
Accounting
Beth was born in Ohio but raised in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2019, she and her husband decided to move to the country in Williston, SC and enjoys the slower pace. She was a bookkeeper in South Carolina school districts for over 22 years then joined Aggressor Adventures in 2022. She loves warm weather, working in the garden and watching the many birds that visit them. She is intrigued with Eygpt and the Nile River cruise and hopes one day to have the opportunity to visit.
Crystal Mann
Accounting
Crystal was born in Vicksburg, MS and has lived in various areas across the southern US. She received her degree in Accounting and Business Management from USM, later became a certified bookkeeper and has worked in the field for more than 20 years. Crystal’s hobbies include reading, yoga, travel, and spending time with her 3 children. She has recently relocated to Augusta, Ga and works in accounting for Aggressor Adventures.
Frankie Johnson
Boutique Manager
Frankie has lived in the Aiken SC area for 29 years with her husband Tommy. They have 4 beautiful children together and just recently added their 9th grandchild to their crazy wonderful mix . Her early working years were spent in a production sewing factory and she has over 12 years experience in the embroidery business. Frankie enjoys sewing and working with people. When she is not working she loves spending time with her family and having fun in the sun.
