Dive Kulture

Director

Laura Medrano-Hernandez is a clinician and scuba diver, and holds degrees in both Psychology and Marine Biology. Her ideas formed Dive Kulture.

Evaluator

Jorge Soler earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His work explores social inequities within contemporary public health issues.

Pioneering Partners

Michelle Perez organized one of the two very first Dive Kulture groups. Michelle is a clinical social worker and Executive Director of the Gerald and Darlene Jordan Boys and Girls Club in Chelsea.

Scott McLellan is the Executive Director of the Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester and a prominent figure in Dive Kulture's success.

Media & Documentation

Alex Gomez teaches media and communications at Brandeis and Northeastern Universities. He is an accomplished documentarian and much of his work deals with youth and violence.

Project Integration

Jose Hidalgo, MD, is the Medical Director of the Latin American Health Institute in Boston. He is nationally recognized for bringing the best of the trauma field to serve the most marginalized populations. He now directs a new national center to develop trauma-informed programs for unaccompanied children and youth.

Technology & Administration

Jorge Pighin, owner of Iceline Consulting, has more than 20 years in the IT business. He provides web design and hosting services for the program.

Silvia Pighin is a certified scuba instructor. She holds a Master in Technology Management and is a Program Manager at IBM.

Instructional

Jim Estabrook, principal liaison, started United Divers Inc. in 1970. During his career as a scuba diving instructor, he has worked with numerous youth programs including the YMCA, Boy Scouts of America and currently Dive Kulture. Jim holds one of the most coveted dive certifications, the SSI platinum pro 5000.

Calahan 'Cal' Barry started scuba diving professionally in 2005 in Hawaii and has logged over a thousand open water dives. He has been teaching and conducting open water dives for the program.