Board of Directors

Tim has a passion for water. He was on the swim team in high school, and college. He earned his Open Water Certification from Learn Scuba Chicago in 2012, and has since become a scuba instructor.

Tim brings his experience as a high school teacher and coach to help develop scuba skills with his students. His favorite dive destinations to date are Kona, Hawaii, and Key Largo, Florida.

Alex has been involved in Learn Scuba Chicago since 2019 and is active in the Dive Master Candidate program and multiple LSC committees. Alex is originally from Ukraine, but has lived a large part of his life in Chicago, less the few years at Purdue. When Alex is not chasing hurricanes for work, he and his wife are busy chasing two corgis around the house.

Alex is passionate about teaching and getting our students excited about scuba diving and the underwater world. Jacques Yves Cousteau said “people protect what they love”. Alex believes by getting people to dive, we can bring change to our planet faster and we can begin to restore what is currently lost.

Captain Bob started Learn Scuba Chicago (LSC) in 2008 out of his garage with a hope to bring the easygoing Pacific scuba subculture to Chicagoland. In 2014, Bob and his Learn Scuba Chicago team decided to broaden scuba diving access and education to include under-served communities such as veterans of war, low-income students, and individuals with disabilities through not for profit energy and turned the company over to the Board. He has served the Board ever since.

Since 1992, Bob has logged nearly 2,000 dives; he is a certified Course Director for NAUI and earned the rating of Master Instructor for PADI. Bob is a Chicago native, graduate of Northwestern University, and has earned a doctorate degree in law. He holds a Master Captain’s license issued by the US Coast Guard and is also a private pilot.

Amy completed her NAUI OW certification with Learn Scuba Chicago in 2016, and after joining LSC on their first-ever diving trip to Cuba the next spring, was hooked. She joined the Dive Master Candidate program, jumping into both the Travel Committee and DMC/IA Committee, the latter of which she now co-chairs. Amy is our star trip planner and is pretty darn proud of leading several LSC group dive trips to exotic locations such as the Philippines and Bali.

While not being mesmerized by underwater creatures, Amy gets her above-land fix of animals as a veterinary technician at a private practice as well as staff supervisor at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Jason started diving in 2006 and has been hooked ever since. Any time he gets near the water, he wants to be underneath it. He has such a passion for diving that on his first trip after being certified, he started moving towards advancing his certifications to be able to teach others and ended up as a PADI instructor.

After moving around a few different cities and pausing his teaching duties, he landed at Learn Scuba Chicago and has changed over to a NAUI Instructor. He credits the patience of his instructors as to why he’s a diver and requests any students who are struggling as he wants to show them the same patience to create more divers. With an eye for detail, he will teach you the most subtle nuances of diving, both in and out of water.

When not diving, he runs a financial planning practice helping his clients make smart decisions with their money while protecting their most precious assets. He has a love for teaching and education, which is why he’s in the positions in life that he’s in.

Jose has been in love with the ocean since he was a kid. Born and raised in Mexico, he moved to Chicago with his wife in his twenties. He particularly enjoyed snorkeling until his wife convinced him to scuba dive in 2018. Since then he has discovered his third love (his wife and daughter being 1st and 2nd). He joined the DMC program almost immediately and now serves on the Board of Directors. When he is not diving, he is an IT consultant with the super ability to talk non stop. If you have a couple of hours to spare, you will have a good chat with him (BTW he charges by the hour… of course).

Sue is responsible for helping guide Bob’s vision into a reality. Her encouragement, leadership and financial support allowed LSC to come into existence and grow into the exciting adventure it is today.

Gosia began her adventure with Learn Scuba Chicago in 2019 when she completed her Open Water certification. Soon after, she joined The DMC program and the Travel Committee. Since then, she’s enjoyed quite a few trips with LSC, and she keeps coming back for more.

When not diving or exploring the world, she enjoys hanging out with her floofy four-legged-friend named Leila, working out, watching YouTube and reading good books.

In her professional life, she is a financial analyst.