John W. Thompson
Executive Director

John grew up in northeastern Oklahoma on the footsteps of the Ozark Mountains. He served 7 years in the military and graduated with a BA from Colorado State University. John has been guiding expeditions in the Rocky Mountains, Desert Southwest and the Caribbean since 1990’s. A visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC during 2005 inspired his vision for the SUDS program.

Carla Chatterton
President

Raised in New Jersey, and a graduate from the University of Dayton, Ohio. She retired after a rewarding career in the transportation industry. Carla was introduced to SUDS in 2007 and over the years she has become an integral part of the organization. She provides ongoing support to raise awareness of SUDS within the community, and assists in all activities of the SUDS organization.

“Supporting SUDS has become one of the most rewarding aspects of my life, Im honored to be part of the SUDS family and to have had the opportunity to connect with some of our nation’s heroes”

Malcolm Andrews
Vice President

U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired) served on active duty for 11 years before joining the Navy Reserve in 2000. While on active duty, he served in Patrol Squadron Twenty-six, Patrol Wing Five, and Special Projects Patrol Squadron One. Later in the Navy Reserve, he served in Patrol Squadron Ninety-two and in various other reserve and mobilization assignments. He retired from the Navy Reserve in 2013 after completing 24 years of service. He currently flies the Boeing 737 out of Washington, DC for American Airlines and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trent Dudley
Vice President 

Trent Dudley is the Hampton Roads Regional Executive for Southern Bank.  Trent has been in banking and finance for over 20 years helping local businesses owners and professionals meet their financial goals.

Trent earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from the Virginia Military Institute and his law degree from George Mason University School of Law.  

Trent currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Cape Henry Collegiate, he is on the Board of Directors of Virginia Beach Vision and is a prior Board member of the United Way of South Hampton Roads where he remains active at the committee level.

Trent lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, Sally and has two children, Sydney (a Sophomore at Virginia Tech) and Mason (a Junior at Cape Henry Collegiate).  He enjoys outdoor adventure activities and has been a certified Scuba Diver for 25 years.

Cliff Bruner
Treasurer
Cliff Bruner graduated from Colorado State University in 1988. In 1989 he graduated Officer Candidate School and was commissioned in the U.S. Navy. He retired after 22 years, serving his entire career as a Navy SEAL. Cliff is currently the Director of Operations for a government contractor out of Huntsville, AL. He enjoys diving, hunting, golf and spending time with his family.

Dan Howard
Secretary

Dan Howard is the owner and operator of DJ’s Scuba Locker, Inc,  Established in 1995.  Dan, along with his wife Cindy, run daily operations of a full SDI professional dive center, in Brookfield, IL.  Dan started diving in 1977 and is a SDI Course Director and a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

Dan has been involved and supporting SUDS since meeting John Thompson in 2007.  Dan has promoted SUDS  at dive trade shows that SUDS has participated in, including Our World Underwater and DEMA.   Dan has led and organized various fundraisers for SUDS in the Midwest over the past 11 years and looks forward to the opportunity of getting more involved and making a difference.

Michael J. Jackonis CDR, JAGC, USN (ret.)

Michael Jackonis, CDR, U.S. Navy JAG Corps (Retired) – the General Counsel (pro bono) for SUDS. He has been SCUBA certified since 1987 and has participated in SUDS open-water qualification evolutions.