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Who We Are

Who We Are

Jeff LarsonI am a California native—born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Fernando Valley. My father was an engineer and mother was a school teacher. As a young man, my parents instilled in me a drive to work hard, enjoy life, seek adventure, and share my success by being of service to others. I still live in the Valley, working for a real estate company in West Los Angeles.

I have had several rewarding careers. I have been an air conditioning contractor, a building engineer, and worked as a director at a nonprofit mental hospital. Each position prepared me for the next. I now work for a large real estate investment trust directing the maintenance of our real estate portfolio.

After high school, I decided to go to work right away and learned many technical skills. These come in handy around the organization. Fourteen years after I left high school, I decided to go to college and received my Bachelors of Science in 2004. When I graduated from college, I looked for a profession that would allow me to use my technical background and my degree in business.

My volunteer work has mostly been with animal organizations. Much of this work has been with wildlife rescues where I can put my skills to good use. Recently (2012), I began to volunteer with Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA). ODA gives me the opportunity to be of service, share my talents, and make a difference. As a diver (certified since 2005), I am always looking for a reason to get into the water. ODA has given me this opportunity on many occasions, and I am grateful. Besides getting to dive, I get to search the ocean for ghost fishing gear and remove it! My volunteering is also feeding my sense of adventure—I find it very rewarding.

I have many dive certifications from several dive agencies. Some of the specialties that are beneficial to this organization: equipment repair, diver propulsion vehicle, underwater photography, and advanced nitrox and decompression techniques. I am a licensed Dive Master and certified to dive with hypoxic trimix gases. I have the ability to plan, execute, and support open circuit dives to any depth.

I support ODA in its mission by getting involved at any level where I can be of service. A debris-free sea is important to us all and I love playing a small part in that mission. At the end of my life I want to know that I made a difference—this is why volunteering for ODA is important to me. I really get a lot out of knowing I make a difference to the animals in the ocean and by educating people about the problem at the bottom of our seas--all while having a great day on the water with a great group of people.

Jeff Larson working with ODAJeff Larson working with ODA