Our Board

Melanie Venture is a marketing and growth strategy expert passionate about building brands, leading teams, and generating impact. She is a leader at McKesson, a Fortune 10 company, where she is working to build a Center of Excellence for Customer Experience. She also works as a brand strategy consultant to clients and has experience in various industries including professional services, biotechnology, consumer goods, interior and architecture design, and renewable energy.

Melanie’s background in marketing and brand management spans domestic and international markets. Her focus has been establishing strategic, operational plans that prepare companies to launch, grow and scale. Melanie is deeply passionate about social innovation and pursuing creative opportunities for businesses to help drive social change. She completed her MBA and MA in Sustainable International Development at Brandeis University. She also holds a BA in International Relations from the University of North Texas with minors in Business Foundations and Arabic. She is a Doctoral Candidate at Pepperdine University where her research is focused on cross-sector partnerships for social impact.

Heidi Curry is a leader in social justice and international development. She co-founded Ocean Academy (OA) high school in Caye Caulker, Belize, Central America, in 2008, as the first high school on the island with a mission for universal education in a country where only 40% of young people were in high school. Since 2008, Heidi led OA as the Principal for nine years and Managing Director for six years, during which time high school enrollment in Caye Caulker increased from 10% to over 90%, and OA received five international awards from organizations such as UNICEF, the U.S. State Department, and Beyond Sport; and nine national awards in environmentalism, innovation, social enterprise, and female empowerment.

Heidi is the immediate past Chair of the Belize Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (BAPSS). She represented Belize on the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), the Committee for the Heads of Caribbean Principals’ Associations, and in national and regional policy steering committees. The Caribbean Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (CAPSS) recognized Heidi with a career achievement award at the CAPSS Conference 2023 in Barbados.

Dr. Gibson is Senior Research Scientist Emeritus at the IC2 (Innovation, Creativity, Capital) Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. For over 25 years Dr, Gibson has been a consultant to businesses, academia, and governments worldwide on regional economic development and S&T Based growth. One of his most recent publications is The Entrepreneurial University: Context and Institutional Change (Eds.) L. Foss and D. Gibson Routledge, Pubs. (2015). He is a PhD graduate of Stanford University, Department of Sociology.

Dr. Gibson has been regularly traveling to Belize since 2002 working with government and businesses and The University of Belize and The University of West Indies. Over the years he has gotten to know Heidi Curry and Ocean Academy faculty and students and has been continually impressed with the capability, energy, and entrepreneurial fever and visions of the faculty and students.

Erin Beffa is Vice President of ProAlign Cyber Intelligence Services where she engages OSINT methodology and investigations to assist individuals as well as large organizations. Prior to starting at ProAlign, she was the OSINT Practice Lead for Digital Silence in Denver, CO. Her expertise in OSINT is well-recognized in the field, including her receipt of a Black Badge as the winner of the NolaCon tech conference’s OSINT competition in 2018. Ms. Beffa has been recognized among ColoradoBiz Magazine’s Top 50 Most Influential Young Professionals GenXYZ announced in May 2022. In June of 2022 Ms. Beffa was awarded the additional distinction of being in the top 25.

Her article “What is OSINT?” was featured in the November 2020 issue of Colorado Lawyer, and Ms. Beffa was selected to present at the 2022 NALA Paralegal association’s conference in Phoenix, AZ.

In addition to assisting clients across a wide range of intelligence assignments, Erin has past volunteer experience with the Innocent Lives Foundation, Trace Labs, Operation Safe Escape, and the National Child Protection Task Force.

Justin Whitehead is the founder and CEO of Digital Silence, a world-class boutique cybersecurity firm based in Denver, Colorado. Justin guides the firm’s efforts to support Financial Services, Health Care, Media and Entertainment, and other organizations to meet their cybersecurity goals and strengthen consumer awareness about cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. In addition to his leadership, Justin is in the trenches doing penetration testing and security research with the team.

Justin’s in-the-trenches mentality comes from his service as a US Army Airborne Infantryman, where he learned the importance of developing a solid team and clear goals. In addition, his military experience provided him with leadership skills he has continued to refine throughout his subsequent 15 years in cybersecurity.

Justin’s commitment to cybersecurity goes beyond helping clients reach their security goals. He also volunteers with Ocean Academy and the Information Systems Security Association. His work with Ocean Academy is particularly impactful to him and the Digital Silence team. They dedicate time to travel to Belize and run classes to help students understand and develop an interest in cybersecurity. These classes deliver practical knowledge and can open a broad career path for students.

Penny Williams is a retired high school math teacher who now resides full time in Caye Caulker, Belize. She is actively involved in the community, volunteering at Ocean Academy high school as librarian, providing resources for teachers and serving as the Treasurer on the board of governors for the school. In addition, Penny also serves as a board member for Friends of Ocean Academy 501c, further demonstrating her commitment to supporting the education and well-being of the students at Ocean Academy. Penny’s dedication to education and volunteer work makes her a valuable asset to the community of Caye Caulker.

Stefanie Brown has worked in the clean energy and energy efficiency fields for nearly 25 years, most recently at the American Clean Power Association, a non-profit trade association in Washington, DC. Stefanie graduated with a B.S. in Integrated Science & Technology with double concentrations in Energy and Environmental Sciences from James Madison University.

Stefanie first visited Caye Caulker, Belize in July 2018 where she learned to scuba dive and enjoyed engaging with the local community. She is excited to support all of the fantastic work Ocean Academy is doing for the local students through her participation with the Friends of Ocean Academy.