Board of Directors
Ricardo Paris: President
Originally from coastal Venezuela, Ricardo is an experienced freediving instructor trainer and marine policy advisor based in Miami. Ricardo joined USA Freediving as Treasurer in 2016, was elected as VP in 2018 and is currently serving as President. He is a certified instructor for PFI/DAN, instructor trainer for PADI, an AIDA/CMAS judge, owner operator of Vortex Freediving, and the organizer of the South Florida Apnea Challenge events. Ricardo and his wife Claire – a 10 time USA National Record holder and 3 time Master World Record holder – teach Scientific Freediving at the University of Miami. They love to train and participate in Freediving events worldwide and to work on marine research projects for the Paris Lab at UM.
Emily Padjen: Vice President
Goes by simply Padjen, is a Utah native and free-diver who recently set a record in free immersion with CMAS USA. Padjen’s passion for free-diving led to her opening a women-owned diving center in Dominica in 2022. The center is called Deep Dominica, a place where divers can train, learn, compete and even do volunteer work on the island.
Katie McCarthy: Secretary
Katie is a civil rights lawyer as her day job, but after discovering freediving several years ago, she’s devoted all her time outside work to the sport. She trains primarily in the fresh water cenotes in Yucatan, Mexico — splitting her time between there and NYC each month. She started competing a couple years ago and has been active in depth competitions ever since. Katie joined USA Freediving in 2021, and she was nominated to the USA Freediving Board as Secretary in 2024.
Brad Stephens: Treasurer
Originally from Chicago but now based in Quepos, Costa Rica. Brad is the founder of Rica Freedivers and Evolution Spearfishing. He spends most of his days helping his freediving and spearfishing instructor students turn their dreams into a reality. Starting their personal brands, freediving schools, and or charter businesses. Freediving to me is more than a sport, it’s a lifestyle. It teaches mental resilience, discipline, and how to overcome many different challenges. Brad join USA Freediving in 2020 and was nominated as Treasurer in 2025
Francesca Koe: Director Emeritus
Francesca is a dedicated advocate for ocean conservation and marine life stewardship — as manifest by her service as a Sanctuary Advisory Council member for the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and her role in designing marine protected areas for the north-central region of the golden state where she served as a primary stakeholder in the CA Marine Life Protection Act Initiative. A multi-agency diving Instructor and Safety Supervisor (DAN/PADI/PFI), Francesca has in-depth competition experience internationally as a certified AIDA + CMAS Judge, a competitive freediver, and as the Chief of Media running communications & content production for Vertical Blue. Francesca is also a certified doping control officer under WADA protocols.
Ben Weiss: Member at large
Ben is a three-time Team USA member and AIDA judge, as well as a Safety Supervisor and long-time certified SCUBA diver. He’s a native to the California coast, and passionate about marine protection and the environment. For his day job he works at Google, writing software in computational photography and machine intelligence