Leadership and Advisors

Lifelong fisherman, Lieutenant Joe Tripp, has lived in Key West for over 20 years. After graduating from Florida State University, Joe started his career in law enforcement with the Key West Police Department in 1991. In 1999, after achieving the rank of Detective Sergeant, he moved back to the Tampa Bay Area, where he was a Boy Scout Leader and instrumental in winning the coveted JD Powers customer service award for large home builders.

In 2010, he returned to policing and Key West, where he is currently a division commander. An ambassador for the police department he sits on the boards of the Police Athletic League, Monroe County Coalition, Key West Police Love Fund, Health in All Policies and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Planning Committee. He previously was a board member of the Friends of the Key West AIDS Memorial. His charity awards include: Volunteer of the Week, “Mother“ of the Year 2015, Unsung Hero 2017, Best of the Best 2018, Director’s Award of Excellence 2019, Award of Distinction 2020, and Man of Valor 2020.

In addition to their full-time employment and charity work, Joe and his wife Destiny continue to share their talents through their charter and music company, Off the Charts Entertainment. Joe shares the same love for fishing and giving back as Jose did. The Foundation continues this tradition and Joe is grateful for his role on the board.

Dee Dee grew up on and under the water. You could say that saltwater runs through her veins. Being raised by a marine biologist meant that almost all things revolved around the ocean, and that has continued to this day. As one of the co-founders of the Plant a Million Corals Foundation, her main role is to raise awareness and build partnerships for coral restoration.

Dee Dee’s professional career started much earlier and has ranged from the local to the global level. Working with the American Red Cross as the disaster response and volunteer coordinator, she handled volunteer recruitment, training, and deployment. While at the Earth Day Network, an international environmental advocacy based in Washington, D.C., she was the Executive Assistant to the President, assisting with organizational management, campaign development, and working with the media as a content contributor and writer. As the coordinator of the Florida Keys Community College Foundation (now College of the Florida Keys), Dee Dee was the lead administrator and fundraiser for the scholarship program supporting the students and programs of the school. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, she coordinated the disaster response for the students and staff , as well as assisting in the fundraising efforts to support those in need in the school. After the hurricane response, she joined the team at the Florida Keys Community Land Trust, raising money and awareness for the lack of affordable housing in the Florida Keys as their Development Officer. This included expanding media presence, planning fundraising events and press relations.

Currently, Dee Dee is the Director of Communications and Development for the Plant a Million Corals Foundation. She is proud to work with her family, as she founded the organization with her father, Dr David Vaughan, her mother, Donna Vaughan. The organization is the culmination of Dr Vaughan’s research on coral restoration, sharing and implementing his groundbreaking discovery of micro fragmentation, a technique now used around the world for coral restoration.

Jose was very interested in coral restoration. He and Dr Vaughan knew each other and that is how Krissy and Dee Dee met. They both share the same passion their fathers had for their work and understand how much has to be done to save our oceans. Dee Dee becoming part of the Foundation was a natural next step for her commitment to improving the environment, above and below the water.

Dee Dee lives in the Florida Keys with her husband, Jason, and their rescue pup, Isabela.

Jim Strickland was born and raised in North Carolina and developed a lifelong love for fishing on the Outer Banks over 30 years ago. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he launched his photography career in Raleigh, where his creative eye and passion for the ocean began to merge. As President of the Raleigh Saltwater Fishing Club for many years, Jim built community and shared his enthusiasm for the sport. 

A devoted fan of Spanish Fly from its very first season, Jim credits Jose for inspiring his love of fishing. Saturday mornings often began with coffee and an episode of Spanish Fly, where he learned the art of patience, respect for nature, and the importance of mentorship. When Jose passed, Jim made it a point to attend the Foundation's very first event at The Saltwater Angler in Key West, and he hasn't missed one since. 

Jim and his wife Patti split their time between the Outer Banks and Marathon, allowing him to bridge two fishing communities. Over the years, he's donated dozens of photographs and handcrafted art pieces for the Spanish Fly Music Festival and Backyard Party, and he's consistently brought new donors and supporters to the table. His reliability, generosity, and presence at every event have made him part of the Foundation family.  

Terry is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and came to the Keys in 1979. He continued his music career playing in many of the watering holes between Key West and Marco Island. He became a successful and well-known local musician.

In 1980 Jose and Terry met. The two hit it off from the beginning. Jose had a passion for playing music and Terry had a passion for fishing. They would joke that Jose was supposed to be a musician and Terry was supposed to be a fishing guide. But as fate would have it, both stayed with the profession they were born to do and spent their free time enjoying each other’s world.

His role in the community has been instrumental in the progression of the Foundation’s growth in the Florida Keys. After 30 years in a small-town Terry knew everyone. These connections have been invaluable on all levels. Terry is a true testament of what it means to be a good friend, no matter what. Knowing that Jose would want him to look out for his family, he has done exactly that. He remains close to Krissy and is honored to be godfather to Jose’s youngest grandson Ryder.

Originally hailing from East Greenwich, RI, Alex moved down from the northeast in 2015 to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a dolphin trainer with a job at Dolphin Research Center. After nearly 7 years with DRC, Alex made the perfectly natural transition from dolphin trainer to news editor, taking the helm of the Keys Weekly’s Marathon edition in 2021 following several years of freelance work. Today, he’s proud to serve as a local news editor for a company deeply committed to ensuring the success of  the Keys’ nonprofits and businesses.

Alex has been an active participant with the Marathon Community Theatre since 2017, both on-stage and behind the scenes. He currently serves as the theater’s Vice President of Production and helped rebuild the theater following Hurricane Irma. He also serves as an advisor for the Florida Keys Arts Council and as a board member for the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce.

In his free time, you can find him driving the boat or jetski, managing civil disagreements with sharks, running or picking up the guitar.

Alex is a lifelong waterman, and in his 9 years spent in the Keys, that passion has only grown deeper, including a newfound love for spearfishing. He is honored to join the board of an organization that pairs a genuine respect for our waters with a passion for serving those who need a helping hand the most.

Capt. Grif Helwig, a Florida native from Jacksonville, grew up fishing the inshore waters of Northeast Florida and Charleston, South Carolina, with his dad, grandfather, and uncles. After working his way through school as a cook, his skills led him into the yacht world—eventually becoming a private chef for clients including the France family, owners of NASCAR. 

After moving to Key West, Grif earned his captain's license and transitioned from chef to full-time fishing guide. He spent years chasing billfish across the Caribbean before following his true passion—fly fishing the flats of the Florida Keys. Today, he's an established full-time guide known for his calm professionalism, humor, and deep respect for the fishery. 

Like countless anglers, Grif was a loyal viewer of Spanish Fly and held Jose in high regard. Though they never fished together, the two shared countless conversations over sushi at Origami in Key West. Grif often says that meeting Jose shattered the old saying, "never meet your heroes"—Jose was every bit the genuine person fans saw on screen. 

Grif's connection to the Foundation runs deep. He's a member of the Lower Keys Guides Association (LKGA), supports the Guide Trust Fund and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT), and works closely with his partner Noelle through the John Raskob Foundation, helping communities around the world. The couple even had an audience with Pope Francis, an experience that further shaped Grif's perspective on purpose and giving back. 

Known for his happy-go-lucky attitude and stellar reputation within the Keys guide community, Capt. Grif brings authenticity, connection, and credibility to the Foundation—an embodiment of the "Yay Team" spirit Jose lived by.