AERIAL RECOVERY LEADERSHIP TEAM

BRITNIE TURNER

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Turner has had a passion for ending sex trafficking since she was 12 years old, which led her to found Aerial Group at the age of 21 with the mission of elevating people and places with the goal of eliminating poverty-rooted atrocities. She has since formed multiple companies under the Aerial brand, including the brand’s non-profit, Aerial Recovery. Turner experienced firsthand the pain, chaos, and desperation that takes place after a major disaster affects a region when the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated her home in the British Virgin Islands. Turner and her team were first responders after Hurricane Irma, the strongest hurricane on record at the time, annihilated the BVI. This disaster taught her there was a great need in this space, and if it wasn’t filled, it would cost many lives.

To date, Aerial Recovery has rescued over 8,000 lives across the world from disasters and human trafficking.

JEREMY LOCKE

Co-Founder & Chief of Special Operations

Locke brings 20 years of U.S. Army Military experience to the Aerial Recovery Team. Serving his first 10 years in the US Army Infantry and the remainder as a Special Forces Communications Sergeant and Team Sergeant, Locke draws on his ability to operate in austere conditions to plan and lead effective responses in the most difficult areas of the world.  Locke discovered his purpose in 2019 when responding to Hurricane Dorian with his now-wife, Britnie Turner. The couple saw how effective the military skill set was in these familiar environments and moved forward with transforming Aerial Recovery to be a veteran-powered non-profit. Locke has since led recovery & rescue operations as well as trainings in more than 20 nations.  Locke has a passion for helping his fellow veterans find their purpose again, which led to Aerial Recovery establishing the Heal the Heroes Initiative.

This initiative repurposes over 100 veterans and first responders every year into Humanitarian Special Operators who lead this life-saving work across the world.

ANDREW BIDWELL

Chief Operating Officer

Bidwell, served 11 years as a United States Army Special Forces Officer and Infantry Officer with experience leading soldiers in austere, chaotic, and high-risk environments in both Syria and Iraq. Notably, Bidwell commanded a Fire Base in the heart of the former ISIS caliphate, was responsible for the security and recovery of a war-torn city in NE Syria, and conducted Advanced Special Operations (ASO) in 2 combat zones and managed operations for 262 personnel across 4 separate units as part of an organization operating in 8 countries.

The Special Forces motto, “De Oppresso Liber,” which means, “To Liberate the Oppressed,” speaks to the core of why Bidwell became a Special Forces Officer and why he believes in the Aerial Recovery mission now. His faith and this engrained motto drive him to lead the Aerial Recovery team to Save Lives & Stop Evil.

SETH GRIFFITH

Deputy Chief of Special Operations

Griffith, served 20 years in the United States Air Force as a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP)/Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), offers a profound reservoir of experience honed in demanding and dynamic global arenas. Over the course of his military career, Griffith executed nine combat deployments and occupied pivotal roles, including Chief JTAC Instructor, Chief of Standardizations and Evaluations, Team Chief, and Operations Superintendent.

Since his integration into the Aerial Recovery team in August 2021, Griffith has undertaken numerous missions for humanitarian rescue, both on domestic and international fronts. His contribution has been integral in facilitating the delivery of Aerial Recovery’s comprehensive training courses.

Griffith’s fervent commitment extends to his impassioned pursuit of aiding military veterans and first responders in their journey toward recovery from trauma. Through Aerial Recovery’s Heal the Heroes Initative, he tirelessly endeavors to empower these individuals, fostering their return to a status of assets and role models within their respective local communities.

NATHAN GOGGANS

Chief Technology and Intelligence Officer

Goggans, a former law enforcement officer and a distinguished veteran of the United States Army 75th Ranger Regiment, a seasoned professional, brings an impressive 18 years of expertise in disaster response and organizational continuity to the forefront of Aerial Recovery’s operations. His track record includes the development of comprehensive recovery and continuity plans, meticulously tailored to serve Fortune 500 corporations, small to medium-sized enterprises, and government entities.

Goggans’s skill set extends to the design and construction of rapid-deploy network solutions, strategically aligning permanent and mobile operation centers. This approach positions Aerial Recovery and its strategic partners at the forefront of command, control, and information management within the most demanding and austere environments.

In addition to his technological prowess, Goggans spearheads a robust open-source intelligence (OSINT) practice, providing invaluable situational awareness and precise threat assessments to Aerial’s Operators.

LUKE DILL

Chief of Training

Dill, a retired 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army, including 9 years serving in the Special Forces, brings a formidable background in elite military service to the force. As a distinguished Green Beret, he assumed pivotal roles as a Weapons Sergeant, Intelligence Sergeant, and Operational Planner. Dill’s unwavering commitment has been channeled into meticulous mission planning and rigorous training, all geared towards optimizing operational efficiency and effectiveness, be it on the battlefield or within the realm of missions conducted by Aerial’s Humanitarian Special Operators.

Dill’s life experience underscores the significance of faith, family, and nurturing relationships. Dill utlizes his military and disaster experience to create and lead world-class trainings for the Aerial Recovery Volunteer Corps, which has allowed Aerial to scale, becoming a global force for good.

LAUREN KEIL

Director

Keil has an extensive portfolio of international humanitarian work in countries such as Haiti, South Africa, Mozambique, Mexico, the United States, the British Virgin Islands, and the United Kingdom. She holds an undergraduate degree in Social Work and a hybrid Master’s in NGO Management and Philanthropy, Grantmaking, and Social Investment from The Centre for Charity Effectiveness at BAYES – City, University of London’s Business School.

Keil’s career started out on the frontlines as a social worker where she worked as a Victim Advocate with the Victim Witness Program as part of a specialized team of psychologists and social workers working within the Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit at California’s state capital’s District Attorney’s Office. She then moved to the BVI where she worked as a Crisis Intervention Counselor with a rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence crisis support center. She became the Executive Director and led the crisis center for four years.

In 2010 Keil responded to the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti as part of a disaster response. She then co-founded a Children’s Home for children orphaned by the earthquake. In 2015, Keil establish Sir Richard Branson’s foundation in the British Virgin Islands and was the Foundation Manager for 6 years. In 2017, she helped lead the response to Category 5 Hurricane Irma, where she met her now husband who is a retired UK Royal Air Force veteran. In June 2022, Keil joined the Aerial Recovery team as a Director and continues to play an integral role in the expansion of the team’s global humanitarian efforts.

AARON ASAY

Chief Medical Officer

Asay, a dedicated and highly skilled Physician Assistant and Officer in the Hawaii Air National Guard, boasts an impressive background in austere and rural medicine, family medicine, and trauma care. Notably, Asay’s expertise extends to the realm of CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive) injury and trauma, where he serves as a specialist on a disaster response team with the National Air Guard. These skills were honed during his previous career as a Firefighter/Paramedic, where he excelled on a specialized technical rope, hazmat, mountain, and swift-water rescue team.

Asay’s humanitarian footprint stretches across the globe, with missions in diverse locations such as: Ukraine, Morocco, Poland, Haiti, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. His unwavering commitment to aiding those in need aligns perfectly with Aerial Recovery’s mission, as Asay has brought an invaluable wealth of knowledge as a leader of many Aerial Recovery missions.

MARCO BAVA

Director of Production for Aerial

Bava has served for 12 years as a Marine Search & Rescue Operator on the Antigua Search and Rescue (SAR) team. As an EMT, documentary filmmaker, and skilled Humanitarian Special Operator, Bava has not only captured the story on dozens of Aerial Recovery’s missions, but has also helped countless people with his experience as a first responder. This skillset, in addition to speaking 3 languages, Bava has proven to be extrememly valuable on Aerial’s global missions, including: Honduras, St. Vincent, Antigua, India, Haiti, Cuba, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Ukraine, Poland, United States, and Colombia.

CAYLA METZGER

Communications and Logistics Coordinator

Metzger has been passionate about anti-trafficking from a young age. While in college, she co-founded a Public Relations consulting firm and assumed the pivotal role of lead PR strategist for an awareness campaign tackling child sexual abuse—an endeavor that ultimately led her to reside in Paraguay.

After college, Metzger championed the cause of marginalized communities in Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina. Her advocacy encompassed aftercare services for sexually abused children, programming for at-risk youth, occupational training for single mothers, and community education initiatives throughout South America

Metzger plays a pivotal role in Aerial Recovery’s operations, training, missions, and fundraising. Her heart for serving others and making a positive impact across the globe fuels her passion for the organization’s collective work.