March 26, 2026

The University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Lake Superior Research Institute will launch its new speaker series with the event “Finding Work: On the water, in the water, for the water” on Thursday, April 9, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Superior Public Library. Registration is required for those wishing to enjoy a light dinner; otherwise attendance is free and open to the community.

The first session, “Diving In,” will feature three professional divers who will highlight a wide range of underwater career and volunteer opportunities available in the Twin Ports region, Lake Superior and beyond.

Expert Presenters

Tom Champaigne (Superior–Douglas County Dive and Rescue Team)

Toben Lafrancois, Ph.D. (Burke Center for Ecosystem Research, Great Lakes–Big Rivers Dive Team, Zaaga’igan Ma’iinganag Lakewolves)

Kyle Sanford (AMI Consulting Engineers)

Together, they will discuss careers in commercial and salvage diving, rescue diving and scientific diving, as well as the education, training and certifications required to work in these specialized fields.

About the Presenters

Champaigne is a public safety scuba instructor with nearly 40 years of diving experience. During his career with the Superior Police Department, he helped establish the Superior–Douglas County Dive and Rescue Team in 2004, serving as both an instructor in maritime tactical operations and as team commander. Although recently retired from the police department, he continues to serve on the dive team as a part-time deputy with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Champaigne also instructs for Dive Rescue International, teaching courses across the country on underwater crime scenes, evidence collection, surface-supplied air operations, light salvage and ice diving. Locally, he operates a small business that recovers vehicles that have sunk in lakes.

Lafrancois is an aquatic biologist and limnologist specializing in scientific diving, underwater photography and immersive student engagement. With more than 20 years of research-diving experience and seven years of search, rescue and recovery diving, he holds multiple credentials, including Advanced Open Water, Scientific Diver, DAN O2 and EMS. His current work focuses on zebra mussel assessments in coregonid spawning habitats of the Apostle Islands, native mussel surveys in the Namekagon River and underwater photography programs with area youth. He conducts research through the Burke Center for Ecosystem Research and works in partnership with the University of Minnesota, Northwest Passage and Gitche Onigaming.

Sanford, an engineer-in-training and commercial diver certified by the Association of Diving Contractors International, has more than a decade of experience performing underwater structural inspections across the United States. His expertise includes assessing bridges, waterfront facilities and submerged or offshore infrastructure, often in limited-visibility and high-current environments. Sanford integrates diving operations with structural evaluations to deliver clear and defensible inspection findings. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, along with advanced training in stream stability, scour analysis and bridge load rating. Since joining AMI Consulting Engineers in March 2025, he has expanded his work at the intersection of commercial diving and civil engineering.

Community Engagement

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and connect with potential employers following the presentation.

Event Partners

This event is sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, UW-Superior’s Lake Superior Research Institute and AMI Consulting Engineers. Funding for this project is provided by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.

Registration is available at uwsuper.edu/LSRISpeakers. The Superior Public Library is at 1530 Tower Ave.