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Members of the Lightning Warriors responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization.

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Executive Director

Chris Scangarello

Served over 22 years in the United States Marine Corps and Florida Army National Guard. Was deployed overseas 7 times during his service as well as assisting with many natural disasters in the United States. Joined the Tampa Warriors in 2018 and took on the Executive Director role in February 2022. His hard work and effort were instrumental in forming the partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning that allowed the Tampa Warriors Hockey Program to become the Lightning Warriors.

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VP, Development

Dan Lopez

Has 30 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Army, including extensive experience in the Special Forces, where he retired as Sergeant Major. Since his retirement in 2020, he has served as the Director of Marketing for the Lightning Warriors. 

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VP, Membership

Dan McConnell

Dan served in the Army and TN National Guard from 1995 until 2007.  He was enlisted in the infantry and later commissioned through OCS and became an AH-64 Apache pilot. Medically retired after losing his right arm in Afghanistan, he went on to become an ER Physician in Tampa.  He started playing hockey in 2020 to stay healthy during COVID and joined the Warriors later that year as a way to stay better connected to the veteran community. 

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Secretary

Wes Weber

Served in the Marines for 8 years including 3 combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Also served as a Deputy with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office for 5 years. Wes began playing hockey in 2015 and joined the Lightning Warriors in 2017. Became a member of the executive committee in 2023 and is currently serving as its Secretary.

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VP, Operations

Delio Cervera

Hails from Arlington Heights, Illinois and served in the US Naval Reserves, Illinois National Guard, and US Army for 26 years and retired out of USSOCOM in 2019. Started playing hockey in 2017 and joined the Warrior organization in 2019. He wanted to be more involved in the organization and took a leadership role in 2020.

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VP, Community Relations

Luke McCleese

Luke is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He works as a Transformation Management Office Manager at the Project Management Institute and serves as a volunteer board member for Veterans Counseling Veterans in Hillsborough County. Luke started learning to Ice skate in March 2024, and his first attempt at playing hockey was during his first Tampa Lightning Warriors practice in June 2024. He has been working on improving his skills ever since. 

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VP, Hockey Operations

Erik Hautly

Originally from St. Louis, graduated high school in Canton, Michigan. Served in the Air Force working on Peacekeeper ICBM. Has been playing hockey since age 13. Joined Warriors Feb 2018 and has been in a leadership role since June 2018. Erik current serves as the VP of Hockey Operations.

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Hockey Operations

Justin Podomnik

Justin is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has been playing hockey since he was 13 years old. He retired from the Air Force as a Master Sergeant in 2018 with 20 years of distinguished active-duty service as an Aircraft Armament Apprentice with multiple deployments. He joined the Tampa Warriors in 2018 and shortly after became a member of the Board of Directors. Justin has served in Hockey Operations for the Lightning Warriors since 2019.

Executive Committee

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