Meet Our Team

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Meet Our Team 𓇼

  • Anatasia Dewald

    Founder & Master Instructor

    Anatasia founded Squiddles Swim School after the tragic loss of her twin children in a drowning accident in 2005. Since then, she set off on a mission to prevent any other families having to experience this same tragedy. She immediately became and advocate for water safety and drowning prevention, and in 2008, she underwent training to become an aquatic survival swim instructor. She has taught over 2,400 students the skills needed to save themselves and built a team to help achieve her mission of bringing water safety and drowning prevention to the masses. Anatasia is dedicated to preventing drowning incidents through firm, consistent, and compassionate instruction.

  • Lexi Venegas-Franklin

    Operations Manager

    Lexi is the "OZ" behind the curtain that ensures everything runs smoothly at Squiddles Swim School. She graduated from the University of Texas with two degrees, providing her with a broad range of skills that make her integral in supporting our growing business. After losing her twin siblings to drowning, she is passionately committed to preventing such tragedies for other families. Lexi manages communications, scheduling, and administration for Squiddles, and thanks to her career in graphic design, she created the Squiddles logo!

  • Jodi Osborne

    Instructor

    Jodi has an extensive swimming background. She learned to swim at age 4, participated in competitive swimming from a young age, and later trained under Olympic Coach Sherm Chavoor. She began teaching swimming lessons at age 16, and she is now IBCCES Autism Certified and a Swim Angelfish Adaptive Swim Instructor, specializing in teaching students with a variety of special needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorder Levels 1, 2, and 3. Jodi believes that all students learn differently and at different speeds, so she has adopted a personalized, one-on-one teaching approach to build confidence and ensure success for each student.

  • Jen Saso

    Instructor

    Jen began swimming at age four after a near-drowning experience and has been passionate about water safety ever since. She was heavily involved with her local swim team while growing up, and she became a CPR-certified lifeguard at age 14. She has loved being around the water throughout her life—she is now a certified scuba diver who also enjoys boating and paddle boarding. As a grandmother to three young grandchildren, she understands the importance of survival skills for all ages. Jen is excited to join Squiddles and contribute to teaching life-saving techniques.