Arrington, a talented storyteller and an expert on leadership and youth topics,
has done 8,000+ high-power programs that are life changing.
He has produced gold medal winning documentaries and written seven award winning books. An ex-Navy bomb disposal frogman, Arrington fell from the ranks of heroes when he made a marijuana mistake, which led to his becoming a co-defendant in the John DeLorean Drug Case, AKA “The Drug Trial of the Century. Determined to turn his life around, Arrington became chief engineer of an inmate fire company and led them to save the crew of a B-1A supersonic bomber that crashed by the desert prison camp. After prison he achieved his childhood dream as chief diver/expedition leader for Captain Jacques Cousteau. At his programs he uses his underwater adventures with humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins and great white sharks to capture the audience’s attention then he weaves in true stories about FBI/DEA agents, Colombian hitmen and smugglers to teach about life’s tougher choices.
For leadership and team building programs Arrington draws upon his vast and varies experience as the chief of explosive ordnance disposal Team 11. When he left the Navy under a cloud of shame he never thought he would be called chief again. Yet, in prison, he became chief engineer of a ragtag group of inmates and honed them into an effective emergency response them that he lead out of Boron Prison Camp 17 times to save lives. When he got out of prison the only thing he thought he would be chief of was a mop, a bucket and a broom at a 7/11 store.
Three days out of prison, Arrington was hired by the College of Oceaneering, where he soon became the air diving supervisor and school medic. When a student was trapped underwater for over eight minutes without air, Arrington led the rescue and initiated CPR. Amazingly, the student later recovered. For this Arrington given a lifesaving award by the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Red Cross’ highest award for lifesaving signed by President Ronald Reagan.
A year later, Arrington became chief diver and expedition leader for the Cousteau Society. He spent the next five years on an underwater odyssey of adventure. He married Cynthia Hamren, the first woman Cousteau diver, and then resigned the job of his dreams to become a full-time husband and father to their three children. It was also to fulfill a promise he made his sentencing judge to talk with youth about life’s choices.
Stephen Arrington has worked with a diversity of audiences, from elementary schools to universities, from private academies to youth lockups and prisons, for teacher conventions, corporations, and youth organizations with audiences of up to 10,000. He addresses a multitude of subjects including drug abuse, bullying and suicide issues as well as leadership, team building, decision making, and motivation. Arrington has led men into extremely dangerous situations including combat, firefighting/rescue, and hazardous diving such as swimming underwater with lava and great white sharks.
Arrington hosted “High on Adventure,” a 26 program, half-hour series that aired four times a week to 110 countries on cable and satellite for two years. The programs continue to air today on various television networks.
On November 17, 2017, Arrington was awarded a full and unconditional pardon by President Barrack Obama for his work with youth with live audiences that exceed 830,000 people.
“In DeLorean’s Shadow,” his new true-crime memoir is available at drugsbite.com. email [email protected]. Webpage www.drugsbite.com Twitter @DrugsBite. He can be reached at 530 872-4884