About

The Navy SEAL Museum San Diego Will Immerse Visitors Of All Ages And Backgrounds Into The Clandestine World Of Navy SEALs Through First-Person Accounts, Activated Artifacts, Engaging Digital Media, And Interactive Full-Body Challenges. These Experiences Will Incorporate The Fundamental Components Of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) For Students To Inspire The Next Generation Of Scientists, Engineers, Mathematicians, And Navy SEALs.

The Navy SEAL Museum San Diego Will Accommodate Visitors Looking For An Educational Outing, As Well As Guests Who Want To Know More About This Elite Fighting Force. Whether Your Objective Is To Learn More About Navy SEALs, Or To Experience An Engaging And Innovative Attraction, The Navy SEAL Museum San Diego Promises To Please Patriots, Intellectuals, And Adrenaline-Seekers The Same.

“San Diego is the perfect home for the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego with its deep military roots and collaborative innovation economy. Navy SEAL Museum San Diego will immerse visitors from near and far in the world of our bravest heroes and serve as a unique convention center for the community.“ – Lisa Easterly, President and CEO, Cyber Center of Excellence San Diego

Capital Campaign Committee

Rick Kaiser | Chief Operating Officer

Rick Kaiser | Chief Operating Officer

Master Chief (SEAL) Rick Kaiser, USN (Ret.)
Rick was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After attending Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) training Class 109 in Coronado, California, he was assigned to SEAL Team TWO in 1980. Rick deployed three times with SEAL Team TWO 2nd Platoon, specializing in Winter Warfare, Sniping, and Combat Swimming.

He was assigned to SEAL Team SIX in 1985 acting as lead diver, breacher, and sniper. In 1993, Rick received the Silver Star for Valor during the Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down). He served as the training chief and lead sniper from 1993-2000. He then served as Deputy Operations Officer from 2001-2013, overseeing and managing numerous combat deployments post 9-11 of SEAL Team SIX personnel to Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, and many other locations around the world.

Rick is currently employed as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Navy SEAL Museum and lives in Vero Beach, Florida with his wife Barbara.

Todd Perry | Executive Director

Todd Perry | Executive Director

Captain (SEAL) Todd Perry, USN (Ret.)
Todd is from Escondido, CA, and enlisted in the Navy in April 1982. Upon graduation from BUD/S Class 123, MMFN Perry reported to SEAL Team 3 as a Plank Owner. During these 40 years of active-duty service, he also served at ST-8, ST-1, NSWU-2, NSW CEN, WARCOM and 18 years at a Special Mission Unit. He conducted over 20 operational deployments to Asia, Europe, Africa, and Central America, with the majority in support of Afghanistan or Iraq combat operations.

His three Command Tours included Advanced Training Command; CDR, Combined Joint Special Operation Task Force – Iraq (CJSOTF-I 19-2), and his final command at NSW Leadership Education and Development (NLEAD) until retirement.

Todd’s wife Jackie has been along for the full ride, raising three great kids during Todd’s lengthy absences and served as NSW’s longest serving spouse in NSW’s 80-year history. Todd is now proudly serving as the Executive Director of the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego; he and Jackie are excited to see the long-overdue NSMSD brought to their hometown of San Diego.

Lance Cummings | Capital Campaign Director

Lance Cummings | Operations and Special Events Director

Chief Warrant Officer (SEAL) Lance Cummings, USN (Ret.)
Lance is a native of Macon, Georgia. He enlisted in the Navy in 1981 and served in the fleet as ships navigator before reporting to SEAL Training in 1983. After graduating in Class 124, he became a plank owner (original member) of SEAL Team THREE, where he deployed to the Western Pacific theater.

Subsequent duty as a BUD/S instructor and at Defense Language Institute took him to SEAL Team FOUR and three deployments in South America, working with US Drug Enforcement until 1995. He then transitioned to SEAL Reserves while going to Chiropractic College, receiving his Doctorate in 2000. After 9/11/01, he mobilized to active duty and four deployments to the Middle East in support of US foreign policy.

Retiring from the Navy in 2011 as a Chief Warrant Officer, Lance lives in San Diego with his teenage children. Lance serves as the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego Operations and Special Events Director, and conducts adventure fundraising events for the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Don McClure | Board Chair

Donald G. McClure, Jr. | Board Chairman

Don is the former Chair and Co-CEO of a national wireless telecom service provider that operates in 39 states. His company was sold to a Fortune 100 company in 2000. As founder and CEO, Don manages The McClure Group, Inc. and sits on several private company boards. Don has served as the Lead Director with a publicly traded financial services firm for almost a decade. Don has overseen operations as a commercial grape grower at his McClure Family Vineyard since 2005. Additionally, Don operates Maryland Vineyard Management, which provides viticulture services to 25 Maryland wineries and vineyards.

Don has served as the chair for four major nonprofits in a lengthy volunteer career; he has actively served the National Navy SEAL Museum since 2013 and continues to direct efforts of its developing San Diego museum. He is chairman of the Navy SEAL Museum’s West Coast Board, serves as a member of its National Executive Committee, and remains an invaluable asset as a Board Member of the Fort Pierce, Florida museum. Don has been at the forefront of several Navy SEAL Museum fundraising endeavors nationwide. A prolific writer, Don authored his first book on family World War II history that was published in 2023. Natives of Maryland, Don and his wife of 57 years, Charlene, split their time between North Central Maryland and Vero Beach, Florida. They have three sons and a daughter, and ten grandchildren.

Kim Rhinehelder | Capital Campaign Coordinator

Kim Rhinehelder, CFRE | Director of Development

Kim is a successful, passionate, and effective nonprofit leader and fundraising professional. Driven by her fervent belief in the value of philanthropy, Kim is described as a masterful relationship builder. Constantly, thinking about the donor’s wishes and how to connect those wishes to the mission of her organization earned her the coveted role of Director of Development for the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego.

In her previous position as the President of Eskaton Foundation she was charged with building the philanthropic arm of the largest senior health care organization in the Sacramento region. With the experience of successfully building from the ground up, after 9 years as President, Kim took on a new role as VP of Communications, Outreach and Philanthropy at the same organization. In that position, her immediate goal was to build from the ground up a comprehensive communications department. Under Kim’s leadership her team created Eskaton’s first-ever Brand Message – “Age is Beautiful!” As Kim would later say, “Age is Beautiful” is a legacy that will be with the organization for years to come.

When asked the question, what was one of your proudest accomplishments, Kim enthusiastically would say the founding of an advocacy Think Tank which brought together the brightest and most influential individuals in the Sacramento Region. Its purpose was to ignite human stories and inspire local change in the belief that seniors are relevant.

After living in Sacramento for over 25 years, Kim and her husband Charles set out on a new adventure landing in Carlsbad, CA. Kim is a Master Gardner, a piano enthusiast, bread baker, and mentor to several nonprofit fundraising professionals.