Our Instructors
Sharon
Sharon purchased 123 Drive! at the end of May 2025. She has been with company since 2011 and managed the school for the 5 years prior to purchasing it. Sharon has lived in the Bluffton area for over 30 years. She was with Beaufort County Sheriff's Dept for over 10 years prior to that.
Doreen
Doreen is co-founder of 123 Drive! Driving Academy. She continues to work with Sharon and the team in an administrative role. She is also a Realtor with Weichert and owns her own mortgage company, DHJ Mortgage. Doreen has been very involved with several local organizations, such as Junior Leadership, LCAHY and the HH/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.
Mark
Mark is co-founder of 123 Drive! along with Doreen. He continues to assist with school operations and as an instructor of the 8 hour class as needed. Mark stays busy teaching tennis at the Grande Ocean and working his real estate business as a Realtor for Weichert.
Howard
Howie retired after 26 years as a UPS driver. Not only was he a Circle of Honor recipient, but he also was the Safety co-chairman and seminar instructor for new hires. He lives in Sun City and is married to his wife of 36 years, Marjie. They have two adult children residing in New York.
Newbie
Newbie
Karin
​Karin is a registered nurse and has two daughters who attend Technical College of the Lowcountry. She is a wonderful classroom teacher and teaches the Saturday classes in Beaufort, Ridgeland, and Bluffton.
Rodolfo
​Rodolfo has been licensed as a CDL instructor for several years and also teaches CDL classes at TCL. He is very experienced as an instructor and is also bilingual. Rodolfo has the patience of a saint!
Cesar
​Cesar's background as an SC State Trooper makes him a huge asset to our team of instructors. He also has several years of experience as an instructor.
Newbie
Alexandra
Alexandra has been with us for over 2 years and has the patience of a saint! She is also a licensed massage therapist.
Argentino
Argentino is a retired Hilton Head Island Fire Fighter. He trained recruits on how to drive ladder trucks so he knows a thing or two about driving! Argentino is also trilingual, speaking English, Spanish and Italian.
Tom
Tom retired as a Police Captain from NJ and has 33 years of experience in the law enforcement/ security profession. He is married to his wife, Janine, and they enjoy spending time with their 5 adult children and 4 grandchildren.
John E.
John has lived in Hilton Head since 2007 after moving here from Highlands Ranch, CO. He is a former teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools. His last job was as a DoD employee for the Marine Corp., working at Parris Island and MCAS Beaufort. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, reading, exercising, and spending time with his wife, Christine.Â
Robin
Originally from Massachusetts, Robin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1979 and did 10 years of active service. Her second retirement was from SCDMV as a License Examiner for all classes of Driver's Licenses. Robin then worked at First Step Driving Academy and has recently joined our 123 Drive family. She lives in Seabrook with her husband Pete.
Bill
Bill moved to Lady's Island in 2022 after retiring from 36 years with UPS in the Chicago area. He has many years of instructing UPS drivers to be safe on the road, and we are lucky to have him! He is still involved with the safety division of UPS. Bill is married, and he and his wife have a daughter. He enjoys playing golf in his free time.
Artrell
Artrell hails from Winston-Salem, NC, but now calls Beaufort, SC, home. As a student pilot, Artrell's skyward aspirations are soaring. His love for people has taken him on journeys across the globe, making him a true world traveler. With an open heart and an adventurous spirit, Artrell embraces every new experience with enthusiasm and warmth.
Mario
Originally from Colombia, Mario has lived in the Bluffton area for over 13 years. He owns his own business installing gutter systems in homes and works for us part-time. Mario is bilingual and is very patient with students.
Tommy
Tommy previously owned First Step Driver Training in Beaufort before retiring and coming on with us as an instructor. That was his 2nd retirement after retiring from the South Carolina Highway Patrol. We have decided not to let him retire a third time!
Natasha
Natasha is originally from Anchorage, Alaska but calls Beaufort, South Carolina home. Natasha is a proud Graduate of USCÂ and is currently serving clients at Coastal Empire Community Mental Health Center as a Job Support Program Supervisor. She enjoys spending time with her family, church members and friends and cheering on the Green Bay Packers!
Sean
Sean graduated from Univ. of Maryland with a degree in Criminal Justice and served 9 years in civilian law enforcement and is now serving his 14th year in the US Air Force. Sean believes that driving is an important life skill and is passionate about helping his students develop good habits and skills while driving.
Yomara
Yomara works with Beaufort County Schools as well as with 123 Drive! She is bilingual in English/Spanish and her students love her.
Kimberly
Kimberly is patient, compassionate and has great people skills! She was a school bus monitor with Beaufort Jasper EOC for 6 years. Kimberly said she loves being a driving instructor because it allows her to help others improve their skills and become even better drivers.
Lealand
Leland comes to us from Boston where he retired from 42 years in the automotive industry. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp. Besides being certified as an instructor with 123 Drive!, he is also a Notary Public.
James
James and his wife recently moved from the Tampa area to Hilton Head. While in Tampa he owned a driving school and taught thousands of people to drive over the years. He is a wealth of knowledge and we are so lucky to have him join our team!
Newbie
Newbie
TBD
All of our instructors have been state-certified by SCDMV, are fully insured, and have passed a national background check. And they are all awesome:-)