Board of directors

Dave Medina President and CEO / Producer

Dave Medina of “A Thorn in Your Soul”, served in the Navy with an F-14 squadron during the Vietnam era. After leaving the service, he attended college to study theater arts, where he learned film editing and developed a passion for media production. Although His dream was to become a media director, He ultimately earned a degree in computer science because it offered a more stable career path. He went on to work with Oracle, building and implementing enterprise systems.

His personal connection to this work deepened through His marriage to Gretchen McGeeney, the regional director of Heartbeat of Grand Junction, an organization that supports survivors of suicide loss. In honor of her son, who was lost to suicide, He created the documentary A Thorn in Your Soul. The film received a strong response from veterans in our weekly coffee group, which includes more than 100 veterans, and it became clear that these stories were meaningful, needed, and capable of reaching people who may be struggling in silence.

After COVID, His wife’s organization faced new challenges, while younger adults increasingly turned to online platforms for connection, information, and support. He recognized an opportunity to expand this work through YouTube and digital media so these stories could reach veterans, families, suicide-loss survivors, and younger audiences who may not attend traditional support groups.

Drawing on His professional background with Oracle and NetSuite, including enterprise system implementation for online businesses such as Snapchat, He created the YouTube channel A Thorn in Your Soul Productions, launched the website www.atiys.org in spring of 2026, and began building a NetSuite nonprofit enterprise system to serve as the operational foundation for the corporation