Commodore Tellis A. Bethel Sr. was born in Nassau, where he spent his early childhood on the “Fort Hill” near Fort Fincastle in Grants Town. He is a descendant of Eleuthera, Long Island, and Grand Bahama. He currently heads the Security Forces Inspectorate at the Ministry of National Security and is a former Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
A family man, Commodore Bethel believes strong bible-based marriages and families are the foundation on which great nations are built. In addition to serving in youth ministry under Dr. Myles Munroe and Dr. Dave Burrows' leadership, he and his wife Teri served as Directors in the Marriage Ministry.
As a young man, Commodore Bethel was keenly interested in the great outdoors, where he enjoyed scuba diving, private and ultralight aircraft flying, and sky diving. He also had the opportunity to work as a bellboy aboard the S/S Emerald Seas, a popular cruise ship of its day. He was later employed in the operations department of one of the world’s largest shipping companies (Navios) before joining the Defence Force as a naval officer in 1981. Commodore Bethel resigned from the Force in 1991 and rejoined five years later in 1996, eventually becoming the Commander Defence Force.
During his 30-plus years of service, he was involved in some of the Force’s largest maritime law enforcement operations, drug busts, combined military training exercises, capital development projects, and modernization programs. He has helped many throughout the Force to accomplish their life’s goals through his character and leadership development programs and believes in laying the foundation for the next generation of leaders to succeed.
Commodore Bethel is a graduate of Saint John’s College in Nassau, the UK’s Britannia Royal Naval College, the US Naval War College’s Naval Staff College, and York St. John University in England. He holds a Master’s degree in Leading Innovation and Change. Commodore Bethel and his wife, Teri, have two adult sons. Today, he enjoys writing and sharing insights on The Bahamas’ and Turks and Caicos Islands’ rich heritage and has become a leading proponent for naming our unnamed waters for the advancement of peace.