About
Why Cornerstone Safety Group?
With over 120 years of combined expertise in medical, mental health, and risk management, our team empowers organizations to build and maintain world-class safety systems without the added cost of hiring additional staff or multiple external specialists.
As the first in the industry to offer all-inclusive, membership-based risk management services, we provide customized solutions tailored to each Member’s unique business needs. More than just a service provider, we act as an extension of our Member organizations, seamlessly integrating with their teams to uphold our shared commitment to safety, expertise, and innovation.
Beyond advisory services, we deliver proactive implementation for the lifecycle of Member organizations. From leading immersive staff training to meticulously managing document reviews and delivering timely content updates, we transcend traditional consulting, directly alleviating our Member's operational burdens.
Our 97% annual Member retention rate underscores the enduring value of our relationship-driven approach.
Don’t go it alone. Join Cornerstone Safety Group today and become part of our community!
Our Story
Starting back in 2017, as head of global risk management for a leading travel company, Dave Dennis started facilitating monthly calls with a network of risk management specialists from multiple organizations to discuss and problem-solve common business challenges. As word spread, this group grew from a few industry leaders to more than 140 registered participants representing more than 80 companies.
Over time, Dave brought in guest speakers and industry experts to contribute to these group discussions, and in doing so, realized the overlapping needs of all domestic and international travel organizations. Each organization needed specialized support from risk management experts, physicians, and mental health professionals, but for most organizations, the cost of obtaining these essential resources was too expensive and difficult to find. That is…until Cornerstone came along.
Cornerstone Safety Group was formed to address these challenges with a common perspective: travel and experiential education organizations need comprehensive resources to manage evolving risks at an accessible price point. With this mission in mind, Dave partnered with some of the greatest experts in the field, formed an Advisory Board, and created Cornerstone Safety Group to provide world-class service and value to its members.
Cornerstone Safety Group, the first of its kind in the industry, provides peace of mind to industry leaders and helps protect you, your staff, your participants, and your business.
Our Team
Dave is founder and Executive Director of Cornerstone Safety Group.
He has a risk management master’s degree from Norwich University, has spent the past 29 years in domestic and international travel operations, and has advised over 80 organizations in risk management practices and training. Dave is also the Co-Chair of the Gap Year Association’s Standards and Accreditation Committee and actively participates as a board and safety committee member with adult and youth travel organizations.
Before starting Cornerstone, Dave was the Vice President of Health, Safety and Risk Management at some of the largest travel organizations, helped manage thousands of incidents of all severity types, and even started an independently owned consulting firm. Dave is often relied upon as an industry expert and mentor speaking at several conferences annually.
Dave Dennis
Executive Director
Dr. Dubansky is co-founder and Medical Director of Cornerstone Safety Group. He is a Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician with special expertise in Wilderness Medicine. Dr. Dubansky is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and serves as Medical Director for the Northstar California ski clinic, three national forests and several outdoor adventure companies.
Dr. Dubansky received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2010, then trained in Emergency Medicine at UCSF-Fresno where he created and completed an area of concentration in Wilderness Medicine Education in 2014. Dr. Dubansky’s experience includes designing and implementing EMS field scenarios and mass casualty drills, lecturing extensively to medical students, EMTs, nurses, physicians, and National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service Rangers. He has also developed National Park Service EMS protocols as part of UCSF-Fresno’s ParkMedic and Wilderness Medicine Programs.
Dr. Dubansky is also a co-founder of Tahoe Wilderness Medicine, where he still leads outdoor adventure trips. He has taught for or helped run numerous outdoor programs, including NOLS, Cal Adventures at U.C. Berkeley, Cornell University Outdoor Education, California Canoe and Kayak, ARTA River Trips and Healing Waters San Francisco. Dr. Dubansky volunteers as a National Ski Patrol physician and is a diplomate of the Wilderness Medical Society’s Diploma in Mountain Medicine program.
Joshua Dubansky, MD, FACEP
Medical Director
Maureen MacConnell, PMHNP-BC, PSY-M, MA OLL is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner providing mental health consultation and training in over 60 countries globally. She has advanced degrees in Clinical Psychology, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, and Organizational Leadership and Learning. Maureen joins Cornerstone with sixteen years experience as a mental health clinician both domestically and internationally. She currently serves as Chair of the Psychological Health of Traveler's committee within the International Society of Travel Medicine, and believes in providing continuous, adaptive support for travelers in domestic and international settings.
Maureen MacConnell, PMHNP-BC, PSY-M
Mental Health Director
Dr. Croghan is a Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician with a fellowship in Sports Medicine. She is a Community Faculty member with her alma mater, the University of Nevada School of Medicine and received her Medical Degree from the University ofNevada before her residency in Emergency Medicine at Univeristy of Arizona in 2002. She then completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine at San Jose State University, caring for college student athletes at both Stanford and Menlo College as well as the San Jose Sharks and Sabercats. She was an attending at a Level II Trauma Center with a Stroke and Cardiac Unit for 18 years, overseeing and mentoring medical students and residents throughout the years. She has volunteered hundreds of hours at the medical school as a guest lecturer and serves on the application committee for the pre-med, post-Baccalaureate, and BS-MD programs. Dr Croghan, once a foreign exchange student herself, has attended multiple Wilderness Medicine conferences over the years and has spent 5 summers caring for childrens' summer camps in the Sierra Mountains.
Cari Croghan, MD, FACEP
Medical Advisor
Michael Habicht, MD, DiMM, FAWM is an emergency physician in South Lake Tahoe, California. He began his outdoor and travel career as a backpacking and rock climbing guide before going to medical school and emergency residency at the University of California, Irvine. Today, he serves as the Medical Director for Heavenly and Kirkwood Professional Ski Patrol, an instructor for the Diploma in Mountain Medicine course for the Wilderness Medical Society and served in El Dorado County Search and Rescue for 10 years. He continues to travel and climb around the world with ascents including Alaska’s Denali, Ama Dablam in the Himalaya, Kilimanjaro, and countless climbs and backpacking trips all across California with his family. He has trained extensively in travel medicine, high altitude medicine, and has a special affinity for traveling with children and teens as a father of two adventurous boys who have hike and climbed across the world with him.
Michael Habicht, MD, FACEP, DiMM
Medical Advisor
Teresa Jennings, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is located in Durango, CO. She has spent the last ten years working in public education as a social worker, Dean of Students and, currently, as the Substance Abuse Program Manager for the Durango School District. Prior to her clinical career Teresa worked in multiple roles in the world of outdoor recreation. She started out teaching rock climbing at the University of Colorado which quickly led her to become a white water rafting guide. This was followed by leading expeditions for teens in both Montana and the southwest and a stint leading sea kayaking trips in Alaska. Her transition to the world of education was initiated through teaching abroad in South Korea and falling in love with the complexities of learning and growing.
Outside of work Teresa is an avid traveler who has spent the last three summer cycling through Europe. She loves to snowboard, mountain bike, run and spend time with her friends and husband in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
Teresa Jennings, LCSW
Mental Health Advisor
Tory Smith, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based out of Durango, Colorado. Currently, she serves her community as a therapist for adolescents and families impacted by the child welfare and foster care systems. Tory is working on opening her own private practice and is excited to join the Cornerstone team. Tory’s additional mental health experience includes working as a school social worker and in various nonprofits serving marginalized communities. Prior to this, Tory began her career as an outdoor educator in the Four Corners region with programming geared towards backpacking, rafting and cultural exchange. Tory has also led trips internationally as a teacher at the Traveling School and Program Leader for Deer Hill Expeditions in Costa Rica.
Outside of work Tory enjoys traveling, painting, exploring the mountains and desert of the Southwest and getting lost in a good book.
Tory Smith, LCSW
Mental Health Advisor
Margaret, along with her role with Cornerstone Safety Group, is the Executive Director of Talisman Programs, a camp in Western North Carolina serving adolescents and young adults with ADHD and on the Autism spectrum. She also currently serves on the Association of Experiential Education Accreditation Council. She formerly held the positions of Director of Operations and Director of Risk Management and Compliance at Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness (2021-2024), Health Director at Open Sky Wilderness Therapy (2017-2021, and Program Director, Case Manager, Staff Mentor, and Head Guide at Alaska Crossings (2010-2016) and has worked with commercial rafting, canoeing, and kayaking companies. She is formerly the Best Practices Committee Chair on the Outdoor Behavioral Health Council Board.
Margaret has enjoyed traveling and exploring the world and has also had incredible opportunities to live in Minnesota, Alaska, Colorado, and now is based in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband, two beautiful children, and dogs.
Margaret Kelso
Risk Management Advisor
Mike has worked for experiential learning and adventure companies around the world for the last 30 years. He started his career as an outdoor educator instructing in Oregon, Idaho, and California in the mid-nineties at the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School. Mike served Outward Bound in many senior leadership and director roles until 2017. Mike also worked at Outward Bound Australia in 1995-96 and as the Head of Operations for Outward Bound Hong Kong from 2018-2022.
While in Hong Kong Mike led the team that developed the first Outward Bound School in China, Outward Bound Hubei. He currently works for the National Audubon Society as the Director of Safety.
Mike travels the world to consult on risk management in outdoor adventure businesses and regularly presents at conferences on cultural risk tolerance, safety and risk management. Mike serves or has served on the Board Risk Management Committees in the USA, Hong Kong, and China. His expertise resides in safety, risk management, operations, logistics, training and team-building.
Mike has also worked as a mountaineering and rock climbing guide, sea kayak guide and white-water rafting guide. He has climbed and paddled all over the world and has over 50 first ascents of rock climbs in the US as well as first ski descents in the Fairweather Range of Alaska.
Mike moved from Hong Kong to Asheville, North Carolina in 2022. In his spare time he loves spending time with his family, exploring the crags and wild areas of North Carolina, traveling, bird watching, skiing, maps and reading books.
Mike Armstrong
Risk Management Advisor
Stuart is an international outdoor educator with expertise in risk and safety management. He holds a master’s in adventure education from Prescott College, focusing on systems-based risk assessment for international programs. Based in Taipei, Taiwan, and Seattle, Washington, Stuart has authored many publications and regularly speaks about program design and risk management at conferences and research events around the world.
In previous roles, Stuart led a national risk and safety management program as Senior Director with the Student Conservation Association. He also spent nine years in South Korea developing an outdoor education program across a K-12 international school. Stuart’s background includes field instructing and guiding throughout the West, and avalanche forecasting and educating in the Lake Tahoe region and the Andes mountains in Chile.
Stuart is a founding member of the Climate Action Lab, a group of industry experts who research and share learnings about climate change and resiliency for the outdoor program sector. He serves as Chair of the annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference from 2023-2025 and holds a professional educator’s certificate.
Stuart Slay
Risk Management Advisor
“Even though we've been in business for over 25 years, we are extremely grateful for Cornerstone's professional advice and expertise. It's very comforting to know that we have folks like Cornerstone who have our company and the people we serve at the forefront of their minds. We have really valued their work as we continually strive to improve our systems and practices.”
Liza, Moondance Adventures
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