Independent Projects for Schools
Who We Are
Cornerstone Safety Group partners with schools to strengthen safety, preparedness, and confidence in student travel and experiential education programs. We bring decades of real-world experience in risk management, medical decision-making, and student wellbeing to help schools design programs that are thoughtful, defensible, and aligned with best practices.
Our role is simple: you don’t have to do this alone. When programs matter, decisions carry weight, and expectations are high, schools rely on expert guidance to get it right, and that’s where we come in.
What We Do
Our Independent School Division delivers project-based, expert-led risk management services designed specifically for schools that offer student travel and experiential education programs.
These one-time engagements meet schools where they are - providing targeted training, program reviews, and preparedness support without requiring a year-round membership. The result is clear guidance, confident staff, and programs that stand up to real-world complexity.
Why Schools Work With Cornerstone
Schools partner with Cornerstone because they want to:
Meet their Duty of Care obligations with confidence
Prepare faculty and chaperones for real-world decision-making
Validate programs and service partnerships through independent, expert review
Reduce risk while preserving meaningful student experiences
Make informed decisions without guessing or going it alone
We tailor every engagement to the school’s culture, program model, and risk profile - acting as a trusted advisor during moments that matter most.
Meet The People Leading Our Team
Our guidance is based on decades of experience from those who have managed real incidents, not just written policies.
Dave Dennis
Executive Director
Board-certified Emergency Medicine physician leading medical strategy and incident decision support. Extensive field experience including National Park EMS protocol development.
Joshua Dubansky, MD, FACEP
Medical Director
Board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with 16+ years supporting travelers across 60+ countries, specializing in screening, in-country support, and psychiatric emergencies.
Maureen MacConnell, PMHNP-BC, PSY-M
Mental Health Director
Executive leader with deep experience in experiential education, compliance, staff training, and incident response. Serves on the Association for Experiential Education Board of Directors and accreditation council.
Margaret Kelso
Risk Management Director
Supports schools and organizations in navigating interpersonal conflict, institutional culture challenges, and restorative response. Brings 20+ years of experience in education and organizational leadership, with a doctorate in International Peace Studies and advanced training in conflict resolution, restorative justice, and DEI systems design.
Barret Fabris, PhD
Culture & Conflict Advisory Lead
Project-Based Services for Schools
We know that every school’s needs are unique - just like their approach to experiential education. We customize all our projects and trainings to these specifics allowing us to act as an extension of the school’s risk management system.
Core Trainings and Services
-
Expert-led preparation so faculty feel confident leading student travel programs.
Pre-trip planning and preparedness
Understanding student health profiles
Duty of Care responsibilities
Addressing and managing conflict
-
On-trip risk management fundamentals for real-world scenarios.
Incident response and escalation
Communication best practices
Alignment with third-party providers
Code of Conduct expectations
-
Crisis readiness so plans hold up under pressure.
Crisis plan review and role clarity
Responder training
Tabletop exercise and facilitated debrief
-
Practical tools for supporting student mental health while traveling.
Understanding pre-existing conditions
Transitioning from classroom to travel environments
Responding to stress and emerging concerns
Building tiered intervention structures
-
Independent evaluation of programs, partners, and risk systems.
Third-party and homestay vetting
Incident and crisis response alignment
Roles and responsibilities review
Risk management documentation review
-
A comprehensive, end-to-end program assessment.
Combines training, reviews, and preparedness into one integrated engagement
Need on-call support, document & procedure templates, or ongoing services from Cornerstone’s medical, mental health, and risk management team? Click below to check out our membership program.
Looking for a Deeper Level of Support?
Cornerstone also offers membership-based services with ongoing access to medical, mental health, and risk management advisors, resources, and on-call support.
Choosing Independent Projects vs. Annual Memberships
Choose Project-Based Services When:
You need targeted support for a specific program or initiative
Your programs rely on third-party providers or partners
You run programs for one period of time throughout the year
You have internal risk, medical, and mental health resources but want expert validation or enhancement
Your faculty and chaperones need practical, field-based training and education
Choose Membership When:
You run year-round or high-frequency programs
You want on-call decision support
You need ongoing medical and mental health expertise
You want a long-term extension of your internal team
You need access to an array of resources, documents, and webinars
Some of Our Clients
"Cornerstone Safety Group has given our company much needed access to advisors who have deep knowledge of our unique industry."
— Carly Sullivan, Global Leadership Adventures
