staff | DanceSafe

Evolving Together: A Message from the DanceSafe Board

To our beloved community, After careful consideration, the DanceSafe Board of Directors decided to make an executive leadership change to align with the evolving priorities of the organization. As of 5/28/2025, we have decided to part ways with Mitchell Gomez and he will no longer serve as Executive Director. As the current board focuses on how to support DanceSafe grow sustainably into our next chapter, we identified the need for a fresh perspective among executive leadership. For nonprofit organizations, changing leadership during times of expansion is a strategic decision to support healthy evolution as it rises to meet the changing needs...

May 28, 2025Read more...

New Team Update! Welcome Rae Elkasabany

We are delighted to announce the newest addition to DanceSafe’s national leadership team: Rae Elkasabany, MSPH (she/her), our new Education Director! Rae Elkasabany, MSPH, Education Director Areas of focus: Drug education, drug checking, public health programs We are delighted to announce that in January 2025, Rae joined our team as Education Director. Rae brings over a decade of experience in harm reduction, drug education, and public health research. She is known nationally for her work developing and leading cutting-edge, community-based drug checking programs using FTIR spectroscopy, colorimetric reagents, and immunoassay test strips. Rae has directed DanceSafe’s FTIR Program, led the organization’s DC Chapter,...

May 26, 2025Read more...

New Team Updates! Welcome Steve Garza and Richard Hartnell

We are thrilled to welcome two amazing new leaders to the DanceSafe team! With a shared passion for harm reduction and a wealth of experience, we know they will help us push our mission forward! Let’s meet our newest team members! Steve Garza (he/him), Vice President of Digital Media Areas of focus: Digital strategy & innovation, brand management, audience growth, media relations, marketing DanceSafe is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Garza as Vice President of Digital Media, joining the organization's national leadership team. Steve Garza, a seasoned music industry veteran and digital media executive, brings over 20 years of experience in the music...

October 28, 2024Read more...