World Leadership School

Each year, World Leadership School manages 1,000 students and faculty on travel programs across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. We continuously refine and improve our risk management approach, and help our partner schools do the same through risk management workshops and trainings. WLS’ Founder, Ross Wehner, worked as a mountain guide and wilderness instructor prior to starting World Leadership School and WLS’ Executive Director, Erin Hawk, also worked as wilderness instructor and global travel program administrator prior to coming to WLS. Our instructors have over a thousand weeks of combined experience leading groups in different parts of the world.

Whether in our consulting work or on our WLS- led programs, we emphasize the following three principles about risk management:

1. Risk management is a conversation that needs to happen with all participants, including parents and community members.
2. To make risk management protocols easy to remember and follow, they need to be as simple as possible.
3. Risk and education go hand-in-hand. Off-campus educational programs can readily incorporate risk management and safety considerations, creating an ongoing conversation between administrators, staff, parents, and students.

We have studied the available data on study abroad risk and have concluded that for serious injuries or fatalities among students:

• More than 50 percent of all serious injuries or fatalities with students happen on highways;
• 30 percent happen in water;
• the remaining 20 percent happen in a combination of falls, fires, urban travel, sickness, and other situations.

We strive to responsibly manage risks. Our itineraries minimize highway travel and maximize immersion in rural communities that we know well. We update our risk management protocols, integrate feedback into program design, and invest in safety and communication equipment. Despite these efforts, World Leadership School cannot guarantee safety nor can it eliminate the inherent and other risks of international student travel. For information regarding program activities and associated risks, risk management, and faculty, student, and parent responsibilities, please contact our office.

WLS does not currently require its participants to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, however please note that some of our community partners as well as local and national authorities may require vaccinations, in which case we will communicate these requirements. If there is a vaccine requirement on a certain program, we ask that the school assume the responsibility for assuring that participants are vaccinated with necessary documentation. We ask that participants take steps to limit exposure to COVID-19 for two weeks prior to departure. This includes:

• Avoiding large group gatherings, travel, etc.;
• Frequent hand washing;
• Daily monitoring of potential COVID-19 symptoms;
• Wearing a mask while flying or while indoors in crowded public spaces.

We recommend that all participants take an antigen test within 24 hours prior departure. We also highly recommend that families consider purchasing supplemental trip insurance to protect themselves from financial loss in the case of a positive COVID case that will prevent a participant from joining their program.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 (unexplained shortness of breath, cough, fever, muscle pain, sore throat, or a new loss of taste or smell) in the days leading up to the program or have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, please contact the WLS office and do not travel.

If an exposure occurs:
If a participant develops symptoms of COVID-19 while on a WLS program, we will isolate the participant from the group, seek medical advice from our Medical Director, Dr. Josh Dubansky, and follow our COVID-19 guidelines which may include isolating and testing. WLS is not responsible for costs associated with students that test positive and need to quarantine past the final program dates. Parents should consult with their child’s school on reunification policies for students that test positive.

Dave Dennis
Co-Founder and Executive Director
In addition to serving as the Executive Director of Cornerstone Safety Group, Dave presides over Resilient Solutions, a risk management and emergency response consulting firm serving the travel and experiential education industries. With a master’s degree in Business Continuity, he’s also been certified in Mental Health First Aid, Psychological First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and serves as the Secretary of the Gap Year Association’s Standards and Accreditation Committee.

Dr. Joshua Dubansky, MD
Co-Founder and Medical Director
As a Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician with special expertise in Wilderness Medicine, Dr. Dubansky also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Nevada. Additionally, he serves as the Medical Director for the Northstar California ski clinic, three national forests, and several outdoor adventure companies. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Dr. Dubansky is also the co-founder of Tahoe Wilderness Medicine, where he leads outdoor adventure trips.