Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Dave Smith

Dave is a serial entrepreneur with two previous successful exits, but he’ll tell you without hesitation, that SAFE Steps is his most dynamic, disruptive, and meaningful venture ever. Dave founded SAFE Steps in 2010 to help parents of high school students develop effective communication and decision making skills through an eLearning system. Since then, Dave and his team have successfully worked with 2,000+ families, taught them about Human Skills, reduced stress levels in students AND families, helped mitigate the costs of higher education, and documented the entire process. 

Dave’s mission is to save lives and create lifelong learning opportunities of skills essential for personal and professional success. Validation of our training programs along with new marketing efforts is propelling exponential client acquisition and expansion of operations rapidly planned for in 2021 and beyond. 

Chief Operating Officer

Mark Charlet

Mark has been working with Dave and the SAFE Steps since 2013 – first with the book, College Without Student Loans, and then assisting with the website. Having seen the positive impact the SAFE Steps has had on so many families Mark believes in Dave’s mission to help students and parents on their journey to college and beyond.

Mark has 30+ years working primarily in the sales & marketing arena in corporate America. Within that time frame he has been intimately involved in software and hardware development, product launches, content creation, project management, and training. 

Education is an important key to not only individual lives but to the future of the world. Mark is excited to play a part in bringing the SAFE Steps process to families in order to help students achieve an affordable college education, achieve lasting success, and create the possibility of a great life.  

Chief Content Officer

Mark Pintar

Mark is a communication expert and eLearning pioneer. He has created award winning content for students from Kindergarten through college, with organizations like Turner Learning, Georgia Public Broadcasting, and the Georgia GLOBE project. Additionally, he has produced marketing and corporate training videos for Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola and The Home Depot, and crafted television programming for networks such as ABC, E! Entertainment, The History Channel, TLC, CNN/Turner Learning, Discovery’s Planet Green, HGTV, Animal Planet and PBS.

Mark is grateful to combine his talents, experience, and passion for communication, technology, and education to provide students with the tools they need to improve their Human Skills and live a life of success on their own terms, and wishes he had The SAFE Steps when he was in high school.

Chief Technology Officer (Advisory)

Anjani Nandan

Anjani Nandan is a Silicon Valley technologist with 25+ years of industry experience. He has led large technology transformations of multiple organizations and is very passionate about cutting edge technologies and what it can do to improve our lives. He is an evangelist to encourage usage of AI/ML technologies to not only gain competitive advantage, but also drive efficiencies leveraging these technologies.

Anjani is very passionate about changing the education model that has been part of our lives since long, the SAFE Steps platform allows him to execute on that vision, and help people right from high school and well into their successful careers by focusing on Human skills that he has seen lack of during his experience working in  the industry. He is very excited that SAFE Steps has the ability to create possibilities that can trigger massive skill enhancements with its innovative methods and content, building a good recipe for not only becoming a compelling continuing education platform but also acting as a life coach.

Chief Product Officer (Advisory)

Anant Mishra

Anant is a passionate technologist with a track record of success within many global, blue chip companies like Dell, UBS and Credit Suisse. He brings in more than 25+ years of industry experience with his quest for quality in all his deliverables coupled with a great focus on customer needs.

Anant was struck by the very idea of SAFE Steps to build human skills starting at an early age as a family event. The opportunity to be in the team and bring his expertise to architect the product and take it to the next level is his mission.