about level-up safety
Leading in Safety and Preparedness
with a mission to build confidence,
not scare into submission.
Meet Anca
Founder & Lead Consultant,
Level-Up Safety
Born in Romania, Anca’s life has been shaped by resilience, courage, and an unwavering commitment to protecting others. As a child, she fled a communist dictatorship with her single mother, spending time as a refugee in Germany before immigrating to the United States. Those early experiences, marked by fear, uncertainty, and survival, instilled in her a recognition of what it means to feel unsafe, unseen, and unheard. They also shaped a deep understanding of vulnerability, human behavior under stress, and the profound impact that safety, stability, and compassion can have on a person’s life.
This lived experience became the foundation of Anca’s lifelong commitment to service rooted in empathy.
After earning her college degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz), Anca began her career with the New York State Police, where she quickly distinguished herself through professionalism, leadership, and a strong commitment to community engagement. Over nearly two decades in law enforcement, she worked closely with schools, municipalities, and community partners, gaining firsthand insight into the realities organizations face when preparing for emergencies. She learned, even from her own agency, how people actually respond during high-stress, high-risk situations.
need created ACTION
During the latter years of her career, Anca served as the School and Community Outreach Coordinator for the New York State Police partnering with schools, municipalities and local agencies. In this role, she collaborated with educators, administrators, and local governments to develop innovative safety programs, deliver staff development training, and strengthen emergency preparedness. She led countless safety training initiatives focused on building tools for proactive emergency response and raising the collective knowledge for staff members to recognize threats in their environments. Her work extended well beyond policy and procedure, she prioritized helping communities think differently about readiness, communication, and human behavior during crisis situations.
Through this work, Anca recognized a critical gap in the safety training field.
Too often, traditional safety training relies on fear, rigidity, and one-size-fits-all approaches overlooking the emotional, psychological, and trauma-related realities of the people being trained. Anca saw firsthand how drills, emergency training practices could unintentionally re-traumatize staff and students, increase anxiety, or disengage participants altogether.
When safety training is delivered through fear-based messaging and stagnant checklists, trainers overlook the true impact on the participants. Those approaches fail to account for the trauma, stress responses, and lived experiences of the people they are meant to protect while they train.
Level-Up Safety was founded to change that.
Driven by both professional expertise and personal lived experience, Anca built Level-Up Safety on a compassion-driven, trauma-informed foundation. Her approach acknowledges that effective safety training must do more than prepare people for emergencies, it must also respect their nervous systems, emotional well-being, and capacity to learn under stress. By integrating empathy, education, and evidence-based practices, Level-Up Safety helps organizations build confidence rather than fear, readiness rather than panic. For Anca, building confidence, clarity, and calm in environments that often feel overwhelmed by fear-based messaging is more than a mission, it is a driving force.
Today, Anca provides customized safety training, emergency planning, and consulting services for schools, corporate institutions, and community organizations. Every program is designed to meet clients and staff where they are (emotionally, cognitively, and developmentally), help them adapt to their unique environments, and empower individuals with practical, realistic tools they can actually use in high-stress situations. Programs are specifically designed to deliver practical, real-world awareness along with actionable response strategies that work in today’s climate.
The goal is not just compliance, but confidence. Not just readiness, but resilience. The learning environment is trauma-informed and Anca always prioritizes individuals feeling safe before delivering any high-value practices or education. That is absolutely paramount to recalling any information learned during future emergency situations where those individuals are required to act.
As a mother of two young children, Anca’s mission is deeply personal. Her work is driven by a desire not only to protect her own family, but to create safer, more supportive environments for all children and the communities that serve them. She believes every child, educator, and community member deserves safety training that honors their humanity while preparing them for the realities of today’s world. Through Level-Up Safety, she aims to bridge the gap between real-world threats and human-centered preparedness, transforming fear into awareness, and awareness into action.
At its core, Level-Up Safety exists to remind people that safety and compassion are not opposites, they are partners. Because true safety isn’t just about responding to crisis, it’s about caring for the people at the center of it. By placing humanity at the heart of emergency preparedness, Anca and Level-Up Safety are redefining what effective safety training can be and should be, always.
then and now
Anca and her Mom in communist Romania.
Anca during her career as a Trooper with the New York State Police posing for an agency Mother’s Day photo with her kiddos.
Anca living her passion as a speaker on school safety for a local district.
Why Choose Us
Your Trusted Partner in Safety
Collaboration and compassion are the key elements to building a safer environment.
Expertise You Can Rely On
Led by a former NY State Trooper with years of community safety experience.
Tailored Solutions
Programs and training designed to fit your organization’s specific needs.
Proven Results
Track record of empowering schools and institutions with practical, actionable safety plans .