The Retreat Safety Project, Inc. is governed by a board of directors with expertise in compliance, fraud prevention, risk management, and consumer protection.
Christopher Brewer — President
Chris co-founded Best Retreats in 2021 after recognizing a fundamental accountability gap in the ayahuasca retreat industry. He brings a background in cultural anthropology (Washington University in St. Louis) and a decade of fraud and risk work at Square and Cash App, where he specialized in detecting bad actors and building investigative frameworks at scale. He currently serves as Director of Compliance Operations at Bead.xyz and is based in Colombia, where he has conducted direct fieldwork across South American retreat communities. That combination – anthropological fieldwork, fraud forensics, and firsthand knowledge of the Latin American retreat landscape – is the methodological backbone of how Best Retreats evaluates centers.
Andrew Davidson — Secretary & Chief Compliance Officer
Drew brings 10 years of compliance and regulatory experience across Block, Discover, Mercury, and Bead. He oversees the evaluation methodology and ensures our research standards meet the same rigor expected in regulated consumer protection environments. His ACAMS certifications and Chief Compliance Officer career spanning BSA/AML compliance at Block, Discover, Mercury, and Bead make him the strongest institutional credibility signal on the team.
Benjamin Glaser — Treasurer
Ben co-founded Best Retreats alongside Chris, contributing entrepreneurial and operational experience from the wellness and consumer health space. He previously co-founded True Health Labs, a direct-to-consumer health services company, and has a background in real estate investment and business administration (University of Missouri). He manages the financial operations of The Retreat Safety Project, Inc.
Guillermo Ortiz — Director
Guillermo is a veteran and certified iPEC Coach with deep involvement in plant medicine and wellness support for veterans and military spouses. As founder of Spark Ethos, he organizes wellness retreats and community events focused on personal growth and transition support. His perspective ensures that Best Retreats remains grounded in the lived experience of the populations most likely to benefit – and most vulnerable to harm – in the retreat space.
The Retreat Safety Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 41-5114645. No financial relationship exists between this board and any listed retreat center.