Alternative First Responders

Todd Olmstead is an associate professor in Cornell University’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health, where he conducts research on the effectiveness, cost, and cost effectiveness of a wide variety of behavioral health interventions. Todd’s current research interests include the impact of embedding behavioral health clinicians within a 911 call center, providing financial incentives to increase HIV screening among at-risk women, and treatments for individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

Prior to coming to Cornell, Todd was a member of the faculties of the University of Texas at Austin, George Mason University, the University of Connecticut, and Yale University. He holds degrees in Public Policy (Ph.D., Harvard University), Operations Research (M.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and Industrial Engineering (M.S. and B.S., State University of New York at Buffalo).

Daut’e Martin is the Program Specialist for LEAP’s Community Responder Team, where she leads research on existing community responder programs and outreach to new cities. As Program Specialist, Daut’e leverages her deep understanding of community relations, juvenile justice, and organizing to equip the community responder team to design people-centered community responder programs that value equity, justice, and transparency.

Prior to joining LEAP, Daut’e served as a youth council member for the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, where her role included organizing forums and youth programming. She brings a wealth of experience in relationship building, community activism, and innovative problem solving. Daut’e holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in Africana Studies, where she explored the histories, politics, and cultures of the African diaspora.

Rebecca Mironko is the Program Associate for LEAP’s Community Responder Team. At LEAP, Rebecca has led the Nationwide Map Project, which details the current landscape of community responder programs across the United States to raise awareness and support their expansion.

As a Rwandan-American who grew up in South Africa and the United States, Rebecca’s global upbringing has shaped her advocacy, grounding it in an intersectional and international pursuit of liberation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in the History of Social Change and Social Movements from Yale, where she focused on the histories of resistance to carceral systems.

Gabriela Solis Torres is the Director of Safety & Justice: Alternative Response at the Government Performance Lab (GPL) at Harvard University, where she leads a team dedicated to strengthening alternative 911 emergency response by providing technical assistance to governments, evaluating promising solutions, and disseminating learnings that facilitate adoption of programs at scale. Gabriela’s team helps governments connect residents calling 911 to the right services at the right time, reducing unnecessary criminal justice system involvement and creating more equitable outcomes for communities of color, people with serious mental health disorders, and others disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system.

Prior to the GPL, Gabriela worked with the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative to conduct data research to help advance advocacy efforts pertaining to domestic policy issues affecting communities of color and served as Co-Director of Case Management for Bruin Shelter, a shelter for college students experiencing homelessness.

Born and raised in East Los Angeles, CA, Gabriela is a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate. She holds a B.A. in Gender Studies and Sociology as well as an MSW and MPP from UCLA.