Our Team
Chris Busey, Ph.D.
CEO & Lead Consultant
Dr. Chris Busey has spent the past decade as a professor at several research-intensive, Division I higher education institutions. An educator and coach at heart, his professional interest in issues of equity and access began when he started his career in the early 2000s as a middle and high school teacher. Since then, he went on to obtain a PhD from the University of Central Florida to gain the skillset and knowledge-base necessary to effectively carry out social science research and create innovative solutions to major socio-economic issues that impact society today. Dr. Busey has dedicated himself as a researcher to exploring significant issues such as the wealth gap, race and gender-based educational inequities, and educational policy leading to an award-winning and internationally recognized body of scholarship. While serving as a professor, Dr. Busey has also coached soccer for public schools and competitive travel youth programs. Having witnessed as a coach many of the same socio-economic inequalities that shape schooling experiences across the United States, Dr. Busey is ready to work with sports programs and organizations to imagine a more diverse, equitable, and accessible athletic landscape for youth, parents, and coaches. Dr. Busey is especially passionate about diversifying the sport landscape and creating equitable pathways for girls and women of color. He is a member of the United Soccer Coaches, holds several coaching licenses, and continues to coach competitive youth soccer in the Central Florida region.
Jeff Danso
Lead Consultant & Managing Director
Jeff Danso has built a career focusing on issues of equity over the last 10 years. This work dates back to his graduate experience at the University of Massachusetts Lowell where he earned a bachelor and master’s degree. Upon graduation, Jeff has embarked on a career that has seen him work in Division I environments within The Ohio State University and University of Florida. These experiences placed him squarely in key conversations around access, equity, and inclusion, and developing strategies to remove these barriers within higher education. Before excelling in these roles, Jeff has enjoyed a life full of playing experience from club and developmental pool levels to collegiate soccer at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Division II soccer. Jeff is fully immersed in the coaching word, earning several US. Soccer Coaching licenses and has gained over 10 years of coaching experience in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Florida. His experiences growing up in inner city Worcester, MA, along with his playing and coaching experiences, have positioned him to bring lived experiences to the work of Level Field Sports. Currently, he’s earning a second Master’s in Applied Kinesiology and Physiology from the University of Florida, where he serves as the Diversity Program Manager, professionally. Jeff is dedicated to the experience of young athletes and intersects his professional, playing and lived experiences to remove barriers that exist in sports for underserved populations.