Dr. Teri Pipe is Arizona State University's Chief Well-Being Officer. Formerly Dr. Pipe served as the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University (ASU). She also is the founding director of ASU's Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience. Dr. Pipe is an expert on mindfulness which is a skill set to increase the ability to experience being fully present, focused and alive. Mindfulness has important implications for resilience within and beyond the healthcare and higher education sectors. Dr. Pipe earned her PhD in health policy and administration with a minor in gerontology from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in nursing with an emphasis in gerontology from the University of Arizona, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Iowa.

Nika Gueci is the inaugural Executive Director for University Engagement at the Arizona State University Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience. Under her direction, Center advances an environment of well-being through the promotion of skills such as mindfulness and compassion to support lifelong resilience. In her previous role, Nika served as Associate Director of the ASU Health Services Executive Team, leading ASU’s first Collegiate Recovery Program, Recovery Rising, where she scaled the support structures of students in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Nika is a doctoral candidate in ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College Educational Leadership and Innovation program and will graduate in December. Her master’s degree is in Communication with an emphasis on religious identity from New Mexico State University. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Russian from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Dara James is a Doctoral Student and Research Associate in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University. She works in the behavioral science field of integrative oncology exploring the use of meditative movement (Tai Chi Easy/Qigong) to improve health-related outcomes in breast cancer survivors. Dara has over a decade of curriculum development and program implementation devoted to mind-body sciences with specific focus on the work of mindful eating and self-compassion. Dara has extensive training in mindfulness, mindful eating, and self-compassion from several institutions. Recently, Dara has incorporated the neurophysiological biofeedback practices of heart rate variability and heart rhythm coherence to improve stress response, self-regulatory behaviors, and overall quality of life. Dara is a Consultant for Center for Mindfulness, Compassion, and Resilience at Arizona State University.

Tiara Cash, Program Manager, comes to Center for Mindfulness, Compassion, and Resilience as an alumnus of Arizona State University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Wellness from ASU and a Master’s degree from Western Illinois University in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports Psychology. Her practice of mindfulness spans the last 19 years of her life, and as a practitioner she has worked in various higher education settings including: athletics, campus recreation, and student success.

Tiara has been granted scholarships, grants, and awards for her work with mindfulness in the student-athlete population, mindfulness and equity/social justice, and creating art with a foundation of mindful practice. In 2018 and 2019 she traveled internationally to present on her research involving mindfulness and overlooked populations. Her career focuses include delving into the intersections of mindfulness in marginalized and unrepresented populations, resilience training for life transitions, and mindful performance art.

In her current role with Center, she works to create innovative programming through workshops, trainings, presentations and events. Her vision is to engage ASU and the surrounding community in life-long learning and personal development with an emphasis on mindful practices and connection through compassion.