Leadership
Aneel Chima, Ph.D.
Director of Health & Human Performance & The Flourishing Project
Aneel’s core interests exist at the intersection of the science of wellbeing, leadership praxis, and transformative technology studies. The questions animating his work are: What is the future of human flourishing in a hyper-complex, ever-accelerating cultural context where technology is ubiquitous? How do we practice flourishing authentically, propagate it effectively, and create vibrant, inclusive communities that ignite it? Aneel is passionate about using psychological insights to affect sustainable social change. Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and of Consciousness Hacking, a global community exploring technology as a catalyst for human transformation. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and a B.A., with honors, in consciousness studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Anthony Lising Antonio, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education & Faculty Advisor
Anthony Lising Antonio is Associate Professor of Education and Associate Director of the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research. Antonio’s research focuses on American higher education, particularly in the areas of stratification and postsecondary access, racial diversity and its impact on students and institutions, student friendship networks, and student development. Most recently, he was selected to the inaugural cohort of the Spencer Foundation Mid-Career Fellows Program. Among his current projects are studies of engineering education and career persistence and college-going culture in schools.
Diane Friedlaender, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Learning, Pedagogy and Research
Diane Friedlaender is the Associate Director of Learning, Pedagogy and Research in the Division of Health and Human Performance Diane is committed to infusing humanity into our educational systems and explores holistic ways to support students’ development across social-emotional, creative, spiritual, physical and cognitive dimensions. Diane previously led case study education research at the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) with a focus on documenting educational change processes and the kinds of educational spaces in which students, particularly low-income, and students of color, can thrive. She has also worked for many years documenting the power of arts integration as a tool for social justice in schools that serve low-income communities of color. As part of her commitment to holistic educational experiences, Diane co-created and led an elementary school mindfulness program. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from UC San Diego, and a Ph.D. in education policy from UCLA.
Tia Lillie, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Health & Human Performance
Tia received her Ph.D. from the University of Utah in the field of Exercise Physiology with an emphasis in Health Promotion. She has worked 18 years at the collegiate level as a Professor, Instructor and Health Educator. Her interests lie within the areas of curriculum development, instructional design for optimal teaching and learning, leadership, and mentorship. Her research interest is in the area of physical activity and health promotion among college students. In her free time she enjoys running, cycling, hiking and spending time with her family and friends.
Sue Lowely, MA
Director of Adventure Programs & Head of Outdoor Education
Sue received her Masters in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas Health Science Center. For the past 18 years she has worked as an instructor, course director, and program director in both higher education and non-profit organizations. Her academic interests include student leadership confidence / competence development. Sue holds certifications as a Wilderness EMT, PCIA Top Rope Climbing Instructor, LNT Trainer, and ACA sea kayak instructor.
Sarah Meyer Tapia, MA
Associate Director of Health & Human Performance
Sarah Meyer Tapia, MA, is Associate Director in the Division of Health & Human Performance, overseeing the Wellness academic program for students. Her passion is creating structures that allow for both high achievement and holistic well-being. At Stanford since 2013 she’s worked in both employee and student wellness, studying and teaching stress-management, positive psychology, and mindfulness to students, faculty, and staff. Sarah earned her graduate degree in Counseling and Health Psychology from Santa Clara University where she received the Research Excellence Grant for her work teaching mindfulness. She is now a PhD student in Integral & Transpersonal Psychology researching the science of intuition. She deeply believes staying connected to who we are and why do we what we do is critical to an exceptional, fulfilling life.
Gigi Otálvaro, Ph.D.
Associate Director of LifeWorks
Gigi Otálvaro is an educator, interdisciplinary performance artist-scholar, writer, and psychogeographer. As Associate Director of the Division of Health and Human Performance, she leads LifeWorks. Her research and pedagogy engage mindfulness-based art practice, Latina/x and women of color feminisms, queer of color critique, sexual commerce and performance, as well as art and activism. Prior to her current position, she was a Teaching Fellow in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric, where she taught research-based writing courses exploring the connections between visual art, performance, embodiment, and mindfulness. She has a Ph.D. in Theater & Performance Studies with a minor in Art History from Stanford University, an M.A. in Visual and Critical Studies from California College of the Arts, and a B.A. in Hybridity and Performance from Brown University. Recent publications have appeared in Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture, Open Space (San Francisco MOMA’s online platform), Art Practical, and Performance Research. She is the recipient of the first-ever Carl Weber Prize for Integration of Creative Practice and Scholarly Research (Theater & Performance Studies) and has also received awards from Stanford’s Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, the Women’s Community Center (the university-wide Graduate Feminist Scholar Award), Core77, Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art, the San Francisco Art Commission, the Potrero Nuevo Fund Prize, and the National Association for Latino Art and Culture, among others.