Alex Haley is an assistant professor and the mindfulness program lead at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality & Healing where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, assists with clinical research and helps support mindfulness programming for public, non-profit and for-profit organizations. His areas of study include mindfulness, embodiment, behavior change and designing online / virtual reality learning environments. Alex is a graduate student in the Cognitive Science PhD program at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Interactive Visualization Lab. Alex completed a four-year training program through the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock Meditation Center and the Insight Retreat Center under the guidance of his mentors Joseph Goldstein and Guy Armstrong. He has also been trained by the Center for Mindfulness, the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, and the Coaches Training Institute. Alex has studied and practiced meditation for more than 15 years, including many months of intensive retreat practice, and worked for start-ups, mid-sized companies and large multinationals both domestically and internationally in legal and business roles. He is also a founding member of the Mindfulness for Students network and leads residential retreats around the country.