Jeffrey Ashley (PhD Environmental Chemistry from University of Maryland at College Park) is in his 16th year at Thomas Jefferson University (formerly Philadelphia University) as a full professor. Jeff received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award in 2012 recognizing his innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Most recently, Jeff was designed the Coordinator of Philadelphia University‚ Active Learning Space Initiative, which aims to optimize faculty members active, real-world, and collaborative pedagogies by designing mindful learning spaces to optimize those teaching and learning strategies. In 2015, he was appointed the Director of the Center for Teaching Innovation and Nexus Learning with the mission of supporting and nurturing faculty members experimentation and innovation in teaching approaches that deepen student learning. He is an adamant believer that innovative learning spaces can optimize learning-centric approaches to teaching and continues to lead his campus goal of overhauling traditional learning spaces.