Maggie Guggenheimer

As Director of Practice at the Contemplative Sciences Center, Maggie Guggenheimer oversees the vision, strategic direction, implementation, and assessment of the Contemplative Sciences Center's programs and events. She brings senior leadership experience in administration, advancement, program development, and strategic partnerships from UVA's School of Medicine (Division of Perceptual Studies), the Mind & Life Institute, Virginia Humanities, and Piedmont Council for the Arts — work that has combined an eye for systems and structure with a strong focus on relationships and people.

Over the years, Maggie has led grassroots efforts to reduce barriers to public programming access, supported cutting-edge research on human consciousness, completed qualitative evaluations of museum programs and exhibitions, designed artist residencies and talks for the University and wider Charlottesville community, and deepened her own practice through silent meditation retreats, teacher training, and reflective leadership coaching.

Her career has long moved between the arts and contemplative sciences. She holds an M.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University and spent seven years as a Lecturer in Arts Administration at UVA, teaching arts marketing and service learning to undergraduates. Maggie began practicing insight meditation in 2012 and is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher (MMTCP); she also maintains a personal weaving practice. She is pursuing an M.S. in Counseling with a concentration in Art Therapy, grounding her work in evidence-based frameworks for wellbeing and therapeutic engagement. Maggie serves on the board of directors for the Fried Center for the Advancement of Potential (FCAP) and lives in Charlottesville with her husband and children.