Mr Gautham is our Athletic Coordinator and a member of our Student Support Team. He obtained a B.S. in Community Health from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s in Social Work, with a concentration in schools, from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Mr Gautham has learned wellness and mindfulness from our very own Dr. Dave and incorporates it into his own lifestyle. He believes in the importance of promoting mindfulness to students and the benefits it encompasses. Another important aspect of Mr Gautham’s life is sports! He hopes to share his love for sports with all the students at Desert Garden. In his free time, Mr Gautham loves to spend his time outdoors, specifically playing spikeball, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family.

Ms. Linda Christensen is the Reading Interventionist on the iTeam at Desert Garden. She has been employed at Desert Garden since 2001. Ms. Linda grew up in Minnesota where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. After teaching in the classroom, Ms. Linda discovered her passion was teaching reading to young students. She went on to complete additional studies in teaching reading and most recently completed the Barton Reading seminar, Screening for Dyslexia.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and being outdoors.

Dr. Jagdish P. Dave’, Ph.D., Psy.D. has had a rich educational, experiential and professional background in Eastern and Western cultures. Dr. Dave’ came to the USA from India in 1959 on the Fulbright Exchange Program. In 1964 he obtained M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of Chicago. In 1992, he obtained another doctoral degree, Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Since his relocation to the USA in 1959, Dr. Dave’ has been involved in creating innovative programs to meet the needs of culturally and ethnically diversified student populations. 

Dr. Dave’ has taught for 15 years in India and for 40 years in the USA as a high school teacher and as a college and university Professor of Psychology. He has received several awards for his contributions as an educator and for his community services which include an award as an Outstanding Educators of America, Faculty Excellence Award (twice) and Community Service Award at Governors State University. Dr. Dave was Centennial President (2004-2005) of Ahwatukee Foothills Rotary Club. During the past ten years his focus has been on holistic health, stress management, mindfulness parenting, and multidimensional and multicultural wellness conferences and workshops. 

Dr. Dave’, is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, American Psychological Association, International Association of Stress Management and International Rotary. Dr. Dave’ is semi-retired as a University Emeritus Professor of Psychology, is a stress management consultant and has a private practice in Phoenix, AZ. He offers workshops in stress management, wellness, and mindfulness parenting, multicultural counseling and provides community service to several organizations. He has authored two textbooks in Psychology and numerous articles, audio and videotapes on holistic health, stress management, wellness and spiritual growth. 

Currently he works as a consultant, counselor and educator at Desert Garden. He enjoys teaching Peace Education in Primary and Elementary Classrooms as well as engaging in brief counseling sessions with students and parents. Dr. Dave also teaches Science of Happiness to our Middle School students while integrating mindfulness into all areas of the curriculum. In addition to students, he also works with parents through two parenting classes that are taught throughout the year: Happy Parents, Happy Children and Mindful Parenting.