Buen Vivir CPE
Online CPE programs
Our Faculty
Rev. Silvia Tiznado-Smith
MDiv., BCC.
Buen Vivir CPE Director & Founder
ACPE Certified Educator
Rev. Silvia Tiznado-Smith a Mexican-American and an ACPE Certified Educator is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is the educator for the community-based CPE. She was the educator for a Spanish-English CPE unit at the San Francisco Night Ministry. ACPE has trained and provided spiritual care that is diverse and attends to the needs of a diversity of individuals. We understand that culture and language are core parts of a person’s humanity. It is our intent to equip Spanish-speaking and bilingual spiritual care providers to offer spiritual care to and from their cultural context. Some students will be part of their own Hispanic/Latino Spanish-speaking congregations in the Phoenix area and provide spiritual care to their members.
Rev. Jarda Alexander, BCC
Rev. Lynn Brown-Duffy
MDiv., BCC.
ACPE Certified Educator
MDiv., BCC.
ACPE Certified Educator
Jarda Alexander is an ACPE Certified Educator, APC/NAVAC Board Certified Chaplain, and ordained minister in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. She spent 10 years in healthcare as a pharmaceutical sales consultant, 3 years as a youth and young adult minister, 12 years as a Chaplain, and 6 years as a Certified Educator.
Rev. Veronica Martinez-Gallegos
Rev. Michael G. Schirmacher
MDiv., BCC.
ACPE Certified Educator
MDiv., BCC.
ACPE Certified Educator
Veronica is an ordained minister endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Veronica has over a decade of chaplaincy experience, including a palliative care residency at Atrium Health. She earned her M.Div. from Campbell University (2014) and achieved Educator Certification in 2022. Alongside her husband, Rev. Hugo Gallegos, she has served in congregational ministry for 30 years.
An Episcopal Priest ordained in 1981 and an ACPE Certified Educator since 1989, Michael has over 40 years of experience in clinical and congregational leadership. He has served as Director of Pastoral Care and CPE Manager at prestigious institutions including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, St. Elizabeths Hospital, and Austin State Hospital. Since 2017, he has specialized as a Contract Educator, providing online and in-person supervision for healthcare systems across the U.S. Michael’s ministry is marked by a commitment to diversity and bilingual service, having served parishes in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Mexico.