Tsultrim Allione is one of the most widely known contemporary Western women teachers of Buddhism. She received her master's degree from Antioch University in Buddhism/Women's Studies and was among the first Western women ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. She has been a practicing Buddhist for over thirty years and has taught throughout the world, making great efforts to create teaching methods which facilitate the Western understanding of Buddhism. She is founder and director of Tara Mandala, a retreat center in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, that has been described as one of the most dynamic new Buddhist centers in North America. In 2009, Allione received the Outstanding Woman in Buddhism Award.