Aly Waibel was recently hired as CMSC’s Associate Executive Director for Professional Training and Operations. CMSC has grown quickly in recent years, and Aly’s work will ensure CMSC continues to grow with the internal supports it needs. In addition to overseeing the MSC Teacher Training Program and the Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy Certificate Program, Aly works closely with Steve Hickman, CMSC’s executive director, to identify priorities and manage infrastructure projects. Steve says, “We are thrilled to have Aly on board at CMSC. Her amazing work at the Compassion Institute prepared her well for her role here, and having a fresh perspective from outside the CMSC organization will be invaluable. I think people will find Aly to be approachable, knowledgeable, and efficient, and our team is happy to welcome her.”
Aly says she was drawn to MSC because she loves working with compassionate people who care about sharing compassion in the world.
“It’s my joy to share what I’ve learned (and continue to learn) about meditation, spirituality, and compassion.”
Aly is also a Certified Senior Teacher of the Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) course. She owns Compassion Education, through which she offers CCT courses in Oregon and online, and she founded the nonprofit organization Compassion Education Alliance, a global collective that offers courses and support to compassion practitioners, educators, activists, and researchers.
Aly is a heart-centered teacher who authentically and lovingly holds space for each student to get a deep and tangible understanding of what it feels like to bring compassion to suffering.
In addition to working at CMSC, Aly is Program Director for Online Education and CCT Teacher Training programs at the Compassion Institute, where she works with international groups of learners who aspire to teach compassion in their communities. She encourages students and teachers-in-training to incorporate their firsthand learning about compassion into their day-to-day experiences. For Aly, “it’s a joy to see others take off in their teaching practice.”
When it comes to the parts of life that delight Aly most, she says, “My partner James and our dog bring me a ton of joy.” She lives in Bend, Oregon, where she enjoys hiking, skiing, reading, live music, and spending time with friends. She’s also a craniosacral therapist, massage and aquatic therapist, fitness enthusiast, and yoga teacher who enjoys exploring movement practices as a way to refine awareness. Aly also works closely with her partner, James Wood, author of Ten Paths to Freedom: Awakening Made Simple.
Aly holds a Ph.D. in teaching, learning, and sociocultural studies from the University of Arizona, College of Education in Tucson. Her dissertation, Living What the Heart Knows: Learners’ Perceptions of Compassion Cultivation Training, was the first purely qualitative study of CCT. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Opportunity Knocks, a nonprofit that serves entrepreneurs, business owners, and community leaders in central Oregon. You can learn more about Aly at her website, alywaibel.com.
