As we are expanding our programs, we are in need of individuals to join us in teaching and spreading compassion by using mindfulness and art.
Please fill out the form below if you are interested in volunteering, or to continue volunteering, update your availability.
Do you want to be even more involved and play an essential role to our organization?
Please apply for a position on our board, by completing the application and email it to compassion.pject@gmail.com
Meet the Team
Compassion Project was first comprised of 100% volunteers dedicating their time and energy to the cause.
We are fortunate enough to now, in recent years, be able to fund one full-time staff member, the executive director, to spread our mission further.
We have hired our new Executive Director!
Meet Carl Anderson
Carl Anderson he/him
Executive Director
Born and raised in Forsyth, Montana, Carl Anderson brings nearly a decade of experience in community organizing, leadership development, nonprofit management, and community building to his role as Executive Director of the Compassion Project.
Before joining the Compassion Project, Carl served as a Regional Director with the Montana Public Interest Research Group, where he led community campaigns, developed partnerships across Montana, and helped develop the next generation of civic leaders through Montana State University’s Leadership Development program. He also serves as Director of Operations for First Contact, a Bozeman-based science fiction convention and science expo, where he brings together artists, educators, researchers, and community members.
Carl believes that people thrive when they are seen, understood, and supported. Across his work in policy, education, youth services, and community arts, that belief has guided his commitment to creating inclusive spaces where people can grow, connect, and contribute. He is honored to bring that perspective to the Compassion Project and help advance its mission of creating a community where everyone is free to be the fullest version of themselves.
Our Board of Directors
Ali Everts she/her/hers
Vice President, Board Member since 9.2024
Ali was raised in Bozeman and is currently a third-year medical student in Montana. Before pursuing medicine, she spent ten years working as an emergency medical technician in the Bozeman Health Emergency Department, six years bartending, and three years working at the local homeless shelter. Somewhere between the chaos of an emergency department, conversations across a bar, and the everyday realities of a homeless shelter, she learned that people are rarely as simple as their circumstances suggest. Each experience offered a different window into the human condition—and a reminder that sometimes the most important thing you can do is simply listen.
Ali's involvement with Compassion Project began two years ago as a volunteer and has since grown into her role as vice president of the board. She often reflects on how many lives we brush against, never knowing the stories unfolding just beneath the surface. She is drawn to the possibility of changing that—of creating moments that interrupt our assumptions and remind us how much we have yet to understand about one another. She believes compassion isn't necessarily about grand gestures or having the right words, but about the small, often uncomfortable choice to see beyond our own experiences and make room for someone else's.
Ali hopes to pursue Family Medicine and eventually practice in rural Montana, where relationships often extend well beyond the walls of a clinic. Whether through medicine, community work, or conversations with strangers, she remains fascinated by the stories people carry and the unexpected ways our lives intersect. She hopes to spend her career making those intersections a little more meaningful.
Janet DeHart she/her/hers
President, Board Member since 1.2025
Janet is a wellness entrepreneur, community builder, and lifelong student of what it means to live well and connect meaningfully with others. Her work has taken many forms over the past two decades—from public health, wellness and self-care to the arts, entrepreneurship, and building communities where people feel seen, supported, and inspired.
As the founder of a holistic health collective in San Francisco, contributor to a global wellness tech platform, and a co-leader of international retreats, Janet loves bringing practitioners and people together for healing, creativity, and connection. Her varied professional path has continued to deepen her belief that wellbeing is not something we pursue alone—it is cultivated in relationships and nurtured in environments we create together. The core value of compassion is a lived practice and holds the power to transform these relationships — with ourselves, one another, and the communities we call home.
She is a new mother, amateur DJ, and currently studying gemology.
Shelby Reeves she/her/hers
Secretary, Board Member since 2.2025
Shelby is a community advocate passionate about strengthening connections, fostering compassion, and helping build healthier, more supportive communities in Gallatin County. With a background in both prevention and wellness, she brings experience in bringing people together, promoting health, and developing community-driven approaches to address local needs.
"I believe that change cannot happen in a vacuum. It requires personal investment not by one, but by many. And the thing about it is... it is NOT EASY. I love supporting an organization that understands the need for connection, and that teaches our community to be compassionate not only towards one another, but toward themselves too."
Outside of her community work, Shelby enjoys staying active, spending time outdoors, and working on her family's ranch!
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Former Board President, Board Member, Partner Artist since 2019
Jesine Munson was born and raised in Montana. Hailing from Havre, she has lived in Bozeman since 2007. Jesine has been a long-time student, earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Art History, as well as a BFA with a focus in Ceramics. In 2023, she completed her PhD in American Studies, and she occasionally still teaches as an adjunct professor at Montana State University.
Her research focuses on Pragmatist Aesthetics and Moral Imagination, and she profoundly believes that living more artistically is key to our species' survival. She based her doctoral research on Compassion Project, this very Bozeman non-profit. Jesine embodies the CP values every day, believing that the key to community building is through compassionate dialogue and creative connection—or "the art of living," as she calls it.
She now works as the Public Art and Outreach Manager for the Arts Council of Big Sky. In this role, she champions public art as foundational to these beliefs, cultivating a strong community in Big Sky centered around the idea that Public Art is Public Health. Jesine is a proud solo mom to her son, Monte, and her dog, Cheddar. She loves going off the grid to enjoy nature, engage with art, and nourish both her body and her family.
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Founder and Former Board President
Kayte founded The Compassion Project in 2016 and is so proud of how far the organization has come, as the world needs compassion now more than ever. She currently serves as the Dean of Students at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana. Outside of her institutional role, Kayte works as a leadership coach and non-profit consultant through her company, Ablaze Consulting. In her spare time, she finds joy in family— her husband and two young children. She is also an avid hiker who loves traveling both internationally and across the United States.
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Former Executive Director
Tia Goebel, MS, PCLC, is a Behavioral Health Consultant in Bozeman. A longtime resident of the Gallatin Valley, she earned her master’s degree from Montana State University. Counseling has been a transformative part of Tia’s own healing journey, inspiring her to pursue a career that supports others while continuing her personal growth. She approaches counseling with compassion, honesty, and cultural humility, aiming to build strong, authentic relationships with her patients. Tia believes in the power of education to help individuals regain control over their lives and values teamwork in removing barriers to healthcare. Outside of her practice, she enjoys swimming, reading, playing board games with friends, and hiking with her dog.
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Former Board President and Member
Jade Lowder was born on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. He received a BFA in Painting from Montana State University in 2012 and an MFA in Painting from Washington State University in 2015. Lowder works as a Comic Book artist and Professor of Art at Montana State University. His comics have been featured at notable conventions such as San Diego Comic Con, Baltimore Comic Con and the Denver Comics & Arts Festival. He is an active contributor with publishers including Lesser Known Comics and Apollo City Comics and teaches workshops on comics, zines and narrative art in his local community.
Advisory Board
Thank you to our Alumni
Sarah Montano, Executive Director
Amy Gaudielle, Board Member
Jesine Munson, Board Member and President
Tia Goebel, Executive Director
Michelle Potts, Board Member
Jade Lowder, Board Member and President
Demi Feder, Board Member
Khoi Huynh, Board Member
Molly Basta, Board Member
Dr. Kayte Kaminski, Founder and Board Member
Stephanie Lindsay, Volunteer
Tyler Smith, Board Member
Sean Graves, Board Member
Hilary Parker, Board Member and President
Sonja Bahr, Board Member and Treasurer
Kim O’Neil, Board Member
John Melick, Board Member
Ira Westbrook, Board Member and Treasurer
Elaine Westbrook, Board Member and Secretary
Brittany Watkins, Curriculum Development
Naomi Worob, Community and Classroom Facilitator
Kelsey McPherson, Volunteer and Classroom Facilitator