Cécile Hohenlohe, Chair of the Middle Way School (MWS) Board of Trustees, brings a rich background in creative direction, design, event management, and hospitality, alongside a deep commitment to Buddhist practice and contemplative education. Born into a multicultural European family in Southern Germany, her early education fostered a strong connection to nature, community and local traditions.

At a young age, Cécile enrolled in Salem boarding school, which in 1920 her family co-founded with Kurt Hahn a pioneering German-Jewish educator considered one of the modern fathers of “experiential education.” Hahn’s philosophy, which notably gave rise to the Round Square Schools, United World Colleges and Outward Bound Schools, centered on a profound belief in “learning-by-doing” and “character education” including cultivating compassion in young people to serve the larger community. This deeply resonated with Cécile. At Salem, students were required to participate in social services, including emergency response, equipping Cécile with a wide range of practical skills for civil protection and disaster relief. Teachers there fostered students “human-beingness,” emphasizing inner qualities like kindness, patience, perseverance, and active listening. This holistic approach, combined with Hahn’s motto, ‘There is more in you than you think,’ profoundly shaped Cécile’s understanding of education. In retrospect, she perceives this as a poignant echo of the Buddhist principle of basic goodness inherent in all beings, a realization that deeply inspires her to this day.

Having initially connected with the Buddha’s teachings through the arts, Cécile encountered the dharma with Mingyur Rinpoche in the Dordogne, South-Western France, and continues her studies with Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Her profound connection with her root teacher, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, in 2007, affirmed her lifelong devotion to the dharma. This spiritual foundation, coupled with her passion for education, led her to become a founding Trustee of MWS in 2018. Alongside her fellow trustees, MWS’s talented leadership team, and devoted educators, Cécile is deeply committed to serving Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s vision for creating a model of Buddhist childhood education, often wishing she could turn back time to be a student at MWS herself. She lives in New York City with her husband, Ajoy Mani.