Message From Our President and Executive Director

After almost five years of remarkable service as Executive Director, Joanne Brion has recently decided to transition out of that role. Please read her message below for more details on her reasons and what she plans to pour her energy into next. Joanne is committed to helping us find and train a suitable replacement, and has also agreed to remain available as an advisor to Lama Tsultrim and the organization to ensure continuity of projects and the preservation of institutional knowledge. Her legacy at Tara Mandala cannot be overstated, and we are incredibly grateful for her years of dedication, hard work, and for her many accomplishments. She has had a truly transformational impact on Tara Mandala, including the building of a great staff team, refining the finances and budgeting process, getting us up-to-date on important regulatory and policy matters, and most importantly presiding over a significant increase in Tara Mandala’s reach with regards to the core mission of bringing benefit to beings by making the Dharma accessible.

Joanne, the amazing staff you leave behind gives us confidence for the future, but we will miss you dearly. We are so grateful that you will stay on as an Advisor. Thank you again, and may you experience an abundance of blessings and wisdom on your path and future endeavors!

Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen
President of the Board

I’m writing to inform you of an important decision I have made. I took the recent time off over the holidays to reflect on my life, health, work with Tara Mandala, and other interests in this life. I have served as Executive Director of Tara Mandala for four and a half years now and had committed to three to five years originally. This coming July will be five years. I feel that I have accomplished almost everything I set out to do with Lama Tsultrim, the Board and our amazing staff, teachers, and sangha. I am now reflecting on what I want to do with the last few years of my working life. With some sadness, I have decided to transition out of my role as Executive Director over the next few months, effective by the end of July this summer, which will be my five-year-mark.

I have decided to focus on the child care planning and policy work I have developed over the last 20 years and create an organization where this work can continue to be of benefit in the field. Child care policy and planning continue to be a passion of mine, and my work in this field has been beneficial. There are changes in the field that are happening now after years of hard work and advocacy that I want to support. I do not want my work in this area to disappear after I stop working or pass. For those that do not know about my work in child care, you can read a little about it, by clicking here.

This job and experience has really changed my life and my practice, and I have enjoyed working with all of you, the present and past community. I feel confident that Tara Mandala is in a great place, very stable, and is poised for even more growth and abundance! I am currently working with the board to conduct a search for a new Executive Director. If you have any interest in this position please contact me with questions. We will be posting a Job Description soon and making an announcement about the new opening.

I deeply appreciate Tara Mandala and our global sangha! Together, you make up this beautiful tapestry of Tara Mandala which hovers under Lama Tsultrim’s guidance and vision. This is an extraordinary community and I feel blessed to have been a part of it, and to have been of service to the land, the organization and the Dharma. Thank you all for making my job so rich and rewarding. Of course, we will remain Dharma brothers and sisters and I will remain part of this amazing sangha.

With a deep sense of gratitude,

Joanne Brion
Executive Director