Kamala Tully to Step Up as Executive Director

We are so pleased to announce that Kamala Tully has been selected as our new executive director! She will step into the position when our current executive director, Susan Page Tillett, retires in June.

“Over the past few years, Kamala has done a stellar job assisting Susan Page Tillett and has shown incredible fortitude during the pandemic and in repairing our weather-beaten facility. I offer congratulations and a big welcome to Kamala in her new role here at Mesa Refuge,” said Sue Conley, Mesa Refuge board president.

Since 2015, Kamala has worked at nonprofits in Marin County—as co-director of Black Mountain Circle, program manager of Syzygy Dance Project and program director of the Mesa Refuge. She was hired at Mesa Refuge in 2017 as the primary liaison with residents and alums, as well as managing the donor recognition program. In 2020, she added facilities and the DIY retreat program to her responsibilities, navigating pandemic pivots and ensuring residents’ safety during their stay. In the past year, Kamala led an extensive capital repair project of the facility and has helped raise the funds to pay for it. Throughout each of these challenges, Kamala has taken on greater leadership and been a steady force in moving the organization forward.

Kamala brings 25 years’ experience in various fields from nonprofits to healthcare to dotcoms, having worked at the Institute for Health and Healing at California Pacific Medical Center, Women.com and Nolo Press. Her expertise spans strategic development, operations, fundraising and communications. She is a natural connector and will focus on strategic collaborations to build organizational sustainability in her new role.

“Thanks to Peter Barnes, Susan Page Tillett, the board and staff, we’ve been a refuge for more than 1,000 writers, artists and change-makers over the past 25 years. We are now at an exciting inflection point. Building on a strong foundation, Mesa Refuge is ready to grow to the next stage, increasing our resilience, sustainability, equity, visibility and impact,” said Kamala Tully.

Photo: Leah Vermulen