By appointing Tamohara Das as the new executive director, the GBC has made a significant step forward in the execution of its executive strategies for strengthening ISKCON’s leadership. Tamohara’s role is to serve the GBC by ensuring that Srila Prabhupada’s directions, the GBC directives or resolutions, and the strategic planning initiatives are executed.
Hrdaya Caitanya Das, who serves as the chairman of the GBC said,” We were searching for the perfect candidate with strong administrative and relational skills and the acute ability to get things done. The vote by the GBC for Tamohara Das to take up this leadership position was unanimous.”
Tamohara Das has been involved in ISKCON leadership for many years. In addition to services of temple president, BBT manager, and director of two gurukulas, he served for several years as the director of the ISKCON Child Protection Office. For the last five years, he has been a member of the GBC. In this capacity he has served as the North American Executive Committee Chair and is currently on the Executive Committee of the International GBC. His zonal responsibilities are in the Southeast United States, including Alachua, New Vrindavan, Atlanta, and other temples.
Tamohara Das also has a Doctorate in Educational Psychology, has been a faculty member and administrator in several graduate schools and universities, including serving as Dean of the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. He has many years of experience counseling devotees and regularly conducts seminars in grihastha life, child protection, communication, and leadership training. He resides in Alachua with his wife Mantrini devi dasi and their children and grandchildren.
Enthusiastic to take up this new service, Tamohara said, “Drawing from the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, the GBC body has developed exciting and far-reaching strategic plans and enacted a number of significant resolutions. The aim of these efforts is to spread the preaching of Krishna consciousness and to support and care for the devotees. Our challenge is to put these plans into action, and our new executive structure is a significant step in carrying our GBC plans and decisions to the temples, congregations, and all devotees. Much of my work will be interfacing with the GBC members and other constituencies within ISKCON to continue moving these plans forward.
Tamohara Das will be assisted by three divisional directors newly appointed by the GBC. The first divisional director is Gauranga das from the Radha Gopinath temple in Chowpatty. He will lead the Temple Development and Systems/Administration division of strategic planning. HH Radhanath Swami spoke highly of Gauranga Das—saying how deeply and scrutinizingly he had studied Srila Prabhupada’s books as well as how he had been overseeing the youth preaching, organization, and management of major construction and kitchen projects. Maharaj also said that Gauranga Das is “extremely inspirational, very, very powerfully motivated, very organized, and managerially expert. And most of all, he is very humble and very, very surrendered to Srila Prabhupada’s mission.”
Gauranga Das’s service will include providing all areas of the strategic planning effort with a “systems thinking” approach and then ensure that those systems are deployed, followed, and monitored for their intended results. He will also be asked to provide an ongoing analysis and updating of procedures used to reach the various purposes amongst fulfilling various other objectives.
The second divisional director, dealing with GBC Community Relations, is Anuradha Dasi. Anuradha is a disciple of HH Giriraj Swami and was active in the production and editing of the Toshani magazine for the Centennial effort in the mid 90s. She presently teaches seminars to parents about Waldorf-inspired Krishna conscious parenting in Europe, India, and South Africa and leads youth retreats in Sout Africa. When asked what her main service would be, she replied, “To help the GBC communicate and better connect with and hear from its members. A website is in the works to assist in this effort as well as various other tools and resources.
The third appointed director, for the Legal, Accounting and Regulatory Compliance division is Kuladri Das, who personally served Srila Prabhupada for an extraordinarily long period of time. He is reknown for a wonderful comment His Divine Grace made about him—that “he is an expert at everything.” Kuladri Prabhu was the long time president of the New Vrindavan project as well as the legal liaison in the US for the last 8 years. He ensured that the essential trademarks established by Srila Prabhupada for ISKCON were properly registered and helped organize and raise the funds needed to fulfill the Youth Fund plan. “I will be working towards ensuring the Society’s compliance with internal and external legal, accounting, and regulatory requirements as well as overseeing the national and local incorporation of ISKCON’s affiliates amongst various other services.”