On October 16, 2020 ARC’s Board of Directors named Tamisha A. Tyler the Executive Director of ARC. Ms. Tyler currently serves as Co-Executive Director of ARC along with Dr. Callid Keefe-Perry, who is transitioning to serve as a Lecturer at Boston University and will continue to serve as Senior Editor of the ARTS Journal. Ms. Tyler will move into the position on February 1, 2021 and will be the first woman of color to hold the Executive Director position in ARC’s 58 year history.
Ms. Tyler is currently finishing her PhD at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. In her dissertation, she is developing a theopoetic methodology by engaging science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler. She holds a B.A. in Black Studies from California State University, Long Beach and a Masters of Divinity in Worship, Theology, and the Arts from Fuller Theological Seminary. During her time in seminary, Ms. Tyler took on several leadership roles including Student Body President and President of the Brehm Collective—a student led group connected to the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and Arts. Ms. Tyler also received fellowships from the Brehm Center and the Louisville Institute. She is a current fellow of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) as well as The William E. Pannell Center for Black Church Studies. Ms. Tyler began her journey with ARC as a Board Member before leaving the board to assist in leading the organization as Co-Executive Director. Dr. Patrick B. Reyes, former Vice President of the ARC Board and current Senior Director of Learning Design at FTE says, “Tamisha embodies what Octavia Butler often wrote into her heroines: creativity, empathy, intuitiveness, and a drive towards the freedom of her people. ARC and those working at the intersection of faith, social justice, and the arts will be guided by one of the great ancestors in training.”
During her tenure at ARC, Ms. Tyler hopes to bring a fresh perspective and years of experience in administration, leadership, and event planning. In the last year Ms. Tyler helped to guide the organization’s pandemic response, took on leadership of the Emerging Scholars Program (ARCEL), collaborated on the first fundraiser since the organization’s merger, and hosted the online interview series Insights. Board President Ashley Thering says, “Tamisha has helped guide ARC through several times of transition. As ARC has grown over the last several years, her clarity of vision, passion, and intellect has helped to root our work and mission. We are privileged to have her leading ARC and excited to see how her vision and talents shape the organization into the future.”